Poetic Genres Trivia

1. According to Spike Milligan, "On the Ning Nang Nong, Where the Cows go Bong!", what do the monkeys all say?

From Quiz It's Complete Nonsense

Answer: Boo

Milligan's poem, "On The Ning Nang Nong" (1959), is one of his most well known poems, especially in UK, where in 2007, OFSTED (The Office for Standards in Education) reported that it was one of the top ten poems taught in primary schools.

From Quiz The Neverending Story

Answer: Hesiod

A lot of what we know about Hesiod is found in the two surviving complete works that have been attributed to him: the "Theogony" and "Works and Days". Both of them are written in Epic Greek, a dialect based on Ionian, in dactylic hexameters - like the works attributed to his contemporary Homer. Hesiod is believed to have been born some time in the 8th century BC in the city of Cyme, in Aeolia (a part of Asia Minor), as hinted at by various references in his work. The "Theogony" ("birth of the gods"), considered the earliest of Hesiod's works (730-700 BC), contains a total of 1022 lines. It describes the origins and genealogies of the Greek gods, with particular reference to the "Succession Myth", the overthrow of Uranus by Cronus, and of the Titans by Zeus and the other Olympians. The poem, written in the form of a hymn, begins with the creation of the world from primordial Chaos; it also contains the oldest account of the myth of Prometeus and his theft of fire on behalf of humankind. "Works and Days" is a very different poem, didactic rather than epic in tone and content. Consisting of 828 lines, its main focus are the agricultural arts, in which Hesiod himself instructs his brother, Perses. However, like the "Theogony", it begins with an invocation to the Muses (one of the regular features of ancient epic poetry), and contains two important mythological references, related in some ways to the poem's main topic: the myth of Prometeus and Pandora, and the myth of the Five Ages. Though attributed to Hesiod by ancient commentators, the 480-line "Shield of Heracles" (inspired by the description of Achilles' shield in Book XVIII of the "Iliad") is now widely believed to be have been written in the 6th century BC. Another famous poem that was thought to be Hesiod's work is the "Catalogue of Women", a fragment of a longer poem about the mortal women who became consorts of Olympian gods, and the offspring of these unions. Euripides is known as an author of tragedies, while both Herodotus and Xenophon are historians; all three of them lived in the 5th century BC, the Golden Age of Greek culture.

From Quiz Foreign Poetry

Answer: Joost van den Vondel

There is not much documentation on this poem, but even so the information available on the internet exceeds by far the length of the poem. Various sources confirm that Vondel wrote this short pearl in a bout of depression, as an entry for some poetry competition (probably organised by a chamber of rhetoric). Vondel was born in Cologne in 1587. His parents came from Antwerp and probably fled this city because of the religious turmoil in the Lower Countries. Later the family moved to Utrecht and then to Amsterdam, where Vondel remained from 1608 until his death in 1679. Joost van den Vondel is best remembered because of his various theatre plays, of which "Ghysbrecht van Aemstel" and "Lucifer" are the best known. Besides his more than 25 theatre plays, he left us also more than 40 poems, as well as a dozen translations from Latin or ancient Greek. Hooft (1581-1647) was also a theatre author and poet. But apart from his six theatre plays and his poetry collection, his legacy includes the "Nederduytschen Historien" - a history of the Netherlands in the style of the Roman historian Tacitus. Bredero (1585-1618) was another poet and playwright. His most performed theatre play was "De Spaenschen Brabander", about the Eighty Years' War. Marnix (1540-1598) was a noble involved in the Eighty Years' War. He was involved in one of the first Bible translations into Dutch, and he is credited with having written the lyrics to the Dutch national hymn "Wilhelmus".

From Quiz Once Upon A Midnight Dreary

Answer: Nevermore

The narrator asks the bird its name and the raven replies "Nevermore". However, this is all the bird says in the poem, so it may simply be the only word it knows. "The Raven" with its famous first line of "Once upon a Midnight dreary..." was first published in 1845. The poem made Poe famous, but not wealthy. It has become a cultural icon, appearing in many other works and forms over the past 150 years. "The Raven," like the other poems in the quiz, is written in trochaic octameter. Trochaic comes from Greek Trokos "wheel" and khoros "dance" so "wheel dance." This indicates the stressed-unstressed nature of a trochaic foot. The first syllable is stressed, the second is unstressed. Octameter simply means there are eight feet to the line. In the Raven it comes out like this: ONCE up-ON a MID-night DREAR-y, WHILE (i) PON-dered WEAK and WEAR-y Troachic octamater is very tough to write in. I would be amazed if there were more than fifty good poems written in it.

From Quiz The Epic Poem

Answer: The Epic of Gilgamesh

"The Epic of Gilgamesh" was discovered in the 19th Century on tablets written in cuneiform alphabet.

From Quiz Symbolism in Sufi Poetry

Answer: Allah / God

Practictioners of Sufism have a deep love for their deity that could be equated with romantic love, but on a higher plane.

From Quiz I Read Some Byron and Shelley and Keats...

Answer: Percy Bysshe Shelley

Don't ask me what kind of name that is. But the important thing is that he wrote beautiful poetry, not that he has an utterly strange middle name.

From Quiz Name That Romantic Poem

Answer: William Blake

These quatrains are from the preface to Blake's prophetic poem, "Milton." You may recognize the lines because they are now used as a hymn.

From Quiz Neoclassical Poetry

Answer: Ben Jonson

Herbert was a metaphysical poet, Wordsworth a romantic. Pope was perhaps the epitome of neoclassical poetry, but he was not the "founder"; Jonson predated him. According to the "John Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism," Jonson emphasized imitation of the classical writers: "In contrast to his predecessor Sir Philip Sidney, who emphasized the creative power of the artist, Jonson argued for the long and careful study of earlier writers."

From Quiz Metaphysical Poets

Answer: Roman Catholic, Anglican

Though born into a Roman Catholic family, he later converted. It was King James who encouraged John Donne to take Anglican orders, and the minister was eventually appointed Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral.

From Quiz Ten Famous Sonnets

Answer: Shakespeare

Shakespeare's sonnets have become almost as well known as his plays.

From Quiz Some Early Romantic Poets

Answer: Coleridge

From Quiz It's Complete Nonsense

Answer: Apple Pie

The verse continues, "and at the same time a great she-bear coming up the street, pops its head into the shop. 'What! no soap?' So he died, and she very imprudently married the barber", which although it may seem like complete nonsense, actually served a purpose. Actor Charles Macklin boasted that he was able to memorise and repeat anything after hearing it just once, so Foote wrote "The Grand Panjandrum" in order to test his claim. Sadly, whether Macklin made good his boast is not known.

From Quiz The Neverending Story

Answer: Jason

Apollonius Rhodius served as a scholar and librarian at the famed Library of Alexandria during the 3rd century BC. As Homer's work was his main area of expertise, it is not surprising that he used the Homeric poems as a model for his own epic poem, the "Argonautica", based on the well-known myth of Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. The poem, however, differs greatly from its Homeric template, being influenced by the cultural milieu in which it developed. Rather than being a relatively straightforward narration, true to the spirit of Hellenistic eclecticism, the "Argonautica" includes digressions on scholarly and scientific topics such as geography, ethnography and comparative religion, as well as descriptions of marvels and oddities. The hero, Jason, is depicted in often anti-heroic terms, as are most of his companions, the Argonauts - sometimes to comic effect. The central element of the poem is Jason's love story with the sorceress Medea, described in Book III of the poem - so much that Apollonius has been called the inventor of the romance novel, a literary genre that flourished during the Hellenistic era. Another interesting feature of the poem is the author's identification with the thoughts and feelings of his characters - what in modern terms would be called interior monologue. Divided into four books, for a total of 5836 lines, the "Argonautica" is considerably shorter than either the "Iliad" or the "Odyssey". Of the poems Apollonius Rhodius wrote on the foundation of various cities (including Alexandria itself), only sparse fragments remain. Other epic poems are known to have been written in the Hellenistic period (the three centuries between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the Battle of Actium in 31 BC), but only the "Argonautica" survived out of this presumably large production. The "Argonautica" had a huge influence on Latin poetry, and was one of the main sources of inspiration for Virgil's "Aeneid".

From Quiz Foreign Poetry

Answer: Blessent mon coeur d'une langueur monotone

Paul Verlaine (1844-1896) was one of the most prolific French poets during the second half of the XIXth Century. It doesn't really come as a surprise that the British intelligence service chose one of his poems to announce to the French resistance the start of Operation Overlord. "Les sanglots longs des violons de l'automne" indicated that the invasion of France would start within a fortnight, while the second verse "Blessent mon coeur d'une douleur monotone" specified the landing would start within 48 hours. I've translated these two verses quite literally as follows: "The long sobs of autumn violins // Wound my heart with monotonous ache". A more poetic translation would be "When autumn violins sound long and sobbingly, //My heart aches monotonously." As you see, these verses are better left in French - translating goes at the cost of poetic beauty. "Les roses comme avant palpitent, comme avant" is a fragment of another poem by Verlaine. "A quatre heures du matin" is a verse by Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891). "O mon enfant, tu vois, je me soumets" is the start of a poem by Victor Hugo (1802-1885).

From Quiz Once Upon A Midnight Dreary

Answer: Charles Dickens

"Barnaby Rudge" is a historical novel centered on the Gordon riots of 1780. Poe reviewed "Barnaby Rudge" and argued that the raven in the story should have a more symbolic purpose. The novel was published as a serial (as were many of Dickens' works) in 1840-41. James Russell Lowell notes Poe's use of "Barnaby Rudge" in "A Fable for Critics". As for Dickens, he is probably the best-known English writer of the 19th century. His works include "Oliver Twist", "A Christmas Carol" and "Great Expectations." Dickens is often noted for his vividly drawn characters.

From Quiz Symbolism in Sufi Poetry

Answer: Spiritual knowledge

Wine is strictly forbidden in traditional Islam, making it an ironic choice for the symbol of knowledge for the Sufis.

From Quiz I Read Some Byron and Shelley and Keats...

Answer: John Murray

"And so, with endless truth and hurry / Dear Doctor, I am yours, JOHN MURRAY." Published in 1830, this poem is one of Byron's most funny and caustic works. "Your dialogue is apt and smart / The play's concoction full of art / Your hero raves, your heroine cries / All stab and everybody dies...."

From Quiz Name That Romantic Poem

Answer: Sir Walter Scott

From the poem "Lochinvar."

From Quiz Metaphysical Poets

Answer: He eloped with Egerton's niece

His elopement to Anne Moor occurred in 1601. Not only did it result in his being fired, but he was even put in prison for a time. His marriage, however, was apparently a happy one.

From Quiz Ten Famous Sonnets

Answer: Donne

'Death be not proud...' That first line to Donne's most familiar sonnet gave Gunther the title to his memoir of his son who died of a brain tumor.

From Quiz Some Early Romantic Poets

Answer: Ode on a Grecian Urn

From Quiz It's Complete Nonsense

Answer: Ornithology

Mervyn Peake wrote some wonderful nonsense poetry, his best known probably being "The Trouble With Geraniums" (1972), in which he complained about the flowers being too red, as well as his toast being too full of bread. He is best remembered, though, for his fantasy series of novels, "Gormenghast", comprising three books which were published between 1946 and 1959.

From Quiz The Neverending Story

Answer: Krishna

With a whopping 200,000 lines, interspersed by extensive prose passages - for a total of about 1.8 million words - the "Māhabhārata" is the longest epic poem ever written, about ten times as long as the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" put together. At "only" 24,000 lines, the "Ramayana", the other major epic of the Sanskrit era, is considerably shorter. Based on real events, the poem is traditionally attributed to Vyasa, a legendary sage that also appears as a character in the poem, and is often identified with the god Vishnu himself. The importance of this monumental work of literature, written over a period of centuries (probably between the 3th century BC and the 3rd or 4th century AD, though some parts may be older) for Indian culture and the Hindu religion cannot be overstated: for its religious significance, the "Māhabhārata" has been called "the fifth Veda". The poem consists of 18 books ("parvas"). Though the historic authenticity of the events related in it (a dynastic struggle fought by two groups of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, culminating in the great battle of Kurukshetra) is still debated among scholars, the war is believed to have occurred between the 10th and the 8th century BC. Using the "story within a story" narrative device, the poem is framed as being narrated to a king who is a direct descendant of the Pandava prince Arjuna, and later narrated again by a professional storyteller. As can be expected by a work created by a process of accretion of different layers of text, rather than composed in linear fashion, the "Māhabhārata" may come across as chaotic, and in the past has been criticized as such by Western scholars. One of the poem's major characters is Krishna, the eight avatar of Vishnu, whose life is narrated in the appendix to the "Mahabharata" called the "Harivamsa". Part of the poem's sixth book ("Bhishma Parva") consists of a 700-line scripture known as the "Bhagavad Gita" (often translated as "The Song of God"), a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna that takes place on the battlefield where the huge armies of the two warring factions have gathered. Aware of the death and destruction this battle of kin against kin will cause, Arjuna is filled with doubt and despair, and asks Krishna (his charioteer) for advice on the right thing to do. The ensuing dialogue between the prince and the god touch on a number of ethical and philosophical issues; Krishna advises Arjuna to perform his duty ("dharma") as a warrior by acting selflessly, regardless of the results.

From Quiz Foreign Poetry

Answer: Divina Commedia

Both quotes are from Dante's masterpiece "La Commedia", which was renamed "La Divina Commedia" by Boccaccio. The "Commedia" starts with the verses "nel MEZzo camMIN di NOStra VIta // mi RItroVAI per un' SELva osCURa". I've taken the liberty to capitalize the stressed syllables, to get the feeling of the metric rhythm. Likewise I would translate these two verses as follows: "as SOON as i CAME to the MIDST of our LIFEtime // i FOUND mySELF in DARKest FORest." Canto III verse 9 is the best known verse of the "Divina Commedia": "lasCIAte OGni speRANza, VOI ch'enTRAte". The traditional translation is "aBANdon all HOPE, ye who ENters". But this traditional translation lacks two metric feet. So I would say "aBANdon ALL your HOPES, ye who DARES to ENter." Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) chose as starting point for the "Commedia" the night before Good Friday in the year 1300, when he was 35 years old - according to the Bible halfway of his life expectancy (although at that time most people aged 35 were already considered quite old). He wrote his masterpiece between 1308 and 1320. The "Decamerone" is the masterpiece by Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375), and "Il Canzoniere" is the best known text in Italian by Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374). Together with Dante these two authors are considered the first Renaissance authors. "Il Quadrireggio" is an Italian spoof of the "Commedia", written by Federico Frezzi (who died in 1416).

From Quiz Once Upon A Midnight Dreary

Answer: Alfred Lord Tennyson

These line are from Alfred Lord Tennyson in "Locksley Hall". The poem is about a soldier visiting his boyhood home and dwelling on a possible utopian future that contrasts with the bleak life he currently lives. Tennyson wrote it in 1835. He wrote a sequel "Locksley Hall Sixty Years After" in 1886, which is considerably less optimistic about the future. Tennyson was Poet Laureate of England from 1850 to 1892. The poem has appeared in a variety of cultural venues, ranging from the film "Marathon Man" (1976) to "Star Trek: Voyager".

From Quiz The Epic Poem

Answer: Mahabharata

The "Bhagavad Gita" is only 700 of the 74,000 verses in the "Mahabharata". The epic is ten times longer than the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" combined.

From Quiz Symbolism in Sufi Poetry

Answer: The glory of the Beloved

Because of the Sufis' personal relationship with the Beloved, the bond can be equated (as stated earlier) with romantic love. The Beloved contains a spiritual beauty in this case.

From Quiz Name That Romantic Poem

Answer: William Blake

This is the first stanza of "A Poison Tree," which is one of many famous poems from Blake's "Song of Innocence and Experience." Other poems in this collection include The Lamb, The Chimney Sweeper, and The Tyger.

From Quiz Metaphysical Poets

Answer: George Herbert

Vaughan admits this in the preface to his collection of religious poems entitled the "Silex Scintillans." He goes so far as to refer to Herbert as "the blessed man."

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