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Poetry
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Happy Birthday
By Bagheera
13 April 2005
I was recently reminded that Shakespeare's birthday is coming up soon ...................

Friends! Roamers! Countrylife! Lendus yer ears!

Our National Poet's birthday doth draw near

Barney Rubble, toil and trouble,

Ale shall flow, and champers bubble!

Ill met by strobe-light, proud Titania!

Sweet soul music, disco-mania!

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Alright: you're cold, and wet, and damp, and grey!

This was the noblest playwright of them all

Who wrote of life as he perceived, withal

'Tis fit he shares a day with England's saint

And left us mem'rable quotes in language quaint

So if we spirits have offended,

Think but this - my sonnet's ended!

 

Reviews
Shakespearian Sonnet
Written by Betsie (30 comments posted) 14th April 2005
Very clever - but I think it would be just wonderful if you could turn it into a true Shakespearian sonnet i.e. 12 lines of iambic pentameter with the rhyming couplet at the end. That would make it a masterpiece.
*
Written by Flippy_D (14 comments posted) 15th April 2005
"Ill met by strobe-light, proud Titania!" 
 
I can't decide whether that was quite good, or really trite.

Written by Songster (52 comments posted) 15th April 2005
For a true Shakespearian sonnet it would need to be in iambic pentameters, in alternate rhyme, abab, cdcd etc, turning in the sestet and closing with a final rhyming couplet. Other than your claiming this as a sonnet I enjoyed it. I picked up Julius Caesar, Macbeth. Midsummmer Night's Dream and that most famous of all his sonnets (have I missed anything?) mixed into a delightfully disrespectful stew.
Guilty as charged ......
Written by Bagheera (679 comments posted) 18th April 2005
Hi, Songster et al!! 
 
One thing I'll never claim to be is a poet! 
 
I know enough from Uni days to appreciate that this could never be a sonnet - I only used the term in the LOOSEST possible way, being a total of 14 lines (lack of iambic pentameters notwithstanding!) 
 
The 'tongue in cheek' references to various plays was deliberate, of course! :grin

Written by jean.day (2190 comments posted) 22nd September 2005
I enjoyed it.
Very clever!
Written by LynB (433 comments posted) 24th August 2006
I really enjoyed this - the play on words is really clever, and I liked the way you incorporated so many of Shakespeare's lines into each verse. 
 
I'm sorry if this seems like a rather feeble review, but I'm not very good at it yet - I haven't had much practice! :)
Me too..
Written by gerardconnolly (1186 comments posted) 24th August 2006
Hi Paul. 
 
I must have missed this. Lovely bit of doggerel. My kind of thing.  
 
Do let us know how you got on in Edinburgh. I am trying to entice others to use the Drama Site. How about something from you to put alongside. Trouble is it requires rather more serious attention than simple prose writing and I guess people haven't got the time; or maybe even the talent. But if an individual is loking for a chance this is far and away the most coom route in. 
 
Slan!

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