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  #1  
Unread 12-11-2017, 07:38 AM
Jim Moonan Jim Moonan is offline
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Default Poem Recitation

I came upon this remarkable video of Mohammed Ali reciting a poem of his during an interview on Irish telly.

The poem itself is impressive. Very impressive. Yet I was struck by his beautifully rendered recitation of it. Truly remarkable, to my ear.

Here it is:

https://youtu.be/yNrNpw7hmcE
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  #2  
Unread 12-11-2017, 12:00 PM
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R. Nemo Hill R. Nemo Hill is offline
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He was, indeed, 'the greatest'.

Nemo
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Unread 12-11-2017, 03:16 PM
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Jan Iwaszkiewicz Jan Iwaszkiewicz is offline
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Yes indeed the power of his punch was in the words and the saying of them.

Thank you for posting this Jim.

Regards,

Jan
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Unread 12-11-2017, 06:11 PM
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Jayne Osborn Jayne Osborn is offline
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Wow. What a brilliant performance, and so heartfelt!

Thanks for telling us about this, Jim.

Jayne
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Unread 12-11-2017, 07:11 PM
John Isbell John Isbell is offline
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Yup. That was wonderful. The great Mohammed Ali. Thank you, Jim.

Cheers,
John
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Unread 12-11-2017, 07:35 PM
Chris O'Carroll Chris O'Carroll is offline
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The poem put me in mind of this Claude McKay sonnet:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poe...if-we-must-die

Somebody here must know more than I do about Ali's reading and any poets he may have credited as influences. Is there any evidence that he knew McKay's work?
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Unread 12-12-2017, 08:24 AM
Jim Moonan Jim Moonan is offline
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Very astute Chris. I hadn't heard of Claude McKay or the sonnet. There is a resemblance.

Here is Ali's poem on the page. It reads as it's own, not in any way mimicked, yet channels the same passion. Thanks for the added dimension.
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Unread 12-12-2017, 08:51 AM
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Quincy Lehr Quincy Lehr is offline
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McKay is, for my money, possibly the greatest sonneteer in English in the twentieth century. There, I said it (which might cause certain ex-friends on Facebook to red-bait me, since apparently the only poets who use rhyme are C.H.U.D.s and Stalinists).

On a more serious note, the Harlem Renaissance has some excellent metrical poetry within it (Countee Cullen!). And I mean it about McKay.
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