Sitting in the airport waiting to board a delayed flight, time moved slowly. And because of that, it created the most favorable condition to write a poem in heroic couplets. Since reading Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in Middle English, I was challenged by Jack Foley to write a verse imitating the style.
Four hours later than originally scheduled the plane landed in Portland. I carried the luggage and my first draft out of the airport and into the light rail. Sitting opposite from me was an elderly gentleman. He was very kind and patient with me when earlier I had difficulty getting a ticket from the machine. We acknowledged each other with a smile. He opened a pocket-size book yellowed with age. I opened Chaucer, equally yellowed; and my draft, which was fresh and new. I wanted to tell him I had written a verse in heroic couplets but was too shy. He would have understood and shared my happiness.
And very good and very heroic couplets they are, too. You and the elderly gentleman taking the plane to Portland: “and pilgrimes were they alle.”
When I received the Lifetime Achievement Award, I wrote these lines between the lines of Chaucer’s poem. I don’t think you’ve seen them:
Longfellow called you
“The poet of the dawn”
I on the brink
Of full atheistic old age
Come at nightfall now
Into a company of spirits
Made live by language
And pilgrims are they all
That toward the cathedral of right usage
And the light of spiritual adventure
Ask luck in their loneness
And Pride in the ancient vocation;
Now offer these words to deafening time
In momentary fellowship
With all who hold to the sweet delusion (which may yet nonetheless be true)
That language—their language—will make them
(JACK) free.
(ADELLE) live.
Do we get to see the verse?
Clara, heroic couplets eh? Well,I’ll have to give that a go when I get back. Maybe that will be what we’ll try for our next poetic outing. Wendy and I are at Harbin rignt now and just settling in nicely. I decided to check my email via the online method. So I am paying to do this but so what. I know all will go well at Sacred but I forgot to give you some door prizes. You can really give away anything. But I am leaving it in your capapble hands. I would like for you to keep the sign in sheet. I am going to archive them at some point. I know that Justice did something with the library and if I can do something like that then such memorabilia will be available to the public, should there be interest. See you when we get back. We’ll be back either Friday night or Saturday.