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A nest of singing birds. Three centuries of English verse with a doctorate from just. Dramatic and non dramatic. Between fifteen hundred and eighteen hundred more plays were written in verse than in prose. Through the whole of the period it was assumed that a dramatist was free to write drama in verse if he wanted to. The fundamental difference between dramatic and non-dramatic first lies not in the verbal techniques but in the kind of imagining which each communicates. Dramatic imagining is imagining of character in action. The character is imagined doing something in a relationship. The words let us know what the character thinks wants feels what he is doing to achieve his objective. I feel no more about that pallid rouse that image is dramatic because it communicates to us Milton's imagining of
comas doing something in a relationship with the lady comas passes himself off as a simple shepherd assuring her that if her brothers in his Would you or stray attendance in the ward he will know before dawn starts to break even earlier than that before the lark which sleeps low on the ground has left its nest and mounted into the sky. Coe must first imagine the predawn sky with the lark high up singing. He swiftly imagines it even earlier with the sky empty and the bird still on the ground. The image is dramatic. It's part of his action to reassure her and to deceive her. I know each lane and every alley green Dingle a bushy Dell of this Wildwood and every boss keyboard from side to side my daily walks and engine neighborhood. If your straight attendance be at large or fried within these limits I shall know you're more awake all
alone at Lark from a thatched pallet rouse if otherwise I can conduct you lady to a low but loyal cottage where you may be safe till further Quest. What we have just observed of this passage is true of all dramatic verse. It is dramatic in that each word every word is required by the speaker as part of his or her action in a relationship. It doesn't matter how intricate the verbal pattern how beautiful the image how profound the symbol. If every word is an essential part of the action of the role the verse is dramatic. A little earlier in her dialogue with comas whom she takes for a shepherd the lady reproved him for flattery insisting that only her need to find her brothers compelled me to await the courteous echo to give me an answer from her ma seek out. Here the image might be inadequately turned into modern English as something like this forced me to call so loud that my words were
echoed easily with no strain by the mossy trees and rocks and turf of this place. She is irritated by the compliment all the more because she needs help and wants him to realize this. We've already had this scene in an earlier program. But let's listen to it again and notice what the lady and comas are doing in their relationship. She wants help. He wants to find out exactly what her situation is and to gain her confidence to take her off guard and all the time he pretends to be a guileless peasant. Notice the beautifully oblique way in which she asks him if he can and will guide her to the place where he says he saw her brothers. The rest derives from this shrubby point. To find out that good shepherd I suppose in such a scant allowance of starlight would overtasked the best land pilot sought without the sure guess of well-practiced feet.
Here's the larger part of the scene. Hail foreign wonder I'm certain these robber raids did never breed unless the god is that in Rome trying whilst here with Pan or Sylvan by blessed song forbidding every blink unkindly fog to touch the prosperous growth of this tall wooden handle she added last that prays that is addressed to one it in the New Year is not any boast of skill but extreme shift how to regain my severed company compelled me to awake the courteous echo to give me an answer from her mossy couch. What chance good lady had to be rescued us. The darkness in this leafy labyrinth could that divide you from near our guys. They left me weary on a grassy two by fours one or discourtesy. Why do you see in the valley some friendly spring and let your fair side all unguarded lady you would like Twain
and Papist quick return. Perhaps forestalling night prevented them. How easy my misfortune is to hate imports their loss. Beside the present need no less than if I should my brothers where they are madly prime or youthful bloom in their enemies it leads to such I saw my time the labored arcs in his loose traces from the Pharaoh came and the swing to hedge or at his suppers act. I saw them under a green mantling vine the crows along the side of yon small hill talking ripe clusters from the tender shoots the airport was more than human. As they stood I took it for a fairy vision of some gay creatures of the element that in the colors of the rainbow live in play of the plighted clouds. I was almost struck and as I passed I worshiped. If those you see it what a journey like the path to heaven to help you find them gentle Villager What readiest way would bring me to that place. Due
west derives from the shrubby point. To find out that good shepherd. I suppose in such a scant allowance of starlight would overtasked the best land pilot sought without the surer gaze of well-practiced feet. I know each lane and every alley green Ingelow Bush you develop this wild one and every basket borne from side to side. My daily walks and ancient neighborhood. And if your stray attendants be at large don't shrug within these limits. I shall now are more awake all alone roosted locked from her thatched pallid rouse if otherwise I can conduct you lady to a low but loyal cottage where you may be safe to further question. Shepherd I take the word and trust by almost all thought courtesy would you off too soon or found in lonely sheds with smoky rafters than in Tapestry halls and courts of princes where it first was named and yet is most pretended in a place less warranted than
this or less secure or I cannot be that I should fear to change it. I'm blessed Providence and my proportion strength. When verse dialogue is beautiful or stirring or intricate in its patterning or complex in its implications we of the twentieth century tend not to imagine the relationships which it communicates in action. Come live with me and be my love and we will all the pleasures prove that heroes and valleys Dales and fields and all the craggy mountains we are there we will sit upon the rocks and see the shepherds feed their flocks by shallow Rivers dew whose falls melodious birds sing madrigals I would call that dramatic because Moto has imagine a specific Shepherd doing
all he can to persuade his love to come live with him. Every word is part of the imagined action. This is also true of rowdies reply. He imagines the shepherdess responding doing what she wants. Refusing to be persuaded. You were young and true. You know every Shepherdstown who's pretty pleasures might mean you truly would be John Donne's imagining of a passionate Shepherd written in 16:33. Well it's different tree this shepherd tries to gain his objective not with promises but with compliments. It's called the bait. Come live with me and be my love and we will some new pleasures prove of golden sands and Crystal Brooks with soup and lines and silver hooks there
when the river whispering ran warm by thy eyes more than the sun. And there the enamelled fish will stay baking themselves they may betray when thy will swim in that life by. Each fish which every channel hath Well amorously to the swim bladder to catch the lead. And thou him and so on to the last verse the first two lines of this verse rhyme deceit bait which when John Donne wrote of course where rhyme were pronounced rather deceit bait. For the now needs no such deceit for thou thy self out by noon bait that fish that is not catch them by that ass is why is a father and I. There is another well known version of Come live with me written in 1935 by the English poet C. Day Lewis.
I don't find this dramatic. It seems to me that Day-Lewis is not imagining a character doing something to obtain an objective. Instead he himself the poet is parodying the earlier poems to express his own bitterness in his own person. Come live with me and be my love and we will all of the pleasures prove of Peace and Plenty. Bed and board. That chance employment may afford. I'll handle dainties on the dogs. And thou shalt read of some of prompts and evening by the solid kind. We'll hope to hear some madrigals. Care on the eye maiden brow shall put a wreath of wrinkles and life be showered with pain not silken dress but toil shall tire thy loveliness hunger shall make by modest zone and cheat on death of all but bone. If
these delights I mine may move then live with me and be my love. He isn't really asking an imagined person to do anything. He's merely expressing his bitterness. Her lot will be unchanged whether she marries him or not. Now let's hear Milo and Robbie. Come live with me and be my love and we will all the pleasures prove that heroes and valleys Dales and fields and all the Crag a mountain Z. There we will sit upon the rocks and see the shepherds feed their flocks by shallow rivers to whose falls melodious birds sing madrigals. And I will make the beds of roses with a thousand fragrant posies a cap of flowers and a kirtle embroidered all with leaves of myrtle a gown made of the finest wool which from
our pretty lambs we call their line and slippers for the cold with buckles of the purest gold a belt of straw and ivory backed with coral clasped and Amber studs. And if these pleasures made the move COME LIVE WITH ME AND BE MY LOVE. The shepherds and seeing what value the light each May morning. If these the light guy mind may move and live with me. And be mine if I own the world and love were young and true in every Shepherdstown these pretty pleasures might mean. To live with the time drives the flocks from you to food. When Rivers rage and rocks grow cold and M.L. become a dung the rest
complains of cares to come. The flowers do fade and wanton fields to where word Winter reckoning a Honey turn a heart of gold is fancy spring but sorrows fall. Thy gown shoes dyed beds of roses that I kept by Curt a land that I posses soon break soon wither soon forgotten in folly right in reason rotten thy belt of straw and Ivy buds clasps and Amber studs is in me no means can move to come to thee and be that I love. But who do you last. And labs do breed had joys no date nor age no need then these delights my mind might move to live with and be loved.
Belinda burns with more than mortal ire and fierce the Lesters fans the rising fire she had made she spread her hands and cried while Hampton's Echo's wretched mayde replied. Was it for this you took such constant care the BOD can come home in essence to prepare for this your Locsin paper Dorrance bound for this with torturing irons wreathed around for this with Bill it strained your tender head and bravely bore the double loads of lead. Gods shower Rabba should display your hair while the props envy and the ladies stare on her for being good at whose unrivaled shrine E's pleasure virtue are all our sex resign. Me thinks already I your tears survey. Already hear the
horrid things they say. Already see you were degraded toast and all your honor in a whisper lost. How shall I then your hopeless fame defend to then be in for me to see me offer and. Unsure how this prize the inestimable prize exposed through crystal to the gazing eyes and heightened by the diamond circling rays on that rare patient's hand for ever blaze. Soon I shall grass in Hyde Park Circus grow and wits take lodgings in the sound of bow. Soon let him see to chaos. Will men monkeys or lap dogs parrots perish. I am deliberately lingering on that border and a verse which is dramatic although it's not part of a play. Then we have a mixture of Dramatica
non-dramatic the descriptive or narrative parts are not dramatic. The first of all Richard made is dramatic The second is not. But in the rest of this passage papa's imagine Celestron doing something to retrieve her friend's honor. Now here is Milton writing non dramatically at the beginning of book 9 of Paradise Lost. No more of talk with God or angel guess with me and I was with his friend Familia used to sit indulgent. And with him partake rural repast permitting him the wild venial discourse. I now am a strange those moments to tragic vow distrust and breach disloyal on the part of man. Revote and disobedience on the part of heaven now alienated distance and distaste anger
and just rebuke. And judgment given the brought into this world world of world sin and a shadow of death. And misery death's Harbinger Milton is speaking there in his own person. He is not imagining character relationships in action but here is Eve imagined in a relationship. She wants to persuade Adam to eat the apple and she is assuring him of her love. As they are not 100 Adam at my stay the I have missed and folded long deprived by presence agony of love till now not felt nor shall be twice from Nevermore me united try what rash tried I sought the pain absence from my sight. Now she explains that they have been misinformed about the tree but strange has been the cause and wonderful to hear
this tree is not as we are told. The tree of danger tasted nor to evil unknown opening the way but of divine effect to open our eyes and make them gods who taste. And has been tested such Nek should give some evidence that what she says is true. The serpent first and then she have both benefited from eating the fruit of the tree. The serpent wise or not restrained as we are not a bad thing have eaten of the fruit and is become not dead as we are threatened. But whence forth do you do with human voice and human sense reasoning to admiration. And with me persuasively had so prevailed. But I have also tasted. And have also found the effects to correspond. Open
on mine eyes first dilated spirits ampler heart and growing up to Godhead. And now comes her beard. She did it for him and she must share with him which for the Wii chiefly I sought without the can despise for beliefs as thou has part to me is bliss tedious I am shared with thee and odious. Doubt there will also taste that equal a lot may join us in equal joy as equal love less than not tasting different degree disjoin us and I then too late renounced vanity for the when fate will not permit. Milton doesn't write different blank verse in each case his blank verse is the same in the dramatic as in the non-dramatic passage but in the dramatic passage what he imagines is dramatic. Let's hear it again and the non-dramatic passage which follows that is the description
of Adam's reaction to her speech as they are not wondered at him at my stay the I have missed and thought it long deprived by presence agony of love till now not felt. Nor shall be twice for never more me night or try what Rush tried I sought the pain absence from my side. But strange has been the cause and wonderful to hear this tree is not as we are told. The tree of danger tasted nor to evil unknown opening the way but of divine effect to open our eyes and make them gods who taste and have been tested such. The serpent wise or not restrained as we are not a bad thing have eaten of the fruit and is become not dead as we are
threatened but thenceforth endured with human voice and human sense reasoning to admiration. And with me persuasively had so prevailed. But I have also tasted and have also found the effects to correspond. Open on mine eyes first dilated spirits ampler heart and growing up to Godhead which for the Wii chiefly I sought without the can despise for beliefs as thou has part to me is bliss tedious I am shared with thee and odious. Wow there for all still taste. That equal lot may join us in equal joy as equal love less than not tasting different degree disjoin us. And by then too late renowned for the rum fate will not permit that save with countenance ply her story told patting
her cheek distemper flashing on the other side. Adam. Soon as he heard the fatal trespass done by Eve amazed us donnish stood and blank while her a chill ran through his veins and all his joints relaxed from his slack hand the Garland raised furry down dropped and all the faded roses shared speechless he stirred and told us at length first to himself inward silence broke. I have insisted that drama is what is imagined as character in action vs. dramatic when every word is needed as part of the action of the speaker. Part of what he or she is doing in theory everything that is done with the words by non-dramatic poet can also be done with words by the dramatist.
Provided that every word has a double function it is part of a verbal structure such as can be found outside drama but it is also essential as part of the action of the speaker communicating what he thinks wants feels in a relationship in which he tries to attain an objective. Rhyming words must be essential in this way. So must those of any figure of words nothing must be solely decorative. Or a piece of verbal Felicity or expressive of complexity of idea unless it is also part of the characters action. This is the real reason why Blanc first became the staple of English verse drama stands and extended passages of couplet make too great demands on the writer. It is not that blank verse is more realistic but that blank verse makes demands which are more easily reconciled with those of grammar when it suited
him. Shakespeare used intricate rhyme couplets and even sonnet structure as well as blank verse. But we shall deal with his dramatic verse in a later program. Now we return to Milton's dramatic blank verse this time in the play. The tragedy Samson Agonistes these this is dramatic because every word is part of the action of a character in a relationship. Dangler has a possessive jealous love for Sampson before he was blinded. This love made his absence is agony for her. She was terrified of losing him now when he is blind and a prisoner. She hopes to persuade him to come home with her to live entirely dependent on her. Milton has imagined her ego determined to have Samson utterly dependent on her so much so that she will accept rebuff after rebuff twisting and turning in effort after effort to persuade him until his implacable hostility makes her reveal hers.
Yet hear me Sam's not that I endeavor to lessen or extenuate my offense but that on the other side if it be weighed by itself with aggravations not surcharged or else with just allowance counter poised I may if possible I pardon find the easier towards me or the hatred less. First granting as I do. It was a weakness in me. But incident to all us ex curiosity inquisitive importune of secrets then with like infirmity to publish them was common female faults was it not weakness also to make no more importunity. That is for a moment when in consisted all my strength and safety to what I did that shows me first the way. But I do anime is reviewed and should not nor should does not have trusted that a woman's frailty to the thou to thy self must prove that weakness then with weakness come to pass. Sonia related all the same of kind
rhyme forgive mine that men may sense your guiding the gentler severely though exact not more strength for me than in myself first found. And what of love which the Brits hate. The jealousy of love. Powerful have sway in human hearts. Nor less in mind towards the cause do what I did. I saw the mutable of fancy. Feared lest one day I would as lieve me years had a Timna sword by all means therefore how to undo It On Home To thee to me firmest every word is part of an action to attain and to conquer Samson. You have been listening to a programme on dramatic and non-dramatic verse the verse was read by Robert Caspar Seana dirty Alan scuff Elizabeth Shepherd and Barrie boy. This is from Joseph inviting you to be with us again next week. This program was produced by Radio Broadcast Services of the University of Washington under a
grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This is the national educational radio network.
Series
A nest of singing birds
Episode Number
Dramatic and non-dramatic verse
Episode Number
20
Contributing Organization
University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/500-d50fzv4h
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Description
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No description available
Date
1970-00-00
Topics
Literature
Media type
Sound
Duration
00:28:49
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University of Maryland
Identifier: 70-3-20 (National Association of Educational Broadcasters)
Format: 1/4 inch audio tape
Duration: 00:30:00?
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Citations
Chicago: “A nest of singing birds; Dramatic and non-dramatic verse; 20,” 1970-00-00, University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 26, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-d50fzv4h.
MLA: “A nest of singing birds; Dramatic and non-dramatic verse; 20.” 1970-00-00. University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 26, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-d50fzv4h>.
APA: A nest of singing birds; Dramatic and non-dramatic verse; 20. Boston, MA: University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-d50fzv4h