Thread: Anthony Hecht
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Unread 11-04-2004, 07:32 PM
Henry Quince Henry Quince is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Australia
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A Letter (probably very well known to Hecht readers) is one I like very much. The indents are fiddly to reproduce, so I include this link to the poem: http://www.diacenter.org/prg/poetry/94_95/hecht.html

That Australian obituary above mentions some of Hecht’s lighter work but omits to say that he was the co-inventor, with John Hollander, of the double dactyl. Or perhaps (as I believe Hollander maintained) Hecht invented the form and they both publicised it. On another board recently I came across a (near) double-dactyl to Hecht. Its author acknowledges that he didn't strictly follow the form, and this set me thinking. I came up with this, which I trust will seem appropriate rather than irreverent.

Hactylus dactylus,
Anthony Hecht is all
done now with crocuses,
finished with death:

done with the sliding of
sea in the moonlight, the
blood’s repetitions, which
end with the breath.



[This message has been edited by Henry Quince (edited November 04, 2004).]
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