Comments on: The Fine Art of Mimicry

By: Annie Finch

Annie Finch — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:10:21 +0000

“In fact, it is as difficult to appropriate the thoughts of others as it is to invent.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

By: Andrew Solomon

Andrew Solomon — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:54:15 +0000

I have just been trying to resolve the same question, and came across your query and wonder whether you ever made any progress on this. I know the sermon by Henry Scott Holland, to whom I have always attributed the passage; it was his eulogy for Edward VII, and it was contrasted sharply with a proto-existential view of death. Soctt Holland was Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford and a great social reformer; later in life, he was Canon of St. Paul’s, which is where he delivered this famous encomium. A friend just sent me a slightly different version of it attributed to St. Augustine. To the best of my knowledge, Scott Holland did not attribute it to Augustine, but perhaps he thought the reference was clear to his listeners? Or perhaps the attribution to Augustine is an attempt to give greater significance to the passage than would inhere in it from a British cleric. Thoughts?

By: Scott Jacobs

Scott Jacobs — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:40:06 +0000

I hope you can help me (this is directed initially at “Brian Salchert”, as it was in his post that Charles Peguy’s name appeared – but if anyone else can help – that’s fine too).
I recently translated a poem found in a German newspaper that was attributed to Charles Peguy.
It was about death “Der Tod ist nichts”. I have since also found it on the internet attributed to Canon Henry Scott Holland (who apparently used it in a sermon), and to St. Augustine.
I have searched under the German line, and under “Death is Nothing”, and the French “la mort n’est rien” – I guess I need to find the source – finding the poem in a book of Peguy’s poetry, or St. Augustine’s works, or find Canon Holland’s sermon and see if he attributed it to Peguy or St. Augustine or… would be definitive.
I have had no luck so far finding the original source material on the internet – if anyone knows an online source for Peguy’s poetry, Holland’s sermons, or St. Augustine’s works, I would love to know what it/they are.
Short of that, obviously someone here has/had access to at least some of Peguy’s poems in book form. If it is still available, perhaps someone could search for me. (I am in Germany at the present, and although only 20€ would get me a year’s access to the libraries of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim, I have not the 20€ (or a job – the two facts are inter-related…)
I hope that someone can help.
-Scott

By: Brian Salchert

Brian Salchert — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:10:11 +0000

Oddly, I’ve written three or four poems that somewhat mimic Emily Dickinson.
When I was young and easy, I tried to mimic several poets.
Charles Peguy was the first one.

By: Ada

Ada — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:26:09 +0000

Thanks Adam, Francisco, and Julie!
An old pal Daniel Nester once had a reading series called karaoke + poetry = fun. I don’t know if he still does that, but I liked the idea.
Perhaps we should each start our own?
All the best,
Ada

By: Julie Carter

Julie Carter — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:10:31 +0000

I never thought of it in terms of karaoke, but you’re right. It’s a good comparison.
Only by trying what someone else does do you discover how hard (or easy) it is to do. You get to hear what you sound like when you employ the same tricks, since you won’t sound like the original no matter how you try.
Neat.

By: Francisco

Francisco — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:09:42 +0000

Hi Ada:
Happy belated birthday!
Your post reminds me of how Thom Gunn would always matter-of-factly say–in person and in print– that he considered himself a derivative poet.

By: adam

adam — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:03:35 +0000

Yeah! It’s wild how many people, when they start writing, take that whole “I don’t need to read stuff” stance. It’s all derivative. That’s the only way it can all be a conversations, rather than people just screaming without listening.
Good point!
Good morning.