[Hardy-l] A Grammatical Question

[Rosemarie Morgan]

This kind of etymological scholarship is immensely  rewarding- I wish we 
had more of it! ( I dare not cut the precursive messages because they  seem 
to me to be so important (and admirably brief)  Thank you Patrick!
__ Rosemarie Morgan

>also:
>  minori e maggi
>lumi
>(Paradiso)
>
>___________
> >From: Patrick Roper <patrick at prassociates.co.uk>
>
> >To: "'R BUCKLE (E-mail)'" <erb at segr.demon.co.uk>, hardy-l at coyote.csusm.edu
> >Subject: RE: [Hardy-l] A Grammatical Question
> >
> >Surely 'The Less and Greater Bear' is an homage to Drydens lines in his
> >translation of Virgils Aeneid:
> >
> >My sire, my son, our less and greater gods,
> >All sail at once, and cleave the briny floods.
> >
> >Patrick Roper
> >
>-----Original Message-----
>
>It concerns the poem "Shut Out That Moon" in 'Time's LaughingStocks'.
> >No!: it's not the lack of a hyphen in that long word but the omission of an
> >apostrophe in line 10 of the poem.
> >This reads
> >                           The Less and Greater Bear:
> >
> >I do not recall ever hearing Hardy criticised for bad grammar but I have
> >always baulked a little at the poet's licentiousness in using Less for
> >Lesser even though the poem reads (and a song setting of mine sings)
> >better this way, building as it does the urgency I assume in the next line:
> >
> >                            Stay in;
> >
> >I much regret not having got round to asking Jim Gibson about this, for
> >he had a very high regard for the poem and like Hynes records in his
> >variorum
> >Hardy's previous use of 'small' in the ms. which would have been an inferior
> >choice.
> >
> >So I don't know if I am quarrelling with Hardy or not.   In case I should be
> >taken to be
> >unduly (=overly) critical let me just add:
> >how could one not but admire the sheer poignancy of the final couplet: the
> >brevity
> >and simplicity of that poetic comment leaves a lasting reminder of the
> >Hardys'
> >sad history.
> >
> >                            Too fragrant was Life's early bloom,
> >                            Too tart the fruit it brought!
> >
> >Woe betide anyone who attempts to be 'clever' and overemphasises the
> >alliteration there.
> >
> >Regards to all.
> >RB.
> >