Bears
all its sons away
They
fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at
the opening day.
October
3 – 14, 1960. Weather: Stair-rods throughout. Mode of transport: My mother’s
Lambretta scooter. Directional aid: Atlas in the back of a diary. Geographic spread:
The Forest of Dean (Be careful about the hob-goblins, said my Dad), Fishguard (Almost
the extreme western tip of Pembrokeshire, South Wales), Woodbastwick (On
the Norfolk Broads – which are areas of water not viable women). Kings Lynn (Southern
corner of The Wash. Reason for going there: unknown). Budget: About £100, all
in.
September
29, 2012. Weather: Glorious. Mode of transport: Skoda saloon with TDI diesel
engine (54 mpg) and six-speed auto/manual gearbox). Directional aid: New TomTom
satnav. Geographic spread: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Reason for going: Le
Champignon Sauvage). Budget: Up to £8000; actual spend: accommodation £130,
booze £135, food £109.
What
does this 52-year gap say about the RRs? That once we were marginal members of
society; now, still marginal, we nevertheless spend cash willy-nilly. That we
were hardier then than now. More adventurous. Less vulgar about money. That a 2004
Louis Jadot Vosne Romanée is a good bet if you’re into red Burgundy. That we can
still remember dates, notably 1/10/1960. That we are not, nor ever will be,
acutely sentimental. That I at least prefer ellipticism.
Admittedly at 10:50pm after just doing a bottle of red, (chateau/vintage unspecified), I have spent ten minutes or so trying to research the meaning of the last word in your post, and am none the wiser.
ReplyDeleteI'm off to bed hoping that, as with obscure crossword clues I sometimes wake up in the morning with the answer.
I think it is akin to writing or talking in circles...or, more precise, in an oval.
ReplyDeleteIt is a criticism of some poets/poetry; the term originated with an American writer/poet/critic whose definition of the word as it regards language arts was, itself, in my vastly undereducated opinion, an example of ellipticism.
Somewhat like the last sentence above.
Merriam-Webster listed some synonyms and antonyms, which I copy and paste herewith:
Related to ELLIPTICAL
Synonyms: ambiguous, arcane, cryptic, dark, deep, Delphic, double-edged, obscure (or elliptic), enigmatic (also enigmatical), equivocal, fuliginous, inscrutable, murky, mysterious, mystic, nebulous, occult, opaque
Antonyms: accessible, clear, nonambiguous, obvious, plain, unambiguous, unequivocal
And on that obfuscation, I will now retire for the evening, too.
Sir Hugh/The Crow: Indirectness.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading this and subsequent posts. I particularly like the transformation of experience into thought-provoking word sanpshots.
ReplyDeleteThe counterpointing of "sentimental" and "elliptical" is in itself thought-provoking.
All: Rather than say we'd just celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary I decided to present the fact elliptically. It seems I over-did it.
ReplyDelete