The first poem is a double dactyl, a genre of biographically inspired humorous poem with very strict structural rules. Here are links to two definitions for those who are curious. The first from the Poetry Foundation is clearer but less accurate than the second, from Wikipedia. Take your pick. The classic statement is the book Jiggery-Pokery: A Compendium of Double Dactyls by Anthony Hecht and John Hollander (New York, 1967)
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| (Image: Grove Music Online) |
To Thine Own Self Be True: A Double Dactyl for GPT
Higgledy piggledy,
Georg Philipp Telemann
Cranked out cantatas, a
Thousand or more.
Sometimes composing so
Self-referentially,
Things that he wrote he had
Written before.
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Radio Head
Radio Head
Georg Philipp Telemann, let it be said,
Wrote rather much that he shouldn’t have written.
When a new motive popped into his head
He wrote a whole opus that he could fit it in.
Call him prolific, or call him a hack,
Travel to any of many locations,
It’s likely you’ll hear his polite bric a brac
On nonprofit classical radio stations.
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(If you enjoy these posts, please help me, and consider sharing.)
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