BS: Is poetry the most over-rated art form?

Subject: RE: BS: Is poetry the most over-rated art form?
From: Cluin
Date: 18 Feb 03 - 10:06 PM

That's very true, Fred.

However, if the sound poet were to insert an electronic drum track and a few ripped off "sample" riffs behind his noises, he/she could have a new rap/hiphop/pop/dance hit on their hands. Betters their chances of a favourable reception amongst some anyway...

Subject: RE: BS: Is poetry the most over-rated art form?
From: Sibelius
Date: 19 Feb 03 - 11:21 AM

I asked this in a separate thread some months ago and got nil response, but as there are evidently a few poets and lit. historians following this thread, perhaps I could try it out on you again?

The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (5th Ed.) has the following verse from a poem called 'The Law Student' by Robert Lloyd, 1733 - 1764:

"Alone from Jargon born to rescue Law,
From precedent, grave hum, and formal saw!
To strip chicanery of its vain pretence,
And marry Common Law to Common Sense!"

I'd like to find the rest of it, but I've looked high and low. Anthologies of 18th Century poetry seem to have two or three of Lloyd's poems but never this one, and I've seen no sign of a "Robert Lloyd Complete Works" - presumably because he died too young to complete very much!

The poem, or this verse at any rate, is about the famous reforming Lord Chief Justice of the time, William Murray (Lord Mansfield). It seems to be an 18th Century plea for plain language in the law. 'Jargon' presumably has the same meaning we'd give it today; 'Hum' (humbug) is a cheap deceit; 'saw' is in the sense of a maxim; 'chicanery' is also deceit. Mansfield was known for his clear and straightforward style when summing up or making judgements, and he often went out of his way to explain judgements to law students observing court cases.

If this is thread creep I apologise, but at least we're still in the same branch of art!

Subject: RE: BS: Is poetry the most over-rated art form?
From: Sibelius
Date: 19 Feb 03 - 11:23 AM

... and I still failed to get to the point. Does anyone know the rest of the poem, or where I could find it?

Ta

Subject: RE: BS: Is poetry the most over-rated art form?
From: Amos
Date: 19 Feb 03 - 12:33 PM

As far as I have been able to find it is a short poem, of which your quote lacks only two lines:

THE LAW STUDENT.

O for thy spirit, Mansfield! at thy name
What bosom glows not with an active flame?
Alone from Jargon born to rescue Law,
From precedent, grave hum, and formal saw!
To strip chican'ry of its vain pretence,
And marry Common Law to Common Sense!



Lloyd, Robert: The Poetical Works (1774):

Source: http://dlib.stanford.edu:6520/cgi-bin/hugo

Regards,


A

Subject: RE: BS: Is poetry the most over-rated art form?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 12:05 PM

Amos, thank you very much. Bit of an anti-climax after all that! Odd that the ODQ saw fit to leave out two lines when it's such a short piece.

Well that's made my day anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: Is poetry the most over-rated art form?
From: Amos
Date: 20 Feb 03 - 06:29 PM

SIbelius:

Glad I could help!


A