A. Lovecraft's idea of a lordly poet - something he'd never achieve.
HPL's fame would come but, after his death - he died thinking he was a failure...
B. "Forbids us to laugh."
C. "Horribly rough & unmanly as well."
E. Bard of the Apocalypse!
F. Moliere's funny "Bungler."
G. "Give vent to my smile..."
Intro: This is the 6th of 6 poems that HPL published on October 1916.
Title: "On Kelso the Poet¹."
Poor Kelso the Poet, defending his verse,
Forbids us to laugh, since we're like² to write worse.
Sure, 'tis horribly rough & unmanly as well,
To sneer at a bard³ whom you cannot excel!
But, I'm thinking, myself, that although I am told
That my rhyming is bad & my manner be old⁴,
It would hardly be difficult, dull though I be,
To prove I'm not quite such a bungler⁵ as he.
So in spite of his warning, I must, for a while,
Give vent to my feelings by cracking a smile⁶!
1. "Kelso" is presumed to be one Guy H. Kelso, a member of the Providence Amateur Press Club, this was a short- lived amateur writer's 'circle' that was affiliated with the main UAPA.
He was a carpenter whose poetry was disliked by Lovecraft & the other club members.
2. "Like", here, is a poetic shortening of "likely."
3. Bards are Celtic poets & historians, roaming ancient Ireland, Scotland, Wales & Gaul (France).
4. 'Old' was Lovecraft's manner of writing.
His style imitated the formality of British writers from the 1800s.
Being that he was a big Anglophile, that shouldn't be much of a surprise.
But, as an amateur journalist, he went a little power mad - promoting that archaic style & forbidding the use of modern slang & phrases!
He even wrote a condescending how- to writer's guide that discarded with natural & realistic dialogue.
He further asked would-be writers to avoid reading modern books & totally rejected popular writing styles - except for the pulps.
Not good advice for anybody.
But then, HPL was a bit of a dilettante - with a few great ideas & the inability to learn from those who wrote beyond his own style.
His mind, when writing, was ever in the past.
Yet, he was a good host - quite up to date on the events & politics of his day.
5. A "Bungler" is someone who does accomplish things - but, badly done...
They're either, careless or just stupid.
The worst of them are incompetent & useless all of the time!!
That's twice in one year that HPL has written about smiling...
(See "The Smile" - earlier on this same page & good luck on finding it!)
Next: Extra photos & research.