Monday, December 31, 2012
Review of At the Entering of the New Year by Thomas Hardy
At the Entering of the New Year by Thomas Hardy (b. 1840) was offered by Poets.org's Poem-A-Day on December 31, 2012. This rhyming poem is in two parts: Part I: Old Style, and Part II: New Style. In Part I, the poet sings of welcoming the new year with warmth, laughter, song, and made-up words (allemands and poussettings, both of which stumped my on-line dictionaries). In Part II, the poem takes on a melancholy tone, one of begging the new year not to come since the past year was so bad and the new will not be better. If you are an optimist, read Part I last.
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A faithful reader of Songs of Eretz, who wishes to remain anonymous, points out that "allemands" and "poussettings" are "calls" in an ancient form of dance called "square." Well, that sure dosies my d'oh!
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