Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: Re: [I] Poe gets a computer
From: MegaMole
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 18:55:14 +0000
In article <77ke8f$htu$1@rama.twi.tudelft.nl>, Leo Breebaart writes a filk which I hereby take my spanner to. Whether it improves upon the Handsome One's already fine effort is debatable; however, I'd like to change the scansion a little to fit with Mr. Poe's original metre.
I too would like to attempt to remain reasonably true to the original.
-=== The Anthropomorphic Personification ===-
* by E.A. Ogg [1] *
>Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary
>Over many a quaint and curious newsgroup of forgotten lore,
>While I nodded, nearly napping,
At my keyboard tiredly tapping,
Came the sound of someone rapping, rapping at my disk drive door.
>"'Tis some spammer," then I muttered, "tapping at my disk drive door;
>Only this, and nothing more."
>
Pressed I then the OPEN button, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
>In there stepped a bony figure, of the saintly days of yore.
>Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
>But with mien of lord or lady, clambered o'er my disk drive door.
>Perched upon a Clarecraft figure, just above my monitor,
>Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
>
Then, his bleached white bones beguiling my sad fancy into smiling
By their grave and stern demeanour and the sharpened scythe he wore,
"By thy sockets' eldritch [1] blazing thou," I said, "my fate art gazing,
Thou who seemest Charon's brother, wandering from the nightly shore.
>Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Discworld's Rimward shore."
>Quoth the spectre, NEVERMORE.
>
[Bonus from Mole Filks - An Extra Verse!]
"Tell me, spectre," said I, quaking, "if tonight my soul is taking
Some remote ethereal journey far beyond this mortal shore?"
In the orbs of that grim dwimmer[2] something azure seemed to glimmer,
Yes, the skeleton WINKED strangely as I mercy 'gan implore.
Winked he, turned he, then he entered in my open disk drive door,
And quoth coldly, NEVERMORE.
[1] Not oblong.
[2] Anglo-Saxon for 'orrible spooky thing. Cf. Eowyn's cry as she beheads the Nazgul's steed - "Begone foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion!" I do have to question whether Death would ever shave... "Quoth the Raven, EAT MY SHORTS!" - Bart Simpson
MegaMole
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