02 April - Roger Zelazny Poetry Month - The Last Defender of Camelot

So far these are going in the same order that I originally reviewed the stories, but that's just a meaningless coincidence.

And a word on my criteria. My understanding of poetry is extraordinarily shallow. (Well, let's be charitable and say somewhat shallow, I've been doing these poetry month things for about fifteen years now so I’ve picked up a little along the way, but my choices are still limited by what I know (which, of course, is true of everything, but it seems fair to shine a light on it here.))

The smarter and better-read among you will no doubt think of sharper, deeper, or more apt pairings than I’ve managed, and you’re probably right. So let’s just say: these are the best poems I could find to represent these stories, as constrained by Josh’s Limited Canon™.

And who knows? Perhaps I'll learn something along the way.

Today we have: The Last Defender of Camelot, modern day immortal Lancelot's quest for the Holy Grail.

The poem: Sir Galahad, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. 

Spoiler, this will not be the last Tennyson poem. I like his work and I think it meshes well with the themes of Zelazny's writing. 

Idylls of the King is probably a better (read, more representative) poem, but I like Sir Galahad. It was actually the centerpiece of a police procedural I wrote for a Doctor Who charity anthology that never  went to press.

And how can you not love writing like this?

My good blade carves the casques of men,
My tough lance thrusteth sure,
My strength is as the strength of ten,
Because my heart is pure.

I could see the Lancelot of LDoC repeating those lines with full awareness of the irony of his words.

01 April - Roger Zelazny Poetry Month - For A Breath I Tarry

 Okay, here's what we're going to do this month. 

For every day, I'm going to take a novel or story by Roger Zelazny and match it to a poem that I think best represents it. I'll summarize the story briefly, name the poem and talk a little bit on why I think they fit together and include the poem or a relevant passage. 

We're going to start with an easy one:

The first story is For A Breath I Tarry, the tale of the machine Frost, who seeks to become that extinct creature, Man.

The poem is poem 32 (or XXXII if you like) from A Shropshire Lad by A.E. Housman.

          From far, from eve and morning
           And yon twelve-winded sky,
          The stuff of life to knit me
           Blew hither: here am I.

          Now- for a breath I tarry
           Nor yet disperse apart-
          Take my hand quick and tell me,
           What have you in your heart.

          Speak now, and I will answer;
           How shall I help you, say;
          Ere to the wind's twelve quarters
           I take my endless way.

It's really a no-brainer. The collection is mentioned by name and gives the story its title and the poem  itself closes out the piece. I love how audaciously on the nose the parallels are between the poem and the story, particularly concerning Frost's creation.