Tuesday, October 19, 2010

ABC Wednesday

The Notable letter this week is N

N is for NASH, - Ogden, that is.

Frederick Ogden Nash, an American poet who delighted his readers with light, humorous verse, was born in August of 1902.  He died in 1971.

I discovered him early and some of his books have resided on my shelves since before we (Charles and I) were married, back in antiquity.

From 'Good Intentions', first published in 1937....

So That's Who I Remind Me Of


When I consider men of golden talents,
I'm delighted, in my introverted way,
To discover, as I'm drawing up the balance,
How much we have in common, I and they.


Like Burns, I have a weakness for the bottle,
Like Shakespeare, little Latin and less Greek;
I bite my fingernails like Aristotle;
Like Thackeray, I have a snobbish streak.


I'm afflicted with the vanity of Byron,
I've inherited the spitefulness of Pope;
Like Petrarch, I'm a sucher for a siren,
Like Milton, I've a tendency to mope.


My spelling is suggestive of a Chaucer;
Like Johnson, well, I do not wish to die
(I also drink my coffee from the saucer);
And if Goldsmith was a parrot, so am I.


Like Villon, I have debits by the carload,
Like Swinburne, I'm afraid I need a nurse;
By my dicing is Christopher out-Marlowed,
And I dream as much as Coleridge, only worse.


In comparison with men of golden talents,
I am all a man of talent ought to be;
I resemble every genius in his vice, however heinous -
Yet I write so much like me.

and from YouTube - The Sunset Years of Samuel Shy by Ogden Nash



Though Ogden Nash wrote light humourous poetry the wit and cleverness of his poems earned him spots in American Anthologies of Great Poets.

For more N's do nod over to ABC Wednesday, here.http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/

14 comments:

Sylvia K said...

What a great post for the N Day! I love Ogden Nash! So this was delightful! Hope your week is going well! Thanks as always for your visits/comments! Always appreciated! Enjoy!!

Sylvia

Wanda said...

Thanks sharing something new for me.

This was so very interesting.

Tumblewords: said...

Wasn't he something! Good post for N - truly enjoyed it...

Kay L. Davies said...

Wonderful, wonderful, Hildred. Ogden Nash. And I can relate to that poem, totally.
Just super. Thank you so much. I feel lighthearted enough to sleep right through the night now.

Kay, Alberta

Roger Owen Green said...

like Nash! thanks esp for the video.
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

I did enjoy this post for N, Hildred. I had heard of Ogden Nash but was not familiar with his work. Now I think I may have to request a book of his for Christmas.

Rune Eide said...

Nice one - especially the conclusion: "Yet I write so much like me."

Reader Wil said...

Very clever poetry and full of humour! He speaks very beautifully. I like that kind of English: it's perfect! Thanks for sharing!

Carver said...

Great idea for the letter N. I enjoyed the poem very much.

Gigi Ann said...

What a nice choice for N day. I don't think I've read his poetry before, but I do love his wit. I will have to seek him out and read more of his poems. Thanks for sharing.

jabblog said...

I always liked Ogden Nash's work - pithy and telling. I really enjoyed the video clip - his voice was surprising to me as he sounds quite 'English'. Thank you :-)

photowannabe said...

So clever and enjoyable. Thanks for letting us savor it too.

Leslie: said...

Oh my goodness, that poem in the youtube was fantastic! I wish I had the courage to send it to a certain gentleman who blew it immensely with me (twice) and all through his life. (Oh, there's a poem!)

Nan said...

Humorists do not get the credit they deserve! Laughing is a wonderful thing, and wit is a fantastic quality. Thank you. This was really great.