Good. It's nice to see you again today for another
poetry class. I think, you know, now you have
started to change your mind about poetry. Yes.
You are getting more interested in poetry. But
still I believe you are having some hurdles, some
problems. I think by hard work, by perseverance,
you're going to overcome these hurdles. Okay,
today our meeting will be dedicated to Sydney. But
the class will be like this. I'm going to listen
to one or two reports. Then like a response or
two. Later, I'll be eliciting your responses, all
of you. Then I'll have a go about 15 minutes on
the poem. And finally, I'll get you to write a
critique, an initial critique of the poem. So I'll
be leaving you to write this critique. And that's
it for today. So let's start. Yes, you are willing
to read. Is it the first time you're reading?
Okay, good. You know, I like the idea, like, a lot
of students yesterday, many, many students, you
know, were willing to read the reports. And this
is a good indication that they started to like the
reports. Okay. Time passed quickly, passed
quickly. We are in the fourth week at the
university. The teacher finished explaining four
poems, the last poems which is litany. He
explained each stanza and he explains all figure
of speech. Then the assistant Amal began to
explain the sound, rhyme and rhythm. She used the
lab and began to explain. The girl enjoyed of her
explanation. Finally, the teacher asked student to
prepare the next poem well and wrote a report for
lecture and response about the poem.
Thank you very much. Last lecture was quite
intense, though less puzzling than the previous
one. The poem seemed a little bit complicated to
begin with, though the sing-like feature of it
made it quite appealing. To excavate was our
mission, and the poem sure was one to be dug
around. Dr. Akram surprised us with a request of
writing a commentary in the span of 10 minutes on
the third stanza. That marked our beginning in
writing spontaneous poetry critiques. And as
lacking as it was, it was still very terrific. And
we're looking forward to the next one. Good. Thank
you very much. So far, we have positive reports.
But if there is a negative report, I'm ready to
listen. It's not a big deal. It's your right to
criticize, and it's your right to acclaim. Good.
Today, I think we're meeting a new goal.
So today we're going to see a wonderful poet,
Edmund Spencer, a central Elizabethan poet, you
know, who lived most of his life in Ireland, and
who dedicated his poem, his great poem, you could
say, a wonderful epic called The Fair Queen. to
the Queen, but instead of being patronized by the
Queen, he was given a little pension, you know,
like a yearly salary for that. Okay, so what can
you tell me about like Spencer? Again, I need a
response, a written response. Okay, yes.
He writes her name on the sand, expecting for her
name to stay, but the tide washes it away. Then he
writes it with a second hand, but again the tide
washes it away. She goes on to say, why are you
still writing my name? All your tries will be in
vain. Although she tried to do the same, but he
wanted to show her how much he cares, so he
immortalized in verse that he's hers, and even if
they die, their love will be waiting up in the
sky, they will be together, their love will last
forever. I figured last night that he was not he
was I figured last night that he was right The
love didn't decay for this for his writings is
still be read today It's not
Versification, it's a response, it's a critique.
And they challenge it that she is, you know,
writing it in poetry, you know. Thank you very
much. What's your name again? Rawan. You know,
it's amazing. And I think you have a chance. Don't
worry. I'm sure your response will be also
wonderful. I think I should be proud of you. Yes?
Because you are doing a wonderful job. Good.
First, I want to talk about the poet. Edmund
Spencer was born in 1552 in London. He educated in
Cambridge University. He was most famous for his
long allegorical romance, The Fairy Queen. He was
an example of an Elizabethan poet concerned with
the theme of immortality. He wrote a poem called
To His Love. In this poem, he talked about the
immortality of his love. He tried to immortalize
his beloved snail, but he failed in that because
the waves came and made it disappear. He found
another way to immortalize his love, which is his
photo. Good. Thank you. I think, you know, he must
be very interesting poet. He must be very noble.
Let me see, because we don't have time to listen
to the response. I know some of you have written
wonderful responses, but Let us see orally what
you think of the poem, what you think of the poem.
You know, just one, let me know. Yes, please.
So I
like what you say, he wanted to tell us, like he
wanted to tell us a story. And this is what
happens in the poem. Because this poem, I don't
want to start criticizing, but this poem is a
little bit different. Because it's only one day I
wrote, and then in the middle of the poem, you
have this not so caught eye. So it is mixing
between drama and narration. And this is a unique
style. But OK, I don't want to go and critique the
poem without reading it. I'm still asking about
your response. Yes?
I think the writer here, he marks a change in the
attitude of the writers of that period because
usually what we used to read about was themes of
course they love and kind of criticizing women, et
cetera. But here we see that he's actually trying
to immortalize the woman. He's trying to
immortalize I think it is more than this, you
know, if you are looking, it is more than this.
Yes, the concern is the idea of immortality. He
uses verse because he stresses at the end, he
says, where when at death shall all the worlds of
you are loved? No, no, not that. The one to die in
Dacia, but you shall live by fame, my verse, your
virtue rare shall eternize. So he stresses that
verse is what actually immortalizes them. Wow,
this is how the Mesopotamians thought of that
verse. It's a means which will make them reach
immortality. Do you buy this? Yeah, yes, it's
right. We are reading the book today. Ah, but like
what kind of immortality? Okay, you know, this is
what this is the question, but it's okay. Good.
Let's see someone else. Yes, please. The sponsor
told me that I think he is in the high level
because he used a simple words and he is really
wrong. yeah he he's like a great poet he's using
similar language like what one day i wrote her
name upon this ladder but came the waves and
washed it away i think this is very nice image
isn't it You like the image? Yes. It brought you
back to your early childhood, huh? When you were
on the sand and you were playing the games, you
know? Like the mice one. Do you remember the mice
one? Yeah, you should remember that. Okay.
Yeah.
Very good. So you like, you know, the
organization. And it seems like this is a
Spencerian sonnet, and it seems like he's making
use of the form, you know, by doing, you know, a
different thing in each stanza. So he was using
the form enough, for instance, he was not
arbitrary in exposing his argument. You know, he
was very organized. Good. Yes, please. I like the
transferring part of the central image in the
poem, which is writing her name. Her name
transferred from the immortal place, which is the
earth, and then it's transferred to the heaven,
which is an immortal place. So you like the
movement from mundane, earthy,
The vehicle or the means, you know, of
transportation is like the verse. Okay. This is
how, I mean, some people, because they are
confident, they might cherish their poetry. They
think that their poetry will be read, will be
enjoyed, and my people will be reading. Yes. I
like when he uses the voice of a woman, and she
speaks to him as if she is warning him that
nothing will be allowed. And as if she wants to be
sure that he is really loving her. Yeah, like the
way he responded is not so codified. Like he was
determined. Yes, please. As they say, I read that
it's a lovely poem, a lovely poem. If I read his
memoir, I see that there's a kind of conflict. Uh
-huh. What is the conflict? Who's conflicting? As
the sea is his enemy, he wanted the sea. Whenever
he writes his name, the sea comes. Very good. I
like this point because this mind helped us to
reveal the real theme of the poem. But you know
what? I don't like discussing the poem. I know
that this is your response. But let us read the
poem. Allowed? Did anybody read the poem aloud?
Yes. Okay. Yes? I read it at home. Huh? I read it
at home. I'm a loud person. Do you want to read it
now? Okay. Okay, go ahead. You come here.
One day I wrote her name over the stars, but come
the waves and washed it away. Again I wrote it
with the second hand, but come the tide and made
my baby's brain. She said she, that dust in vain
is a immortal thing, so that to immortalize. For I
myself shall lie to this design, and each my name
be waved up likewise.
You are cut-eye, lit by the taste of eyes, to die
in dust, but you shall live for fame, by first
your virtues shall interlice,
and in the heavens write your glorious name,
wherein, as death shall over the world subdue, our
love shall live and later lie on you.
I felt like they didn't have a chance in this
life. Maybe they will get another chance in
another life. Okay, so you think that in their
life they did not have a chance and they did not
enjoy their life? Okay, but no, when you were
reading my, you know, I felt like you were
interacting with him, yes? Actually, I thought the
conflict was not between the sea, it was between
the time itself as life. Ah, the time, so the
conflict is with time. Time, it reminds me like
the sand. Is he mentioning time here? No. I think
yes, because the word time, you know, in
Elizabethan time, it was interchangeable with
time. So yes, he's in conflict with time. You
know, the time, in the Mesopotamian time, you
know, was named, time was named sad immortality.
Later, Shakespeare's poem, we're going to see,
like, time is referred to as sad immortality, as
the most, you know, ferocious, you know, thing
which devours all the gains and pleasures of life.
You see what I mean? So, it would be very
disturbing to them. Actually, the use of sand also
might be with you know, the sand clock like it's
had to be ended at the time. So it was
challenging. Yes. But I like to focus on the woman
thing because I felt like this is the first time a
woman is given a voice in the world. Excellent. I
like this. Yeah,
she's given a voice. Yeah. You know, I think I
feel the spirit of liberalism here you know like
it seems like these people are getting more
liberal are not like they are not in the cloak of
a cordial love where a woman is like deprived you
know she's her voice is subdued but here we have a
woman who's given a voice but still like this
voice is very faint because she's being shut up by
a man saying not so could I you know I'm not like
you to interact further with the poem and like,
you know, just read. Yes, the narrative, you know,
and then the drama. So does anybody want to give a
try before I myself improvise? Yes, sure. One day
I wrote her name upon a stamp, a strand. but came
waves and wished it away. Again I wrote it with a
second hand, but came the tide and made my pain
his free. Vain man, she said, said she, the dust
in vain I say, a mortal thing so to mortalize, for
I myself shall like to this decay. And did my name
be wiped out likewise? Not so, could I. Let base
of things devise, To die in dust, but you shall
live by fame, By this your virtues will shall
eternize, And in the heavens write your glorious
name, Where, when, as death shall all the world
subdue. Allah shall live and let her life free
you. I think you captured the spirit of the poem.
How about let me stretch it a little bit, you
know, to stretch because, you know, I'm going to
stretch it perhaps to make you get into the poem
more and more. So one day I wrote her name upon
this track, marking the waves and washed it away.
Again, I wrote it with a second pen. My kidney
tied and made my veins vain. The vain man, said
she, the dust in vain, a saint, a mortal thing
sought to immortalize? Could I myself lie to this
decay and keep my name revived likewise? Not so,
could I. Lit bays of things devised to die in
dust, but you shall live by fame. My verse? My
virtue of virtues, prayer shall eternize, and in
the heavens rise to a glorious name, where as
death shall all the worlds subdue, our love shall
live and later life renew. I wanted to make it
more dramatic, but as you see here, it's a very
interesting image. And I think we might like the
sincerity of the poem. What is the flower doing on
the, you know? It's a childish behavior, isn't it?
It's childish. Like this is what we usually do,
like, it's very childish. So he tried to write her
name. But what happened? One day I wrote her name
upon this map. But came the waves and washed away.
Okay, you know, this is like the literal meaning.
The waves, okay, we're talking about the waves as
being antagonistic to the poets, you know, like
attempts to write the name, okay? But here we
have, you know, to see that it doesn't mean the
waves. Later, the waves might be a metonymy, you
know? Because as you said, there is a conflict
here. You know, the poet is disturbed, so we don't
have to think of the waves as the waves, you know?
They might be metonymy for like forces, some
obstacles, some problems, you know, certain
concerns, but let's take it literally first and
then start to think, because here we need to think
again of like the philosophical background of the
Elizabethan, the ideal of immortality, and like a
famous theme called the theme of mutability, like
changeability, which was a very central theme to
the Aztec mythology. One day I wrote her name upon
this hand, but came the waves and washed it away.
Again, I wrote it with a second hand. So when you
say, again, I wrote it with a second hand, what do
you understand about the poem? He is what? Yeah,
he's persistent. He persists. He doesn't give up.
Again, I wrote it with a second hand. But came the
tide and made my pains his prey. Look at the tide.
Tide is very gracious, very wild, isn't it? Look
at the image here. Tide is like what? like a
beast, a wild beast, which plays on the humble
efforts of the poet to immortalize the name of his
wife. It is, you know, he's here like it is his
wife, you know, which makes the poet more
attractive, you know, because he was sincere.
Again, I wrote it with a second hand, but came He
tied and made my pants his grave. Very
frustrating, isn't it? So this poem ends with the
image of what? A frustrated man who was trying
many times to engrave, to write the name of his
wife on this strand with the hope of immortalizing
her. But all these attempts were foiled. You know
what's been foiled? did not succeed, were fooled
by the waves and the tide, which were very, you
know, tough, and they damaged everything, you
know? Now, I think, yes, she's given a voice.
She's commenting. So the lady, or his wife, must
have been watching him, you know? And right here,
the authority of, you know, a wife, so what did
she say? Vain man, what are you doing? You are
doing a vague thing, you know? As you see, like,
so she is underestimating what he's doing. She's
saying, vain man that does in vain a say. A say,
this is like, it is a French, it's a French verb
would mean try, a say, you know, like a say. I
think it was the fashion of those poets to season
their poetry with some French words, with some
Latin references, with some archaic words. And I
think we have archaic language here, like eek, the
word eek, which we saw in the other poem later,
the previous poem. A mortal thing sought to
immortalize. So she was referring to herself. As
what? As an immortal. Sorry, as immortality. As a
mortal, something which is, you know, subject to
decay, to death and disintegration. This is like
how we are referring to ourselves. Even as
Muslims, we are referring to ourselves as mortal.
But still, we have the image of immortality. We
have, as Muslims, you know it is revealed to us
like in Quran like what kind of life we're going
to have you know after this mundane life so again
here he has a vision of immortality but it might
not be like our vision you know we know like we
can reach immortality by being you know dedicated
by being you know honest sincere loyal to our
creator and being followers to the teachings of
our prophet Muhammad peace be upon him We know
that all these will make us reach that life of
immortality. But here, it is like verse. It is
verse. It is poetry. And it seems like poetry,
because he's going to write her name, as you see
at the end of the poem, in Hemet. So we are
talking about a poet who was trying to
immortalize.
by his pottery, which he thinks that his pottery
was divine.
And eek my name, be wide likewise. Not so, quote
I. Like, look how he's affirmative here. Not so,
quote I. Now he disagrees with him. So it's not a
problem, like, to disagree. But it seems like this
is a dialogue, and they are trying
Not so the poet, quote, I, lit by their things,
device. Lit by their things, assume many different
shapes, and whatever they want. To die in dust,
let them die in dust, but you shall live by faith.
It's very surprising how you'll be famous. My
verse, your virtues, rare shall eternize. My
verse, my poetry, it will eternize your virtues.
And in heaven write your glorious names. Look
here. You know, the poet is given a voice. The
poet is given a voice. It's the voice of the poet.
Now, when we are talking about you know, the
Elizabethan, we are talking about a new value
called the value of individualism, which I think
will later develop and culminates when we reach
Romanticism. Like here, you know, the person, the
poet, is given a voice to express himself, not
soak or die, live based on things, to die in dust,
but you shall live by faith, by verse. It's a
lyrical poem. It's, you know, like, this is like
the expression of an individual. My verse, your
virtues, where shall it arise? And in the heavens,
write your glorious name. And then, in the
couplet, where, where in heaven? When as death
shall all the world subdue? You know? Not in
heaven, of course, like here on earth. When death,
look at death, how it is there. Capitalized.
Our love shall live and later life renew. So it
seems like he is very ambitious. It is like he's
talking about after death, what will happen after
death. Very interesting poem. And I tried to
paraphrase it and to add some interpretation, but
I think we have to go back to the poem and to
interpret it Criticize it, you know, because here
we have frustration, we have complaint, we have,
you know, persistence, we have promises, we have
decisions taken. So for each, let's say, attitude,
like the poet, you know, was trying to employ the
language, employ the figures of speech, employ the
words. For example, here, if you, in the last
couplet, look at him when he were, you know, using
VV, you know, where when as death shall all the
words of you our love shall live and later right
in you and like here my verse your virtues shall
turn ice. I think these alliterations are the
alliteration here have to do with his sense of
persistence. I want to go further to this poem,
but I have to stop here. I'd like to ask you to
write a critique about this poem, an initial
critique. You can do this now. And next week,
we're going to look at it. But next week, I mean,
we're going to dedicate one class to explain this.
But next week, we are reading Marlow. And Marlow
is very interesting because I want you, when you
respond to Marlow, to respond in poetry. So you
can do this, Rohan, very well, you know, respond
in poetry. So it is like he's inviting, you know,
so I say, I'm not coming with you. Come live with
me and be. No, I'm not coming with you. You're
crazy. You know, you're lazy. You can do it in
poetry. Yeah, correspond in poetry, and it will be
a lot of fun. But as I said, the first class will
be dedicated to, you know, deep analysis of this
poem. Thank you. I'm giving you today like a short
lecture, but, you know, after this, you can write
your comment. Thank you.