Variations on Death Theme, Poetry by Character Amel, Okal Rel Universe

The following are exercises in English, in imitation of two of the many "dinner poem" styles popular in the games courtesans were expected to carry off in Demish drawing rooms. These would never have been used by Amel during his courtesan period, since they are English experiments in the form, but he would have had to improvise in Gelack around other themes, on command. These poems were found among Von's papers which were taken to Monitum by Eva.

Variation I | Variation II

Variation I

Death is to renew us when we get too tired,
settle for our failings and abandon hope.
Death is a clearing of the path
for new souls flying
in the wake of our
choices made
over with
new
I's.

commentary:

The dominant rule is that each line must be shorter than the previous one, ending in a single word which puts a twist on the meaning. Word play on "I" and "eye" is typical of Demish taste, but works here only in English. The references to rebirth and reality skimming (flight) are typically Gelack.

Variation II

Don't ask the doomed
to die with honor, really
it is such an awkward time for
striking poses
when the tounge swells
and the bowels open.

Death puts stupid looks
on the best faces.

The living have more leisure
to be charitable if
the performance is a little
less than clever

and those who would be critics
should remember
that rehersal can be something
of a challenge.

commentary:

Obviously written with sarcastic intent, perhaps to vent feelings that could not be expressed otherwise. It is doubtful he read it to den novices, which was the presumed used of his Gelack verse unsuitable for clients, probably set already to the tunes in which Amel's humorous and often irreverent work continues to circulate on Gelion among commoners. The form involved is probably the Demish dinner poem challenge of composing a short poem that appears to recommend a thing while actually doing the opposite. Its most common form, among Demish men, is recommending virtue to a woman as an act of seduction. Ladies use for a wider range of topics, including injunctions to each other to dress well that will result in being overdone, to eat lightly in a manner bound to make one fat or please a husband by doing things more likely to drive him from home.

Page last updated: 11-Oct-2003

Corrections to webmaster