Voice, Hope in spite of it all, Politics as an attempt to outsource accountability, The satisfaction the calling.
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat – By Edward Lear
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money, Wrapped up in a five-pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, “O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!”
Pussy said to the Owl, “You elegant fowl! How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?” They sailed away, for a year and a day, To the land where the Bong-Tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood With a ring at the end of his nose, His nose, His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose.
“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling Your ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.” So they took it away, and were married next day By the Turkey who lives on the hill. They dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon, The moon, The moon, They danced by the light of the moon.
iAntonio Media
Thanks for listening, looking forward to hearing from you and bye for now.
The poem you just heard is from an originally private collection of love poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning to her then husband to be Robert Browning.
This short poem – resonates with spirituality and follows the structure of what is known as a Petrarchan sonnet – comprising 14 lines, broken up into an octave (of 8 lines) and a sestet (of 6 lines).
The rhyme scheme, and base meter of the poem are to me ambiguous, and I will leave that interpretation of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s intent – as to the form of the poem – to the professionals. I was newly attracted to her use (among other things) of “enjambment” – the running of a single thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a syntactical break. Owing especially to this reason I think the rhythm of reading it might vary – depending on the reader, and the reader’s personal interpretation of the work.
In the first octave Barrett Browning explores the present situation or problem. Then – with the use of a volta or a turn – a solution or comment is made on the preceding octave or section; she takes a turn at the beginning of the sestet – where she expands her verse to explore that past and the future.
The overall the poem describes an all-encompassing love which seems to defy and transcend time and space, as it emerges from the mundane and understood – into something whose proportions – while well rooted in the everyday, eventually unfolds into a gravitational mass.
With the use of “Spatial metaphor” Browning skilfully poses the quality of her love to depict a strong contrast between its own would-be normal, measurable aspects, then with its portrayal – of having exceeded these normal measures. Her use of “Spatial metaphor” also helps to scope and to express the tactile, physical dimensions and mass of her love in terms of the “depth and breadth and height”.
Upon suggesting that the body of her love can be enumerated in such a way, she adds more emphasis to the three dimensionality and tactility of it, with the use of “polysyndeton”. This is described as multiple use of a coordinating conjunction – in this case her use of “and” many times. She then goes on to suggest that her love actually surpasses these methods (measures) – and can in fact, be better depicted on an even larger canvas – one that transcends – into the spiritual realm – into the unknown reaches of the soul – revivifying its intensity.
It is no attempt in any way on my part – to deprecate Barrett’s expression when I ask myself “Who knows where the soul can reach?” considering the fact – that the resonance of this love reaches us from her – even today.
MidRoll
I can also note that Barrett Browning uses something called “anaphora” – the repetition of ‘I love thee’ almost nine times. This does not come across as though she is trying to convince herself of her own love – but as skilful articulation of what is to her – familiar conviction.
“Thee” is an old form of “you” – which perhaps wasn’t even used in her time any more – however she chose to use it nonetheless – for nostalgic reasons I suppose.
The words – soul, being, grace, faith, saint, God and death – help to add that distinct spiritual quality to this work.
I am not entirely sure if the question with which the poem begins – introduces the profound answer to a question actually asked by her then love interest – or a rhetorical question simply arising out of self-reflection. What I do know is that this poem was first written as part of a private collection, and was actually originally hidden from even her love interest at the time.
The line in the poem which says “.. when feeling out of sight – for the ends of being and ideal grace” – is beyond me, I can only sense the meaning. She wishes I suspect – to evoke a real feeling – one I suspect characterized by a note of perpetual yearning for an ever vanishing but very real horizon – a leisurely joyous longing of sorts for a perfect, perhaps unreal ideal. Her very real love is portrayed here, as not only spanning the space – between that with which we are present – but also reaching into and beyond – the ends that lie, fleeting and persistently distanced – as though almost out of peripheral view.
Let’s bear in mind that this poem might have originally been meant to be a private personal reflective.
“I love thee to the level of every day’s – Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light” is a good example of “enjambment” – a single thought that bridges multiple lines and depicting her love as a thing that in an understood, and unspoken way even – envelopes all the phases of the day – literally every typical day, all day – and all night.
“I love thee freely, as men strive for right; I love thee purely, as they turn from praise” to me speaks to the resoluteness of her love – though surrounded by noise. The noise of others who perhaps don’t know what she knows, the noise as they try to articulate and even seek to evangelize with their own truths and ideals and disenchantments and with praise to their own idols and to their own ends / purposes.
It could also mean that she compares her love with the conviction with which people generally try to do the right thing in life.
It could mean that she loves one person and remains resolute, in spite of the attention she might have been receiving from other men – who strive for rights to her affections, and over her life.
When Elizabeth speaks of passion in old griefs and childhood’s faith, I think she likens the intensity of her feeling – to that of past pain, and the pure innocence of childhood imagination and beliefs. In the same breath she appears to speak of a similar intensity associated with the sense of loss she felt when those more childlike world views as they related to saintly figures in her life – eventually matured.
The last three lines of the poem start out with a fairly grounded comparison with common expressions of emotions, marked by smiles and tears. She ends the poem however with the promise, that for her – “God willing” – this love will continue to unfold even after death.
Naturally proper analysis of this poem takes time and could follow Barrett’s love into the beyond, so we’ll just keep it at that although there are of course many more facets to the poem. Not only more literary device, but others facets of course, having to do with her somewhat unique history.
As flowery and emotional as this work might have come across, this is not exactly the work of a lightweight. Barrett Browning was the daughter and granddaughter of Jamaican slave owners. Being Herself of mixed heritage, that aspect of her formative years coupled with all the then intrinsic attachments of state sanctioned subjugation, disenfranchisement, and violence of all forms against a people – is of course echoed strongly in her work. Poignant political sensitivities also borne of personal experience informed her work… The well nurtured skillset of her tyrannical father wielded the same whip of oppression of his own children – according to historical accounts he didn’t want any of them to get married. In addition to that, being a woman in the 1800s – and owing to the critically political weight of her body of works – it wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to express her literature meaningfully and to get published back in the day.
While her siblings managed slave plantations in Jamaica, she educated herself in England, and eventually had to elope – to get away from the tyranny of her slaver-father to marry her love interest in Italy. She is said to have been in turn disinherited of the family fortune. Her entire life, sensitivities, and expressions were plagued and enriched by pain, compromise, and tragedy.
She endured, what I imagine to have been, a splintered existence between the legacy of slavery that fed her – and what she knew for herself to be right and that which was intrinsically wrong. As a result of these, she is sadly reputed to also have been addicted to morphine – which also might have also had some influence on her sensory perceptions at times.
Barrett Browning is said to have been in large part self-taught, though she did have significant mentors during her career as a poet. Barrett Browning went on to become more radicalized – and influenced British popular political thought on issues such as Italian reunification, the rights of women, and the abolition of slavery. She was also obviously – more of an abolitionist persuasion – as evidenced by her works“A Curse For A Nation”– in which even the angels sound resolutely wicked and “The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point” – in this particular piece she reflects on and converses with – the controversial realms of infanticide committed against a child borne of rape by a slave owner – and his eventual murder of her the mother – and all with a certain empathy. Very dark indeed.
Transcript and further readings – linked in the shownotes.
So there we have it, Episode 61 – the final episode for 2021, and part of the ongoing Poetry Series. She had a good sense of contrast this Barrett Browning, and if I were to meet the woman in the spirit somewhere in the void – I’d love to talk with her on black and white photography – among other things of course. Truth be told I think I was first introduced to this poem at a young age. I had no idea about Barrett Browning’s rich Jamaican heritage when I first voiced it on December 8th for this episode and as my contribution to the Poetry Series today – three weeks later. I’m very glad to have started with this one – epic verse borne of blood and contradiction.
Her Work
How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43) Elizabeth Barrett Browning – 1806-1861
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for right. I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.
“The English Coach Podcast – never intentionally takes a prescriptive, patronizing, or condescending stance to the adult learning experience, but is rather driven by inclusiveness – of people, approaches, personal experiences thoughts and ideas. This show episode is neither a formal lesson nor a substitute for such but aims to supplement the adult learning experience in a true-to-life way. The show is independent and self-sponsored – brought to you by me – a practicing language Trainer / Coach – and draws on a whole gamut of tools and tips in support of providing information, entertainment and what I like to call sustainable language acquisition in an authentic, relatable, and vastly collaborative – human way.“
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English Coach Podcast – Living the Language – iAntonio
Thanks for listening, looking forward to hearing from you and bye for now.
Episode 42 – “The Human Element” This episode – this show – the second tribute in a row, in these challenging times – to the learners and their trainers – coaches, artists, and creators everywhere.
Two Songs for the Poetry Series. Guest for today – with whom I’ve had the one in a lifetime pleasure of collaborating – Ms Camila Castillo.
Shownotes: English Coach Podcast – Living the Language
Our topics – grounded in the given authenticity of personal experience – and fitting well to the promise that I always make – to take my usual relaxed accessible human approach – to your learning experience.
Showguest: Camila Castillo – Illustrator, Mixed Media Artist, Singer Songwriter from Guatemala.
Episode 39 – It is December 2020, and the crisis has to date brought all of us to the limits, shook us to the core – and even called our very world views into question. While ever mindful of the pain and suffering that the current circumstances have caused for many of us – there are indeed a great many lessons to be learnt. Today’s show is about gratitude to people. It’s about acknowledging the humanness, the vulnerabilities, the creativity and the contributions of people.
This episode is about Gratitude – Appreciation for Supporters.
My overarching context for this episode 39, for the previous episode, as well as for the following 40 and 41, will not be weighted with theory and abstractions essentially to no avail – but tangibly entail those very real human aspects – that speak to face and name.
We’ve finally begun to accept the reach – the depth and breadth that online engagement offers – together with the pitfalls.
In the midst of these changes however, as we the creators, trainers, teachers, coaches, -developers, artists, the people who have always known this potential – are finally being leant a well-deserved token of acknowledgement – or legitimacy as you like. Again, we have ourselves also brought to the human limits of what some would call a much more intense “1s and 0s paradigm”. From the limits of my context today – my own experience and world view as independent artist, trainer, coach, creator – I know, that it’s exactly that human element, the relational quality, “das kleine gewisse Etwas – wie wir auf Deutsch immer so sagen” – that now threatens to be critically lacking. We can get all scientific on this in another show perhaps – but as a past professor once said to me personally – there are other ways of knowing.
Metaphorically speaking, as I always say, there is a lot between 1 and 0 – and until we first learn to fathom and negotiate that chasm – let it be known, that this independent show for one – not only embraces a quality of inclusiveness equality – but also as always take my usual relaxed accessible human approach – to your learning experience.
Sustainable Language Acquisition = Nachhaltiger Spracherwerb.
Anyone who knows anything about the show will also know – that the English Coach Podcast is – and has in its own way always been a place where learning doesn’t have to feel like work. It’s a place for people, many of whom are my friends who are looking for a way to hold on to the things they have learnt with context and conversation. I consider myself one of these people – one of the many creators, trainers, teachers, coaches, artists, developers, and human architects of authentic experiences – who actually do the work – and who actually do care…
The Poetry series continues, looking at among other things the melody of the spoken word. I’ve invited a few artists to play along with this initiative and I’m happy to say that a few have indeed come through.
This episode 32, of the English Coach Podcast – the fourth in the poetry series – is again self-sponsored and takes my usual relaxed accessible human approach – to your learning experience. Our guest for today – published and practiced author, musician singer and songwriter Andy Beck.
Well if someone had come to the Irish dance With fortune, fame and their luck to chance They’d have seen this life from a different stance They might well just have changed their plans But they sold their souls for land
Well, I knew a guy who worked in a bank His eyeballs set on the highest rank He worked so hard that he got the cramp every time he had a…..drink! He worked all day and all night They found him dead at thirty-five He was someone rich, but was he satisfied? Less than you would think
But if someone had come to the Irish dance With fortune, fame and his luck to chance He’d have seen this life from a different stance He might well just have changed his plans But he sold his soul for a pension plan
Well I knew a man who worked for the law The legal text made his eyeballs sore His dating skills, they were so poor that he never managed to…..chat! The courtroom was his game Until a case he worked on failed He was someone who chucked himself in the lake and that was the end of that
But if someone had come to the Irish dance With fortune, fame and his luck to chance He’d have seen this life from a different stance He might well just have changed his plans But he sold his soul for a witness stand
Well I know a girl who worked in a shop The sight of her made your eyeballs drop She could’ve been great at takin’ stock but she wanted to become “top dog” So she asked the boss if he would swap He turned round and said “get lost” So she strangled him with the kitchen cloth and now she’s eating porridge
But if someone had come to the Irish dance Fortune, fame and her luck to chance She’d have seen this life from a different stance She might well just have changed her plans But now she’s sewing mailing bags
Well I knew a chap who worked in an office He was the boss, so he made the novice bring him lots of cups of coffee Maltesers and toffee His computer crashed and so did the aircon The business never got airborne There he sits, chained to a keyboard….. “Where the hell has my life gone?”
But if someone had come to the Irish dance With fortune, fame and his luck to chance He’d have seen this life from a different stance He might well just have changed his plans But he sold his soul for a wireless LAN
And if they’d all come to the Irish dance Fortune, fame and their luck to chance They’d have seen this life from a different stance They might well justa changed their plans But they sold their souls to the man
Episode 31 – If you are learning a language to talk to People – talk to people. Today’s show is in German (my first freestyle =) ). I always encourage all my listeners, learners, participants, and subscribers – or anyone learning a foreign language – to give themselves the space to sometimes to improvise and to recognise – that many things in life come down to the art of it.
Shownotes: English Coach Podcast – Living the Language
It really is all about Finding your Flow – and this Episode 31, the third in the poetry series hopes to help you – to be a little more receptive to that – in a meaningful way. This episode of the English Coach Podcast – is self-sponsored – and takes my usual relaxed, accessible, human approach – to your learning experience.
Our guest for today is also an old friend and past associate – who has helped me to serve Adult Learners of German in various Firms in Berlin. She also took part in a previous Episode “#23 SURVIVING It”.
As a graduate of Literature and Cultural Sciences – Humboldt University Berlin – graduate of acting of Reduta-Berlin Acting school for Theatre and Film – she currently pursues a PhD in the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at the esteemed University of Viadrina FFO.
Short second interlude for the episode today – a poem by Heinz Erhardt. BONUS at end – first reflections on a poem by Hermann Hesse – “Sprache”.
Episode 30 – If you are learning a language to talk to People – talk to people. If you are learning a language to do something with it – do something with it.
Shownotes: English Coach Podcast – Living the Language
In the words of previous guests on the stage of life – use the stage to get over the stage. This episode of the English Coach Podcast – the second in the Poetry Series – is self-sponsored – and takes my usual relaxed, accessible, human approach – to your learning experience.
In all my years as a trainer of English to adults there are three people in particular who stand out, for the reason that they became competent users of the language by listening to and occupying themselves with pop music, hip-hop music and reggae music – respectively. My rather relaxed friend Flavio, #FlavioPragmatico also said so – I tend to believe, so listen out for his learned pragmatic lingo on many an upcoming show.
Again my aim is to encourage you – to use all the tools at hand – ranging from independent media like this, human interaction, formal and informal training, coaching, paper notebooks, language-apps, art, gaming, personal hobbies, reading, relationships, – that all help to enrich your overall language learning experience. SEE Article – DIY – Englisch – DE
Episode 27 – Marianne is helping me in more ways than one – to diversify the whole Language Learning Experience that I am offering to you. More on that later – so be sure to stay tuned in for what’s to come.
Shownotes: English Coach Podcast – Living the Language
In this Episode 27 of the English Coach Podcast – the third in Season 2 and the first of perhaps 4 Episodes in a new Poetry Series – we’ll be focusing in parts on the melody of Language. This is not to be taken lightly, the series will help you to be more receptive to these flows – and can make a world of difference between understanding – being yourself understood – or not at all.
For this series and this episode we take a small step away from the sometimes dull and monotonous drag of the language drill. We take a step away from grammar puzzles, away from the abstract and the automated – and give ourselves the space to learn to perceive and hopefully articulate – the rhythm of language that lives in all of them.
Readings, works from: Victor hugo and Le dormeur du val, rimbaud
I do prefer to take the people approach to my Adult training, coaching and podcast practice. Even for my whole Online Training Practice over [here] at TrainingTree.de – my aim is to encourage use of the many tools at hand – ranging from independent media, human interaction, formal and informal classes, paper notebooks, language-apps, art, personal hobbies and reading – that all help to enrich our overall language learning experience. Still the aim is to keep it organic – and naturally receptive to context and purpose – as it quite likely differs in every single language exchange. Check out my previous episode 18. Most of us are learning a language to talk to people – so I will always be the one to invite you – on any language learning journey to talk to people. By the end of this episode 27, you will have been given – a set of true to life tools and tips – not only having to do with poetry – but that have been shown to work for others – as well as a better feeling, aptitude or awareness that will help you in the future.
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