Marvellous piece, thanks. I associate Townsend with T S Eliot's closing sentence in a review of an anthology, where he describes the range as from "the massive music of Donne to the faint, pleasing tinkle of Aurelian Townsend's 'Dialogue Betwixt Time and the Pilgrim'." That is the only poem of AT's I had read before, and I've always thought Eliot sold it short. It has a charm and quiet resonance beyond Donne! You bring out his qualities with erudition and subtlety.
Thanks Martin, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have to admit that I purposefully did not mention Eliot because absolutely everything on poor old Townshend quotes that bit. But you're quite right that if any non-17th-century specialist readers have heard his name, that's probably the context in which they did so.
The title grabbed me immediately. Irresistible. I adored the usage ‘present’ from first hearing it in Midsummer Night’s Dream: ‘this lanthorn doth the hornéd moon present..’ When and how did present become represent and lose all immediacy, I wonder? Thanks so much Victoria - rock symbols are incredibly potent of late. Stormy weather. Yes thanks for a brilliant overview of the subject and introduction to Aurelian Townshend who I didn’t know at all and must now read. I like his candour very much. I admit to an interesting mental harmonic - ROCK CONSTANCY PRESENTING and then Townshend had me right back with the Who’s Tommy and My Generation! Pete even spells himself Townshend!
So glad you enjoyed it Andrew, and thanks for commenting. Great question about the shifting meaning of 'present'. For 'present' meaning stand for, symbolize or represent, the OED gives the date range c1390-1813, but in fact it cites no examples between 1651 and 1813, so I'd guess that it was already somewhat uncommon by the eighteenth century.
And ROCK CONSTANCY sounds so like a rather good name for a concert/festival promotion co! ROCK CONSTANCY presenting… Iron Maiden for example!!! Again so different from representing. Representing is like rejoindre etc in French when there’s usually no re(peat) about it. Language incorporates so much unreason.
Thanks for commenting David -- wonderful to have you here! The Vaughan poem is really fantastic isn't it? Great connection, you're quite right about the similar form. Here's a link for anyone reading who doesn't already know it: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45429/peace-56d2250b10901 Interesting question about the three-beat metre. It didn't strike me as *very* unusual, but perhaps that's wrong. Let me see if I can think of other examples from around the same time.
Marvellous piece, thanks. I associate Townsend with T S Eliot's closing sentence in a review of an anthology, where he describes the range as from "the massive music of Donne to the faint, pleasing tinkle of Aurelian Townsend's 'Dialogue Betwixt Time and the Pilgrim'." That is the only poem of AT's I had read before, and I've always thought Eliot sold it short. It has a charm and quiet resonance beyond Donne! You bring out his qualities with erudition and subtlety.
Thanks Martin, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have to admit that I purposefully did not mention Eliot because absolutely everything on poor old Townshend quotes that bit. But you're quite right that if any non-17th-century specialist readers have heard his name, that's probably the context in which they did so.
The title grabbed me immediately. Irresistible. I adored the usage ‘present’ from first hearing it in Midsummer Night’s Dream: ‘this lanthorn doth the hornéd moon present..’ When and how did present become represent and lose all immediacy, I wonder? Thanks so much Victoria - rock symbols are incredibly potent of late. Stormy weather. Yes thanks for a brilliant overview of the subject and introduction to Aurelian Townshend who I didn’t know at all and must now read. I like his candour very much. I admit to an interesting mental harmonic - ROCK CONSTANCY PRESENTING and then Townshend had me right back with the Who’s Tommy and My Generation! Pete even spells himself Townshend!
So glad you enjoyed it Andrew, and thanks for commenting. Great question about the shifting meaning of 'present'. For 'present' meaning stand for, symbolize or represent, the OED gives the date range c1390-1813, but in fact it cites no examples between 1651 and 1813, so I'd guess that it was already somewhat uncommon by the eighteenth century.
And ROCK CONSTANCY sounds so like a rather good name for a concert/festival promotion co! ROCK CONSTANCY presenting… Iron Maiden for example!!! Again so different from representing. Representing is like rejoindre etc in French when there’s usually no re(peat) about it. Language incorporates so much unreason.
Wonderful journey through these poems. Townshend's verse-form reminded me of Vaughan's My Soul, there is a Country: how common was it?
Thanks for commenting David -- wonderful to have you here! The Vaughan poem is really fantastic isn't it? Great connection, you're quite right about the similar form. Here's a link for anyone reading who doesn't already know it: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45429/peace-56d2250b10901 Interesting question about the three-beat metre. It didn't strike me as *very* unusual, but perhaps that's wrong. Let me see if I can think of other examples from around the same time.