Yesterday I was giddy over Ubiquitous Computing and today it's Paranoid Melancholic Literariness

[angharad]

Comments

Where no birds sing

[osbick_bird]

La Belle Dame Sans Merci?

Re: Where no birds sing

[angharad]

Huh, you're right! I thought that phrase sounded familiar. It's a reference to underworldy Hades type of barrenness. It meant more back before so many people were so urban.

According to this, now, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avernus, there's an semi-explanation in the form of noxious sulfuric volcanic vapours.

Re: Where no birds sing

[angharad]

Additionally, I just noticed that "place where no birds sing" a Sapphic (well, Wikipedia says "Adonic"?) line of dactyl-spondee. The Adonic nomenclature makes it appropriate (ironic?) in the Keats poem. Now I have to reread that for sure.

Go go gadget synchronicity!

Re: Where no birds sing

[angharad]

um, which I was slightly misquoting. It's not an adonic line by itself, but only if you mash together the previous line.