To me, it's not as though John's poems are sung. Chanted, rather, a style of performance I employ if I'm doing Iliad in Greek, or Beowulf in Anglo Saxon, but never employ for my own work, which works best when spoken naturally. But John, I think it works for you. Better than it did for Yeats. His material was better (so far!), but his nasal voice an octave higher. You are fortunate to have a fine meeting of matter and method. I am particularly fond of Bluenose, a great incantatory sea chanty; I have scooted before the bows of great ships with bones in their noses, and I've enough seamanship to know that when beating, your square-rigged tophamper is useless, and you sail on the fore and aft rig you can flatten to the headwind. What a marvelous poem. Alan, a truly gifted helmsman, always took the wheel when we were wing on wing.
I suspect we'll next be hearing Light Verse from Kilkenny. Then Beowulf, a public radio interview with Alan and me, augmented by interspersed tapes of the epic in both languages. I've a number of invitations going out, and Alex and I are eager to see your submissions.
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