for all the writers on LJ...
Feb. 22nd, 2007 02:50 pmFrom Vachel Lindsay by way of Christopher Morley:
The elisions and the comments are Morley's, omitting what he refers to as "an unfortunate dilution of Riley". No idea who Riley was (the Life of Riley guy?) but I looked up Lindsay's original and Morley's right. It's better with his omissions.
Sometimes I dip my pen and find the bottle full of fire,
The salamanders flying forth I cannot but admire….
O sad deceiving ink, as bad as liquor in its way—
All demons of a bottle size have pranced from you today,
And seized my pen for hobby-horse as witches ride a broom,
And left a trail of brimstone words and blots and gobs of gloom.
And yet when I am extra good … [here I omit the transfusion of Riley]
My bottle spreads a rainbow mist, and from the vapor fine,
Ten thousand troops from fairyland come riding in a line.
The elisions and the comments are Morley's, omitting what he refers to as "an unfortunate dilution of Riley". No idea who Riley was (the Life of Riley guy?) but I looked up Lindsay's original and Morley's right. It's better with his omissions.