Languish Locked in L

[artemisdart]

The other day on the bus I saw someone reading a book by Scottish writer Dorothy Dunnett. I read all her books as a teenager / young adult, having been prompted by my literary (and Scottish) mother, who very much enjoyed the Lymond chronicles.

Seeing that book the other day, I remembered the amazing scene in which two characters extemporize a humorous poem in which most of the words start with the letter L. A quick bit of Googling reminded me that the scene is in the book called "The Ringed Castle" (the entire series is framed in chess-related terms).

I found a version that had been typed into the internet suspiciously devoid of punctuation... My attempts at re-punctuating it may not meet with the approval of the Dunnett estate. Let me assure you that at the first opportunity I will be acquiring the Lymond series so that I can read it as it was meant to be read. In the meantime --

Picture two characters making this up amid gales of laughter, alternating verses with each other. It's a great scene. :-)

"I'm lechery, a luscious whore,
a lady loose, who lists to lower
her limbs upon a lance knight's lap
his lips to buss and cheeks to clap.

And I, limp Lamuel longing sigh
beside light Lechery to lie
Lo, here I learn my lession lewd
and love and lounge in lassitude --

Which I, lame Lazer list to cure
but light beneath the lady's lure
and lift my crutch with leperous glee
and leap upon the lady's knee

But I, dear Luck will lead you all
on lilid lawns of light to loll
where lute and lyre will list their lay
and lull sweet lovers at their play

Till little-looked-for death appeared
and loathsome on the lovers leered
and laughter's lodge was let to fear
and love to lugworms fell --

Ah Lamuel, lest your life be light,
lament not for your lost delight,
beshrew loose ladies in the night,
or languish locked in L!!!"

Comments

[echsdoc.livejournal.com]

For some reason this delightful poem brings to mind "I am a gentleman in a dustcoat, trying to make you hear..." Do you know the poem? Ransom's "Piazza Piece"?

[catherinew.livejournal.com]

I love that poem! That was one of the poems in my favorite anthology-of-poetry book when I was a girl and teenager. I still have it somewhere.

Poetry books should be small and light, so you can easily carry them around. I never take down my big heavy hard-bound poetry anthologies. The cheapo little paperbacks that I can carry around are the clear winners.

I think my very favorite poem from that anthology was "Patterns," by Amy Lowell.

[echsdoc.livejournal.com]

My favorite Ransom was "Bells for John Whiteside's Daughter." He is buried behind the chapel at Kenyon College. His granddaughter Rob Forman Dew) wrote Dale Loves Sophie to Death. You would love that book. I have to look up the Lowell, which isn't ringing a bell right now.