Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page: A Study in Scarlet, Pt. 1

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Welcome to Round 5, and welcome once again to my poetry page!

I hope each week you will read Dr. Watson’s delightful narrative and then be inspired to write a poem related to it in some way. All forms of poetry are permitted, and further down the page there is a selection you might like to consider using over the coming weeks.

Some exciting news for this round—I have a new contributor to assist me with the poetry page. She is rachelindeed: a young lady originally from America, I believe and now in my employ at Baker Street as a housemaid. She will be suggesting appropriate poems each week for us to read together.

Rachel charmingly describes herself as someone who assists me with “managing the kitchen, who restocks the restorative liquors, and is most often found squirreled away by the window with a book.” (‘Restorative liquors’? I wonder what she means...) She is a hard worker and thankfully completely unimpressed whenever Mr. Holmes attempts to throw his weight around. I am reconciled to the fact she will not be with me forever—there is a bright future ahead for her.

Anyway, here are the suggested poems from Rachel—suggestions inspired by the themes and subjects in this week's story. Hopefully you will enjoy reading the poems, and perhaps they may inspire a poem of your own or allow you to look at Dr. Watson's story in a new way.


That Day

by Rudyard Kipling

Note from Rachel: Kipling wrote this poem about Maiwand. I think it expresses an ugly sentiment, characterizing the survivors as cowards who have only their own bad character to blame for their defeat. I assume his characterization was influenced by an inability to believe that Afghani fighters could legitimately best British soldiers. In any case, it might prompt discussion about the way Dr. Watson might have experienced the war, or the way that he might have been regarded by those at home as one of the few survivors of a terrible defeat.


Malalai’s landai, in translation

Note from Rachel: Malalai became a heroine in Afghanistan’s history when she acted as a flag-bearer during the battle of Maiwand and urged the local soldiers on by reciting Pashto poetry. She has a stature in Afghani culture similar to Joan of Arc, and her image adorns medals for bravery in today’s military. Above is a link to a brief biography of Malalai that includes English translations of poems she is said to have recited on the battlefield.


Insensibility

by Wilfred Owen

Note from Rachel: This is a moving poem about living through heavy losses and casualties in war, how that affects the soldiers who survive it, and how easy it is for those at home to remain indifferent.



And to finish, my suggested form to revisit this week is the cinquain. (The link will take you back to a previous poetry page.)



But you do not have to use that form. Any form of poetry is welcome this week—and every week! Here are a few suggestions for you:

221B verselet, abecedarian poetry, acrostic poetry, alexandrine, ballad, beeswing, blackout poetry, blues stanza, bref double, Burns stanza, call and response, chastushka, cinquain, circular poetry, clerihew, colour poems, concrete poetry, Cornish verse, curtal sonnet, diamante, doggerel, double dactyl, ekphrasis, elegiac couplet, elegiac stanza, elfje, englyn, epigram, epitaph, epulaeryu, Etheree, fable, Fib, found poetry, ghazal, haiku, Italian sonnet, jueju, kennings poem, lanturne, limerick, lyric poetry, mathnawī, micropoetry, mini-monoverse, palindrome poetry, pantoum, Parallelismus Membrorum, poem cycle, quintilla, renga, riddle, rime couée, Schüttelreim, sedoka, septet, sestina, sonnet, tanka, tercet, terza rima, tongue twister poetry, triangular triplet, triolet, Tyburn, villanelle


Please leave all your poems inspired by A Study in Scarlet in the comments on this post. I look forward to seeing them!



Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

Comments

Limerick

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Wounded and sick, full of misery,
Poor Watson says, “Who’ll share his digs with me?”
“…You’re the second today!”
And with those words to say,
Young Stamford makes matchmaking history.

Re: Limerick

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

And the world became a better place!

Re: Limerick

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Yea, Stamford!

Re: Limerick

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

We owe Stamford a great deal ^^

Love the rhymes "misery" and "digs with me".

RE: Limerick

[debriswoman]

Wonderful:-)

Cinquain

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Escape
Is his first thought
Then battle his way out
But four is too many to fight
Taken

Re: Cinquain

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Very nice. The first and last lines are strong.

Re: Cinquain

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

A very nice use of the form - the fight building up with the lengthening of the lines, and then the abrupt change to him being captured.

Like okapi, I also thought the first and last lines were particularly good - the fact they are opposites is very satisfying.

RE: Cinquain

[debriswoman]

Suits the form really well, strong message.

Re: Cinquain

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Very nice. (At first I thought it was Watson describing his situation at Maiwand - but of course, it's the battle at the end of that section of the book, not the beginning.)

Three cinquain

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Loyal
Obedient
Comes when called. Stays when bid.
Watson and his bull pup. Both man’s
Best friend.


Follow
Like a sleuth-hound
Spring up like a stag-hound.
‘Tra-la-lah’ in a cab like a
Lark-hound!


Untie
the scarlet thread
Loop it ‘round a finger
A reminder to say ‘Thank you,
Stamford.’

Re: Three cinquain

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Great descriptions!

Re: Three cinquain

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Oh, they're wonderful ^_^

I think I like the second the best - its rhythm, lightheartedness, and touch of humour is so appealing. But I also love the parallels in the first - and I found "stays when bid" rather touching. And the last cinquain is quietly touching too. It's very Holmes - nice use of the metaphor he employs.

RE: Three cinquain

[debriswoman]

Really liked these...a neat comparison in the first, a lovely lilt to the second, and great use of the title in the third:-)

Re: Three cinquain

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Some nice bits of doggerel here!

A cinquain

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

A possible reaction to someone asking Watson if he’d visited the Maiwand Lion memorial:




Lion
Memorials
Are for civilians.
My memories—already set
In stone.

Re: A cinquain

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Very subtle and touching. I think the stones are the gravestones of the mates he lost, no? I agree with your head canon that Watson probably wouldn't go in for a lot of grand-standing or showiness.

Re: A cinquain

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Watson doesn't need a visual reminder of what was lost - he carries it with him, both physically and mentally.

RE: A cinquain

[debriswoman]

Very nice, not forgotten, no reminder needed.

Re: A cinquain

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

That's a soldier who was there, all right.

It never fails: The men who strut and brag the most about their wartime exploits - the gun-toting militia losers who occupied the Oregon bird sanctuary come to mind immediately - are lying stolen-valor jerks, and the ones who actually saw combat don't talk about it except to mourn the dead, even if they have a drawer full of medals from that work.

Re: A cinquain

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Very strong and true! Sometimes the memorial is all we can do. (Good benefits would be better, though.)

Re: A cinquain: well spent

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Indeed we do! Very well put :D

Re: Written earlier: here is a writer (a samsong)

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

That. Is. Awesome.

Regarding the new maid

[debriswoman]

Please thank her for her excellent poetry choices, and the time spent in finding them:-)

Re: Regarding the new maid

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I will indeed thank Rachel for you - as soon as she is back from picking up the ‘restorative liquors’.

Wilfred Owen poem

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've ever read that particular poem - it certainly captures the sheer hopelessness of the men involved.

Re: Wilfred Owen poem

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

It was a new poem to me too.

A phrase that particularly jumped out at me was: Whom no compassion fleers/Or makes their feet/Sore on the alleys cobbled with their brothers. It really gives you a glimpse of the horror of war.