Perhaps you're right, William: it's the absence of punch-lines that's held us back. For example, on my first reading the poem that struck me most was the one that concluded:
Quote:
This Harmony is Health, makes Life live long;
But when they're out, 'tis death, so dancing's done.
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This is the closest that any of them get to a "kick-ass ending". I have read them through and I'm grateful to you for drawing our attention to them; they are intriguing and one guesses that she must have been an interesting character. However, I find it hard to add any specific comments on any of the individual poems. Maybe Lucretius makes more of an impact because one reads him at length and gets the impression of an all-encompassing philosophy and view of life (in addition to the fact that he has had the great privilege of being translated by Alicia). Each of these strikes me as an interesting curiosity but there isn't quite enough in the language or imagery to make me want to explore much further. And sometimes, I have to say, she does seem a little clumsy:
Spending that Life, which Natures God did give
Us to adore him, and his wonders with,
With fruitlesse, vaine, impossible pursuites...
She may have intended something subtle with that "with, / With...", but to me it just seems awkward. (Ditto the enjambment.)
Sorry I can't be more enthusiastic. As I say, I'm grateful to have learned about this writer.
(Crossposted with you)
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