When from the Damning Writs
When from the damning writs of men’s assize
I flee the dock of ignorance and woe
And seek my room, where walls may stifle sighs
A refuge from the slings all wounded know
And find, within that keep, a soft-bound treasure
To hold, it faintly stamped, the pages worn
Visiting again with pure, distilled pleasure
Its vistas unconstrained, unforlorn
Where dwell in timeless glory, Tennyson
And pages thence, the Bard’s high-minded note
The eternal chant of Wordsworth and of Donne
And Kipling—known by all, though few may quote
Then swiftly from bent shoulders gloom departs
And I am joined again with utterly confessed, kindred hearts.
A university faculty (PhD University of California 1967, political science) and freelancer in his early career, Ted Hayes moved into full-time journalism and is now retired.
A wonderfully sensual treat for the imagination, Ted, this is a beautiful sonnet. Thank you for sharing it.
Jan. 22
Thank you for your kind words, Mark
I hope I am worth them. Where do I find your work?
Ted, this poem is beautiful and like one who has escaped a suppressive academic environment having retired to revel in the poetry of the truly great poets.
Very nice sonnet, Ted. Indeed, how pleasurable to hold that “soft-bound treasure” with pages worn!
Jan. 22
Mr. Buchheit
My appreciation for an on-the-mark observation.
Hey, you left out Dr Seuss, Ted!
On a more serious note, I loved the way you integrated slightly archaic concepts into the sonnet with words like ‘assizes’, ‘dock’ and ‘keep’, for the hullabaloo of a court and the safety of the central tower of a castle (a man’s home is his castle, after all), to seek solace in poetry. This gave the poem a more serious, literary feel to it.
I think we can all sympathise with the urge to escape this world into that of a book. And all accomplished with a single full stop!
The first two lines are masterful, with all the sonority of classic English verse. I also very much enjoy your metaphor of facing charges in the dock. You address a subject to which I can very much relate; it reminds me of a quotation by Edward Gibbon: “I was never less alone than when by myself.”
Yes, I am very happy to have read this poem. Hayes takes many metrical risks, but he seems to do so with a purpose. E.g., why could not “Its vistas unconstrained, unforlorn” have been “Its vistas unconstrained and unforlorn?” I don’t have an answer, but I am inclined (nowadays) to cut innovators a lot of slack. Meter, after all, is an evolving thing, and we are all looking for that missing measure. Godspeed, Ted.
Dear SCP,
When I write a reply to any of the commentators, I find no way to SEND TEXT. I’ll admit, at 87 the brain ain’t what it used to be, and probably, can’t send this. If it does come through, tell me how. I really appreciate the comments
Edward “Ted”Hayes
[email protected]
Thank you all for your comments, incl. the critical ones. I have learned from a ll. – Ted Hayes, now working on a chapbook from a nursing home with no computer. Poetry matters!