THE SHADES of night were falling fast,

As through an Alpine village passed

A youth, who bore, ‘mid snow and ice,

A banner with the strange device,

Excelsior!

His brow was sad; his eye beneath,

Flashed like a falchion from its sheath,

And like a silver clarion rung

The accents of that unknown tongue,

Excelsior!

In happy homes he saw the light

Of household fires gleam warm and bright;

Above, the spectral glaciers shone,

And from his lips escaped a groan,

Excelsior!

“Try not the Pass!” the old man said;

“Dark lowers the tempest overhead,

The roaring torrent is deep and wide!”

And loud that clarion voice replied,

Excelsior!

Continue reading one of Longfellow’s many great American poems.

Elizabeth Alexander’s poem today was a bit difficult for me, in part because I didn’t hear it all, but I wonder if I just need more in a poem than a praise song for the day. Here’s how it ends:

“In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp — praise song for walking forward in that light.”

Did you hear the poem read? What did you think of it then or now when you read it?

Update: Many reviewers apparently didn’t like the poem either. David Ulin calls it “prosaic.” But her poetry books are selling well. (via ArtsJournal)

Last night I got a call inviting me to present a lecture for a group retreat in Wisconsin next month. And they actually want to pay me. Not the kind of honorarium great celebrities like Al Franken and Dale Brown get, but actual money for talking to a crowd about Vikings.

The group is called Norden Folk, which (to me) has a kind of sinister sound. However, I’m informed that the backbone of the group is university professors of Scandinavian descent. So I have a strong feeling that, if I have political problems with anybody at the event, it won’t because they’re Aryan supremacists.

Speaking of Vikings, reader Dave Lull sent me to this video, by way of The Centered Librarian. It appears to be a film of the special effects a Danish museum is using to tell the story of a runestone in its collection.

However, I do have to nitpick a little and point out that, under usual conditions, swords don’t float.

Otherwise it’s nice.

Finally, this little video by way of The RiffTrax Blog. Somebody is manipulating the photos of dead poets to make them look (sort of) like they’re reading their poems.

Is it me, or is that just creepy?

I think we ought to mention that today is John Milton’s 400th birthday. Thanks to Mickey McLean at World Magazine for reminding me. Though I’m afraid my card will be late.

And yes, I have read Paradise Lost. Also Samson Agonistes.

But that was in college. I’m not sure anything read for a college class really qualifies on one’s Life Reading List.

U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins doesn’t hide things like lesser poets do, according to poet Stephen Dunn. “He allows us to overhear, clearly, what he himself has discovered.” Read some of his work on this author’s blog, and note this poem on Poets.org called, “Introduction to Poetry.”

“. . . But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope

and torture a confession out of it.”

Do people care about poetry anymore? Do they want only to know what a poet is trying to say and care nothing about beautiful words? [HT to SB]