Author Archives: Louise

Death is the mother of beauty*

A poem written by my 17-year-old daughter, Florence, about her relationship with her sister.

 

“Death is the mother of beauty” *

 

‘It’s just a phase of every life’,

The adults like to say.

When offspring of a common pair

Begin to disobey.

 

They’ll row, they’ll feud, they’ll interfere,

By Cain and Abel’s lead.

For children – much less those of kin –

Are hardly all agreed.

 

Yet as the farmers grow to men

And shepherdesses age,

Their shared blood boilings turn to cold

And quarrels are upstaged.

 

For all begin to realize

Their own misguided ways:

Their twin or kin the enemy,

Instead of numbered days.

 

And though our mothers cannot make

The youthful battles cease,

The disciplines of beauty’s mother

Cause the sweet release.

 

*Wallace Stevens, “Sunday Morning”, 1915

 

It’s you and me, kid

Admitting to a very lowly guilty pleasure isn’t how I would have chosen to kick off our blog. But reality TV dating is such rich and fertile land for harvesting language abuse that I couldn’t resist the temptation to go there. The show’s inelegantly scripted protagonists talk earnestly to the camera; their memorized soundbites are designed to offer careful and reflective commentary on  – and some respite from – the alcohol-fueled antics (linguistic and otherwise) of the couples’ various interactions. It’s like catnip to the glossophile – especially when it comes to you and me.

In dating life (both reality/fake and real), there’s a lot of you and me, him and her, them and us. And there are those who wrongly believe that “you and me” is wrong and “you and I” is right, if you’re speaking the Queen’s English correctly, no matter what the context. Gazing into each others’ eyes over wine and room-keys, the reality couples whisper hopefully: “There’s a real connection between you and I.”  And what happens when they venture tentatively into the land of possessives, and they’re tiptoeing around what they – or their romantic rivals – might have? You got it. “Ever since we met, I’ve sensed that you and I’s chemistry is undeniable.” … “I worry about what happened on you and she’s date.”

It’s yours and mine, kid.

glossophilia

glossophilia / glos-ə-‘fɪliə / n. is a love of language, be it foreign or native. The term refers to a deep and passionate love for language and the structure of language.  Glossophiles study literary terminology as well as grammar, punctuation and language structure. Glossophiles share an interest in lexical choice and imagery.