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Because you should care about being intelligent, rather than appearing to be intelligent. Dan Send a noteboard - 09/11/2010 10:32:04 PM
Do you think that poetry deserves a wider readership?

I assume you mean a wider, non-required reading readership?


Answer the question. It's valid on its own even if it's vague your taste. Simply asking another question is condescending.

Do bookstores with no designated poetry section but entire shelves full of Ayn Rand and Bibles make you angry?

Don't get the part about Bibles, especially since the Bible contains some truly wonderful poetry of its own. Rand I could do without, though.

If you had a beautiful little bookstore and could stock it with whatever you wanted, wouldn't you have a section devoted to poetry?

In how many languages? Most of my favorite poems aren't in English, despite English being my native language.


She asked a pretty direct question there. Instead you shoehorn the fact that you can read multiple languages into the conversation, all without answering.

Why is poetry important?

For the same reason other forms of literature are important


Another condescending question to answer a question. Still no answer. It's not stupid to suggest a particular form of literature has particular importance.

What are your favorite poems?

Quite a few from Bécquer, Rubén Darío, Rilke, Catullus, Ariosto, etc. Not bothering to list particular poems since I'm not going to spend a long time looking up all the poems I like.

Who are your favorite poets?

See above.

How did you discover them?

Combination of literature courses, foreign language courses, and independent study over the past two decades or so.


Why should I read them? I am compiling a christmas list, and need to know.

Unless you read Spanish, Latin, or German, you couldn't read them as they ought to be read.


Still another non-answer, and more shoehorning. She asked why these poems ought to be read, not whether she could read them. It's in tremendously bad faith to simply answer in terms of one's supposed inability, rather than speaking to the merit of the poems themselves, which is not an unreasonable question. It's in even worse faith that you willfully discounted the merits of translation, however limiting it might be. It's in absolutely terrible faith that you selected ONLY non-english poets to bring into the conversation started by a poet who is an english speaker. One less charitable than I would think you did the last simply to have one final parting shot at the end of the survey. One less charitable than I might conclude that you sound like a bitter High School teacher passive-aggressively bullying people online for showing unguarded enthusiasm about something they've staked an implicit claim on.
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Poetry: - 08/11/2010 02:07:39 AM 1408 Views
Re: Poetry: - 08/11/2010 02:31:01 AM 994 Views
Answers from someone indifferent. - 08/11/2010 02:57:38 AM 916 Views
Poetry - 08/11/2010 03:17:15 AM 1006 Views
Re: Poetry: - 08/11/2010 04:13:38 AM 951 Views
This is why people dislike you. - 09/11/2010 07:03:17 PM 946 Views
Umm...I care? - 09/11/2010 08:42:55 PM 920 Views
Because you should care about being intelligent, rather than appearing to be intelligent. - 09/11/2010 10:32:04 PM 960 Views
Again, why would I care? - 09/11/2010 10:38:21 PM 974 Views
No one can make you care about being decent, or intelligent, or a viable member of the community. - 09/11/2010 10:41:34 PM 879 Views
I think it's rather pointless, to be honest. - 09/11/2010 10:54:17 PM 909 Views
Then why are you even here? - 09/11/2010 10:59:49 PM 856 Views
I don't know. I thought I'd see how long I could string you along. - 09/11/2010 11:00:37 PM 791 Views
You're the one who doesn't care. - 09/11/2010 11:02:11 PM 833 Views
I care only as much as I care. What others think is irrelevant to that. - 09/11/2010 11:04:15 PM 844 Views
But you're still responding to me. - 09/11/2010 11:05:37 PM 876 Views
Because I'm stringing you out until you quit. - 09/11/2010 11:10:18 PM 954 Views
I'm not going to. I find this entertaining. - 09/11/2010 11:12:27 PM 873 Views
I do as well. It's fun pretending to be an asshole, I'll admit. - 09/11/2010 11:17:34 PM 871 Views
Come now, who's pretending? - 09/11/2010 11:22:18 PM 889 Views
That is officially the last one before I start editing and making them NM. *NM* - 09/11/2010 11:24:12 PM 412 Views
Word. *NM* *NM* - 09/11/2010 11:29:37 PM 338 Views
Me, most of the time - 09/11/2010 11:40:26 PM 877 Views
Keep telling yourself that. *NM* - 09/11/2010 11:46:34 PM 750 Views
Why would I? It's not something I think much about these days. Again, what others think is trivial. *NM* - 10/11/2010 12:01:03 AM 450 Views
What about THE Other? *NM* - 10/11/2010 12:16:53 AM 372 Views
I'm not going to quote Sartre here...this time. *NM* - 10/11/2010 12:20:22 AM 375 Views
Are you 5? - 09/11/2010 11:14:26 PM 742 Views
See my original point. *NM* - 09/11/2010 11:15:30 PM 371 Views
Nah - 09/11/2010 11:15:48 PM 1008 Views
But you were asked about it originally. That was my point. - 09/11/2010 11:23:25 PM 799 Views
And I was evasive about it at the time. When pressed, I answered more fully. - 09/11/2010 11:48:27 PM 890 Views
Why be evasive? - 10/11/2010 12:16:19 AM 985 Views
Ye gods. Could you people at the very, very least make your messages NM? - 09/11/2010 11:17:25 PM 861 Views
But that takes the fun out of this! *NM* - 09/11/2010 11:21:25 PM 411 Views
Re: Best one liner of the threadjack. - 10/11/2010 12:37:27 AM 990 Views
I disagree with your claim that there can be no value in translations. - 09/11/2010 08:51:20 PM 860 Views
Not "no value", but "different value" is what I would argue - 09/11/2010 09:55:54 PM 939 Views
An English translation of The Divine Comedy was pivotal to my conversion to Christianity. - 10/11/2010 11:04:57 AM 796 Views
Dante has a lot to answer for. *NM* - 10/11/2010 08:21:19 PM 371 Views
Ah, but to whom...? - 10/11/2010 09:17:16 PM 840 Views
K. - 08/11/2010 04:35:56 AM 1031 Views
Re: K. - 08/11/2010 10:59:05 AM 799 Views
Nothing wrong with humorous redundancy! - 09/11/2010 01:10:02 AM 883 Views
Ooh, good survey. I've been thinking for a while we needed more poetry discussion. - 08/11/2010 10:58:24 AM 1030 Views
I think you underestimate the number of translations of the Bible. - 09/11/2010 01:20:30 AM 1015 Views
Did they just translate logos as... life-light? - 09/11/2010 07:14:28 PM 883 Views
Yes. Yes, they did. *NM* - 09/11/2010 09:56:09 PM 339 Views
*sighs* - 09/11/2010 10:28:49 PM 761 Views
My favourite translation of logos is "point of it all". - 10/11/2010 05:12:05 PM 1156 Views
Interersting - 08/11/2010 05:14:41 PM 939 Views
I can count the poems I enjoy on one hand. Two fingers, in fact. - 08/11/2010 06:05:22 PM 924 Views
I think poetry is largely overrated. - 08/11/2010 06:12:59 PM 996 Views
And you are basing this on extensive non-reading of poetry? *NM* - 09/11/2010 08:57:06 PM 316 Views
Basing what, exactly? But the short answer is, no. - 10/11/2010 05:48:28 PM 934 Views
Re: Poetry: - 08/11/2010 07:04:01 PM 868 Views
I like some poetry, but by no means all. - 09/11/2010 12:28:41 AM 1018 Views
Now that you mention it, The Imperfect Enjoyment might rank among my favourite poems. *NM* - 09/11/2010 12:46:56 AM 368 Views
It is excellent - 09/11/2010 08:16:01 PM 1043 Views
Re: It is excellent - 09/11/2010 10:53:24 PM 870 Views
Re: It is excellent - 09/11/2010 10:58:23 PM 975 Views
Just remembered my favourite poem - 09/11/2010 10:50:03 PM 975 Views
That is very nice *NM* - 09/11/2010 10:59:53 PM 465 Views
I'll answer this unnumbered survey. - 10/11/2010 01:37:50 AM 1018 Views
Read: Poetry: - 10/11/2010 12:08:42 PM 936 Views
Re: Poetry: - 10/11/2010 04:57:31 PM 834 Views
Re: Nice - 11/11/2010 01:39:48 AM 1002 Views
I can't believe I forgot to mention Leonard Cohen. *NM* - 12/11/2010 04:33:15 AM 364 Views

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