tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post166133612070568039..comments2024-03-27T11:02:20.107-07:00Comments on the prowling Bee: All these my banners be.Susan Kornfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-74949930054700709502022-09-05T07:32:22.497-07:002022-09-05T07:32:22.497-07:00Once again, ED carefully copied three closely rela...Once again, ED carefully copied three closely related poems/stanzas together onto a single page for her fascicle, without intervening lines she normally used to separate poems. Nevertheless, beginning with their first publication in ‘Bolts of Melody’ (Todd and Bingham 1945), editors have treated them as separate poems. Todd and Bingham noted that ED might have intended them to be a single poem, and Johnson (1955) printed them together, each with its own number, as did Susan K. However, Franklin (1998) atomizes ED’s single fascicle page by publishing three separated poems, each with its own number and explication. I prefer to consider ED’s fascicle page a triptych of three closely related expressions about her garden and, perhaps, her life.<br /><br />Stanza 1: My garden has four banners, one for each season. In spring, I plant bare soil. In summer and in fall, a procession of different species marches sequentially across my stage. In winter my garden sleeps again, my pulpit and choir loft empty and flat, as I write this poem.<br /><br />Stanza 2: In winter I forget exactly where the various flowers grew. I miss them and hope to meet them again next spring and summer. A winter frost cannot kill the plants and drought cannot steal the flowers. In late winter my little spade and I leave furrows for the daisy and for columbine. We know the secret message of the crocus and chant it softly, “winter is almost over!”<br /><br />Stanza 3: For those who during winter keep a summer orchid in their hearts and minds, the swamps are always pink with June.<br /><br />At a deeper level, ED’s three commentaries about her metaphorical garden may express memories and hopes of love. In the beginning her life was empty darkness over the surface of the deep. And Susan said. “Let there be light,” and there was light, and the light was good, and that was the first day. But darkness followed day, and ED still struggles with the coldness of the night, keeping faith that a warm new day follows.<br />Larry Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02810899482852120751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-51759273419204963082022-04-06T14:32:46.559-07:002022-04-06T14:32:46.559-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Larry Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02810899482852120751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-7061903433736024972022-04-03T18:00:14.000-07:002022-04-03T18:00:14.000-07:00Thanks, Larry. I checked the archive and the '...Thanks, Larry. I checked the archive and the 'today' doesn't look indented. The 'There' was underlined, however, so that's a good catch.Susan Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-26867530272097077992022-04-03T14:23:13.772-07:002022-04-03T14:23:13.772-07:00ED indented the last word, 'Today', in sta...ED indented the last word, 'Today', in stanza one and italicized 'There' in the last line of stanza two. Both punctuations were lost in the blog software, but probably could be corrected by editing.Larry Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02810899482852120751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-851799176537318552018-05-03T16:06:35.621-07:002018-05-03T16:06:35.621-07:00thank you for that, Greg! I can see it both ways: ...thank you for that, Greg! I can see it both ways: 3 poems or one poem. Susan Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-65130088339432171082018-05-03T11:37:14.439-07:002018-05-03T11:37:14.439-07:00R W Franklin looked at the manuscript (Fascicle 1,...R W Franklin looked at the manuscript (Fascicle 1, Sheet 4) and saw three separate poems. Thomas H. Johnson, looking at the same page, saw one. It's number 22 in his edition.<br /><br />All these my banners be.<br />I sow my pageantry<br />In May—<br />It rises train by train—<br />Then sleeps in state again—<br />My chancel—all the plain<br />Today.<br /><br />To lose—if one can find again—<br />To miss—if one shall meet—<br />The Burglar cannot rob—then—<br />The Broker cannot cheat.<br />So build the hillocks gaily<br />Thou little spade of mine<br />Leaving nooks for Daisy<br />And for Columbine—<br />You and I the secret<br />Of the Crocus know—<br />Let us chant it softly—<br />"There is no more snow!"<br /><br />To him who keeps an Orchis' heart—<br />The swamps are pink with June. Greg Mattinglyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05992933717468579465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-37946060242489075432017-11-12T05:04:32.636-08:002017-11-12T05:04:32.636-08:00I really appreciate your thoughts on Ms D. It is g...I really appreciate your thoughts on Ms D. It is good to ‘talk over’ her poems. Thanks!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14339957833418131602noreply@blogger.com