An exceptional poem! It actually made me hold my breath as I reached the end. I've read 'Lilith', and this really recaptured for me the weird and strange chills that the novel invokes.
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Really great to hear it invoked similar imagery; that's how I felt reading the book, and I hoped to try to convey that a little.
I'm so glad to hear you say that, Thomas. After hearing Malcolm Guite's work with his Arthuriana, the form just stuck with me. I thought, YEAH, that's a narrative structure, I like how that works. I've been experimenting with it ever since.
Wonderful. The last lines made me shiver. I haven't read Lilith in probably 50 years (or thereabouts) but it brought the story back - and most importantly, the strange, eldritch mood of it. (I wonder what it was like to have Macdonald in the pulpit, preaching? Not your average Victorian minister!)
Thanks, Marian! And yes, I've wondered that myself! I also try to imagine someone like MacDonald today—a minister who also had fantasy novels on the shelves at the bookstore. Hard to even visualize.
Thanks for reading, Richard! The book is so out there—it’s an incredibly fun rabbit hole to go down. I figured I’d try to pay a kind of tribute to one of the story’s more memorable scenes.
Thanks so much, Sandy! I absolutely love Tolkien’s poetry so that’s extremely high praise!
The meter from this one was borrowed from Malcolm Guite, who is working on some incredible Arthurian tales using a similar structure. His publishing those can’t come quickly enough!
An exceptional poem! It actually made me hold my breath as I reached the end. I've read 'Lilith', and this really recaptured for me the weird and strange chills that the novel invokes.
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Really great to hear it invoked similar imagery; that's how I felt reading the book, and I hoped to try to convey that a little.
Now this is my kind of poetry. Easily digestible, a captivating narrative. Nailed it.
I'm so glad to hear you say that, Thomas. After hearing Malcolm Guite's work with his Arthuriana, the form just stuck with me. I thought, YEAH, that's a narrative structure, I like how that works. I've been experimenting with it ever since.
I haven't dived into any of Malcolm's work but it's on the bucket list.
James, you are a brilliant poet! 👏🏾
That's very kind of you! Glad you enjoyed it. :)
Wonderful. The last lines made me shiver. I haven't read Lilith in probably 50 years (or thereabouts) but it brought the story back - and most importantly, the strange, eldritch mood of it. (I wonder what it was like to have Macdonald in the pulpit, preaching? Not your average Victorian minister!)
Thanks, Marian! And yes, I've wondered that myself! I also try to imagine someone like MacDonald today—a minister who also had fantasy novels on the shelves at the bookstore. Hard to even visualize.
👏👏👏👏👏👏 Well done James!
Thanks John! It was fun to work on.
Well done, James. Great adaptation- writing and reading. May just have to read MacDonald's book too at some point. Just found the pdf...
Thanks man! Lilith is probably his darkest—also his weirdest. Great one to start with.
Looking forward to it (after a few on the list ahead of it). Bookmarked on Project Gutenberg.
This is wonderful James.
Thanks for reading, Richard! The book is so out there—it’s an incredibly fun rabbit hole to go down. I figured I’d try to pay a kind of tribute to one of the story’s more memorable scenes.
James, that was like reading one of Tolkien's beauitful poems from THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Bravo. Maybe you've got a fantasy novel lurking in you.
Thanks so much, Sandy! I absolutely love Tolkien’s poetry so that’s extremely high praise!
The meter from this one was borrowed from Malcolm Guite, who is working on some incredible Arthurian tales using a similar structure. His publishing those can’t come quickly enough!