Odes to Ode

Today I had dinner with the blogger behind Not by Bread Alone and as a result started trying to find out how I would fare on a google search of "Stephen Fry poetry exercise". The answer is: quite poorly, I'm afraid. Definitely not on any of the first 5 pages and so I gave up. What I did find along the way, were reviews of The Ode Less Travelled in the New York Times, the Telegraph and the Observer. Actually I would consider only the NYT as a proper review - the Telegraph appears to be more a profile piece and the Observer merely describes the contents of the book. Also, quite a few other people have also put their poetry exercise products on-line. Just google: Stephen Fry poetry exercise and you will see them popping up.

Anyway, I have decided to come back to the next poetry exercise in the book which is on heroic verse. Instead, I'm at the section on "The Ode" where there are no exercises!! A break at last !!

In this section, Fry talks about the various "types" of odes : the Sapphic Ode (the originator was Sappho, in case anyone is not clear about the rather obvious origins of the name), the Pindaric Ode and the Horatian Ode, which are the classical odes, the Lyric Ode beloved of Keats, Shelley etc, and the anacreontic which essentially celebrates life and living.

I thought I would go round looking for exemplars of the Sapphic Ode (I don't think that there are many examples of the Pindaric or Horatian wandering around). Fry quotes Alexander Pope's Ode to Solitude as an example, as I liked the poem I reproduce it here:

Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air
In his own ground.

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,
Whose flocks supply him with attire;
Whose trees in summer yield shade,
In winter, fire.

Blest, who can unconcern'dly find
Hours, days, and years, slide soft away
In health of body, peace of mind,
Quiet by day.

Sound sleep by night; study and ease
Together mixed; sweet recreation,
And innocence, which most does please
With meditation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me die;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie.

This poem paints a very attractive picture of the simple life, a quiet home away from the busyness of the wide world outside. Alas, the world has a habit of intruding upon such tranquil retreats.

I also found "Virtue" by George Herbert - a cheerful poem reminding us of the transience of the mortal world. As can be seen, the English form of the Sapphic Ode is 3 lines in iambic tetrameter followed by one line of two imabic feet. The rhyme scheme in these examples is ABAB, but I imagine that this can be varied somewhat.

I did find an example of a Pindaric Ode as well, but it did not appeal to me. What did appeal were Keats' Odes: to Autumn, especially. Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness indeed, of promises fulfilled and harvests reaped.



Ok - got to get back to the heroic verse now.