“As Barth”: Entry #2
The second entry comes from Theodora Hawksley, a postgraduate student at Durham University who is working on the ecclesiology of Stanley Hauerwas. According to Theodora, her poem is in the style of John Donne, to which I’ll add that it is a Petrarchan sonnet.
As Barth
Oh, teach me Barth, three person’d God; for, as
He sought, strove, taught and struggled to the end
That he might preach: so take me, Christ, and send
Me out, all joyous in Your headlong grace –
Yes! Let me work as Barth did: pipe in teeth,
Dogged, chuckling, indexing Your beauty,
With You still striding on before, for he,
Thirteen stout volumes deep, found hushing peace.
I cherish him, but let my vision be
Not his rimmed spectacles and rumpled hair
But You, my God; I ask you make of me
More than books can: oh Lord, create anew
Not just a Barthian, but one who’d dare
To seek you and then, as I find, declare.
The contest will end on July 4, at which point we will have a poll to decide who is the winner. If you wish to enter the contest, email me here. See the original post for more information. If you have a blog, please pass along the information about the contest!
As Barth
Oh, teach me Barth, three person’d God; for, as
He sought, strove, taught and struggled to the end
That he might preach: so take me, Christ, and send
Me out, all joyous in Your headlong grace –
Yes! Let me work as Barth did: pipe in teeth,
Dogged, chuckling, indexing Your beauty,
With You still striding on before, for he,
Thirteen stout volumes deep, found hushing peace.
I cherish him, but let my vision be
Not his rimmed spectacles and rumpled hair
But You, my God; I ask you make of me
More than books can: oh Lord, create anew
Not just a Barthian, but one who’d dare
To seek you and then, as I find, declare.
The contest will end on July 4, at which point we will have a poll to decide who is the winner. If you wish to enter the contest, email me here. See the original post for more information. If you have a blog, please pass along the information about the contest!
Comments
Yes! Let me work as Barth did: pipe in teeth,
Dogged, chuckling, indexing Your beauty,
With You still striding on before, for he,
Thirteen stout volumes deep, found hushing peace.
I'm sorry but I could never appreciate a woman who did EVEN if they took Barth as their paradigm...
A girl who, by cribbing from Donne,
Wrote a Barthian poem for fun
Simply worked out the beat
From his sonnet (the cheat!):
Number fourteen, she’d learned it when young.
Doesn't rhyme...but then I'm not that bright!