What a message to receive through the post.
a missive describing me as a ghost.
Written by someone I have never met.
It must be a joke . . . but yet . . .
How came this letter to my correct address.
It was not me the postman says with stress.
And faultless German at the writer's command
Though the name proclaims her from another land.
She says that I am gone and so long dead
Yet I came upon her in her own bed.
That makes me blush with utter shame.
Such incivility done in my name.
And yet that sweet picture atop the sheet
I must confess might make me so indiscreet.
The sight of such a fine Fraulein
would turn a stronger heart than mine.
My agents have scoured the world around
But no one of this name can be found.
So how can I express my true emotion
to this lady who writes with such devotion?
I will leave this poem with all my other verse
and hope it will not be treated any worse.
Posterity may solve this riddle-me-re
and convince this angel, sadly, it wasn't me.
Author notes
An imaginary reply From Friedrich von Schiller to an imaginary letter from Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
I forget which of his poems I randomed first but here is a link to most of them.
oldpoetry.com/oauthor/show/Friedrich_von_Schiller
and this was the letter he is supposed to have recieved
allpoetry.com/Poem/2124475
Written July 16th, 2006
In a list
A contest entry
- Victorian Parlor Game Four -- Calling Ye Olde Masters by ea.
300 points, ended July 17, 2006, 3 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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Yeah, but you know we have a lot of ghosts here... I'm just down the road from where Schiller was born.
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I tend to be very much a two feet on the ground type of person and that is how I would envisage a German Army Officer to have been too.
Thanks again for your encouragement that helped me write this and your patience with my errors in the beginning. It turned out to be a hoop worth jumping through.
Jim -
Thanks for reading Venu. It didn't turn out too bad in the end but I was fortunate enough to have DK 's great offering based on Wilcox's poetry. That's worth a read as are the other competition entries.
I was floundering until I read that.
Jim -
Dear Jim,
Nicely conjured piece. Brings out your predicament beautifully.
-- Venu. -
Very funny and well done; I like the concreteness of his agents not being able to find her (yet living on this earth) despite the ghostly epistle that has made itself known to him from the ballsy Miss Wheeler, photo and all.
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Ahhh quite well done my friend, though I think in the future you did go! I think you worked it out quite well, and sound just like von Schiller would have sounded. I'm proud to have partnered with you in this contest, and give honor to your talent! Well done!
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wow...the contest goes on? Your piece is really wonderful dear uncle.
Wish you the best luck in the contest.
Shahrzad
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I wouldn't say I enjoyed the competition too much. Twice having to come up with a way for two dead poets to confer when they never met or even knew about each other was weird.
I hope the results are not too bad and at least it got my brain going for a while.
Thaks for taking the time to read it and thanks for the kind words.
Jim -
humorous
Enjoyed it, Friedrich.. I see you are good with rhyme and that you have a sense of humour to match. Good combo. I hope you enjoyed the competitin as much as I did.
Adding your comment:
1 - 9 of 9
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