Andrew: Another New World Nursery Rhyme from Papa Possum. (For Andrew Breitbart's Birthday)
Today is Ayn Rand's birthday.
Yesterday was Andrew Breitbart's birthday.
Although one day I will get to writing a piece for Ayn, this year I wrote one for Andrew.
The piece is written in "Heroic Meter", which can be a little hard to read.
If you would like to hear it recited while you read, there is a sound cloud feed at the link for this post.
Feel free to comment on the piece here and at my blog: you can comment with a google, disqus, or facebook id.
Also, feel free to share the link to this piece on social media.
If you would like to copy this piece and post elsewhere, please include the copyright notice and the link to the original piece.
Lastly, Kaila (khalling) has proposed doing an AMA (Ask me anything) with me in regard to political satire.
If this is something which you are also interested in (or not), please give your yea or nay below.
"Andrew" - a new work from Papa Possum.
Enjoy, or not.
--------------------
Andrew
(I am.)
Hear now, Historia, notion to faithfully write of a Hero, with
language befitting your pages, with meter befitting the subject – a
man who opposed stood to tyrants as Moses opposed stood to pharaoh, as
Spartacus 'posed stood to senate – this pen guide, however imperfect. Mere
verses, a song now of Andrew – a warrior happy and loyal to
Liberty's Song of our Morning, to Us without Representation, to
Us the leviathan shackled for sake of a ruling class royal, to
Us the new heirs of Aeneas, to Freedom again for this nation. He
battled the enemy fearlessly; laughed at their venom and power: he
battled the agents of soros, he battled the minions of piven, he
battled the media biased, he battled the ivory tower, he
battled the cowards established – relentlessly Andrew was driven. He
suffered the slings and the arrows. He suffered the marxist invective. Con-
sidered them badges of honor; responded with mirth and derision, en-
raging the ruling class further because he was so damned effective: in-
spiring millions to battle against Constitution's rescission. Un-
til he collapsed on a sidewalk, alone in the darkness of midnight. He
never awakened thereafter and quietly passed in the morning. Some
say that he died of exhaustion: the toll of political street fight; some
say that a hand in the shadows put end to his ruling class warning. Re-
gardless, he died for our Freedom, a morning he won't be perceiving – as
promised land Moses saw never. Regardless, he died in our battle, a
Hero of our fair Republic, an honor he won't be receiving from
ruling class thinking us servile – as senate thought Spartacus chattel. A
life that's well lived can be measured by legacy, influence, meaning: a
bounty that Death can not sickle, an afterlife here with the living, a
promise the torch will be carried on after the mourning and keening, and
Andrew left gift that our ruling class could not prevent him from giving. Mere
verses, a song now of Andrew, a toast to him, tea and a dram:
“Hear now, Historia, millions of voices shout, 'Andrew?... I am!'”
Andrew, Copyright © 2015 Papa Possum
--------------------
Hear the audio stream here: http://papapossum.blogspot.com/2015/02/a...
Yesterday was Andrew Breitbart's birthday.
Although one day I will get to writing a piece for Ayn, this year I wrote one for Andrew.
The piece is written in "Heroic Meter", which can be a little hard to read.
If you would like to hear it recited while you read, there is a sound cloud feed at the link for this post.
Feel free to comment on the piece here and at my blog: you can comment with a google, disqus, or facebook id.
Also, feel free to share the link to this piece on social media.
If you would like to copy this piece and post elsewhere, please include the copyright notice and the link to the original piece.
Lastly, Kaila (khalling) has proposed doing an AMA (Ask me anything) with me in regard to political satire.
If this is something which you are also interested in (or not), please give your yea or nay below.
"Andrew" - a new work from Papa Possum.
Enjoy, or not.
--------------------
Andrew
(I am.)
Hear now, Historia, notion to faithfully write of a Hero, with
language befitting your pages, with meter befitting the subject – a
man who opposed stood to tyrants as Moses opposed stood to pharaoh, as
Spartacus 'posed stood to senate – this pen guide, however imperfect. Mere
verses, a song now of Andrew – a warrior happy and loyal to
Liberty's Song of our Morning, to Us without Representation, to
Us the leviathan shackled for sake of a ruling class royal, to
Us the new heirs of Aeneas, to Freedom again for this nation. He
battled the enemy fearlessly; laughed at their venom and power: he
battled the agents of soros, he battled the minions of piven, he
battled the media biased, he battled the ivory tower, he
battled the cowards established – relentlessly Andrew was driven. He
suffered the slings and the arrows. He suffered the marxist invective. Con-
sidered them badges of honor; responded with mirth and derision, en-
raging the ruling class further because he was so damned effective: in-
spiring millions to battle against Constitution's rescission. Un-
til he collapsed on a sidewalk, alone in the darkness of midnight. He
never awakened thereafter and quietly passed in the morning. Some
say that he died of exhaustion: the toll of political street fight; some
say that a hand in the shadows put end to his ruling class warning. Re-
gardless, he died for our Freedom, a morning he won't be perceiving – as
promised land Moses saw never. Regardless, he died in our battle, a
Hero of our fair Republic, an honor he won't be receiving from
ruling class thinking us servile – as senate thought Spartacus chattel. A
life that's well lived can be measured by legacy, influence, meaning: a
bounty that Death can not sickle, an afterlife here with the living, a
promise the torch will be carried on after the mourning and keening, and
Andrew left gift that our ruling class could not prevent him from giving. Mere
verses, a song now of Andrew, a toast to him, tea and a dram:
“Hear now, Historia, millions of voices shout, 'Andrew?... I am!'”
Andrew, Copyright © 2015 Papa Possum
--------------------
Hear the audio stream here: http://papapossum.blogspot.com/2015/02/a...
I put some of that Rebellion Bourbon to good use.
Can you tell us more about this type of meter (which gives me chills btw) and why you have chosen it for this piece as well as others? I think I have an idea why...
What I love about this piece is the announcing the story of a hero, then listing off his deeds, all throughout it is dark, plaintive-even angry. Then there is the plea to pay attention, take notice. and finally, from how I read it either a threat or a call to come together. Come together for what?
a song now of Andrew, a toast to him, tea and a dram:
“Hear now, Historia, millions of voices shout, 'Andrew?... I am!'” The last phrase feels almost like I'm making a pact as I read it. was that intentional? I had the same feelings reading Aeneas
"amorphous 'ruling class'" - not amorphous, Defined in Codevilla's "America's Ruling Class and The Perils of Revolution" http://spectator.org/articles/39326/amer...
"calling out both Soros, Obama and others personally makes you a little nervous?" - Yes and no. At the end of the day, I realize that I'm just a small-potatoes blogger. I'm sure they have bigger eggs to smash.
"Can you tell us more about this type of meter" - The meter is Dactylic Hexameter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dactylic_he..., also called Heroic Meter. It is the meter used in classic epic poetry, most notably The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid. It is a very difficult meter to execute in English.
"What I love about this piece is the announcing the story of a hero" - Along with dactylic hexameter, this is required device in epic poetry: the invoking of the muse.
"dark, plaintive-even angry" - Have we met? ;)
"Come together for what?" - to engage The Ruling Class, like Breitbart.
"The last phrase" - The phrase, "Andrew, I am", is a nod to a couple of things
1) Either right after or just before Andrew passed, there was (and still is) a meme of "I am Breitbart", much like "Je suis Charlie".
2) An extension of the Spartacus allegory ("*I* am Spartacus!)
"feels almost like I'm making a pact as I read it" - I'll take that to mean it strikes you as an anthemic piece, I'll take that.
"I had the same feelings reading Aeneas" - also written in the same meter.
Anyway: a major raising of my Marsala chalice to one of the most intriguing creations from the bottomless pit of inspired imagination from you, the unfathomable Papa Possum!!!
It is timely, and timeless...and just damn good.
I think that Homer must hate you....
Thanks, though.
I had not considered The Whiskey Rebellion when I wrote "a dram", but I'll take it.
Indeed.
Thanks, Robbie.
senate thought Spartacus chattel."
Great lines.
Jan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZU3fti...
Chartreuse, one of mine. . will look for it. -- j
I look forward to it.
He died way too young with so much more to offer to the cause of freedom..
He WAS a hero and deserves such homage.
Thank Eu! (I just made "thank Eu" up, tee-hee)
If you read the piece on the Papa Possum site, you'll see that certain portions of the text are grey, not black.
These are links to previous pieces which I am referencing.
So, if you'd like to get some of the deeper context, check out those links.