With bugger all to do but lots to say
A glass of beer was always by his side
He helped the English language on its way
His poetry the greatest of the day
Economy that cannot be denied
With bugger all to do but lots to say
His Villanelle is always on display
His feelings for the dying hard to hide
He helped the English language on its way
He gave the BBC its greatest play
In Richard Burton's voice the lines just glide
With bugger all to do but lots to say
It's sad he could not have a longer stay
He used up all the time that was supplied
He helped the English language on its way
A modern eye may look on in dismay
And call his habits almost suicide
With bugger all to do but lots to say
He helped the English language on its way
Author notes
A villanelle in tribute to Dylan Thomas
Llareggub, the setting for his play Under milk wood, is bugger all backwards the name intended to imply there was bugger all to do.
A contest entry
- Lives of the Poets - II by judyjudyjudy.
1600 points, ended October 25, 6 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - CELEBRATING POETRY AND POETS- ONE-DAY competition, "PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN" WORK ONLY by Vera Rich.
6000 points, ended November 26, 168 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 23 of 23
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I don't really understand what this poem is about, but I enjoy it, despite the ambiguity.
I think I may try this oft-used form you have employed myself some time. A lot of famous, professional poets use it, so it must be good!
This is very focused and controlled- my poetry is never like that, because generally I don't like structure, but it can be a useful discipline to have. It is one you have made good use of here.
Congrats on your two shiny golds!
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Probably Dylan Thomas's most famous poem was his Villanelle about his father's death, so I have written the tribute to him in the same form, the stanzas each refer to something Dylan Thomas related. Thank-you for your very thoughtful reviews
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Thank you for entering my St Hilda's Day competition. The theme is poets and poetry, and this is right on target. I shall come back to it later, when I do the full judging. At present I am simply pre-sorting into "probable", "possible" and "Alas, impossible".
Incidentally, in 1955 when I was doing my scholarship examination for St Hilda's (Oxford), I somehow neglected to mention Dylan Thomas in my paper on contemporary poets - and when during my interviews, I was asked why, I hastily said that a) I took "contemporary" to mean "living at the present time and
I felt that Anglo-Welsh poetry was a separate genre which would require a whole essay to itself... which luckily was deemed an acceptable pair of reasons.
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Great tribute. I thought the end of the first refrain was a little heavy for a villanelle but its good nonetheless. Didn't read the other entries of the contest but I'm sure the Gold was well deserved.
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excellent
this keeps with the spirit of the prompt
well done.
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As an educated American, I find it embarrassing when real Brits don't know the proper rules of grammar and include an apostrophe in a possessive "its" as in "He gave the BBC it's greatest play". God save the Queen.
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While we are getting picky of course, an educated American would surely have know the correct form is The Queen.
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Typo fixed, thank-you.
It is possible to know things and still make errors you know
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Yes, that might be an excuse if you didn't do so repeatedly.
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It is even possible to make the same mistakes time and time again, we cannot all aspire to your levels of perfection. At least you give us something to aim for.
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Oh, do I now? As a non-poet? That is fascinating. Sounds like you've come down off your high horse.
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I came down from my high horse after about 3 minutes, I always do, I'm glad to see you find the time to read trite poetry from time to time
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They have educated Americans?
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and your humor is just so first rate, too. I'm surprised Monty Python hasn't picked you up by now.
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They would have done except they disbanded quite a while ago.
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Nice Villanelle, Jeff. It was a pleasure to read, as always.
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Great, Jeff. I think Dylan Thomas is still not sufficiently valued. His last poems, with their almost triumphal celebration of death ("..and I shall enter again the round sion of the water bead and the synagogue of the ear of corn") are of a calibre matched by none.
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I love it. Poor bugger, Dylan! You made this compassionate and funny. Great flow too.
I don't believe Dylan Thomas is as highly regarded anymore. I wallowed in his verse as a teenager and I still think some of his poems probably are among the greatest written in English and "helped the English language on its way". Such beauty and sadness. Perhaps I should have included Fern Hill as a prompt as well.
Thank you for your submission to my contest. -
Okay, you excelled yourself, yet again...great stuff
All the best
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Oh you had to explain "bugger all" in the notes and spoil the fun, bro!
Duw mawr, boyo! And daro!
Lovely, Greenian stuff.
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As always just a outstanding piece of poetry.
Well done here
best wishes in the contest
love you
Passions
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brilliant... i loved him... still got all his cd's. xxx
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This is so much fun to read! I think it's absolutely brilliant! Bravo!
Love,
Amera♥
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