Topic: I wrote an epic poem :P

Just finished a project I've been working on for a few weeks. It's a poetic rendering of the Bible's account of creation and the fall of mankind. If that immediately brings to mind Paradise Lost, it's quite different. That is an EPIC. This poem is not like it at all tongue

I know the subject matter ain't everyone's cup of tea, but if you're curious enough to check it out for the sake of the craft, I'd appreciate your thoughts!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o-S … sp=sharing

Info:
The source text is primarily Genesis 1-3, but since that text was a limited revelation, I blended in sources on creation from the books of Job, Ezekiel, and the Gospel of John. Some poetic extrapolation is necessary, of course, but I kept it as reasonable as I could.

For anyone who remembers that random chat conversation from a long time ago, it might stand out to you when the poem emphasizes how Adam was present with Eve when she ate the fruit and said nothing like an asshole. That's kinda why I wrote this: to present the text in an interesting way, that also cuts through pre-conceptions a lot of people have. In this case, people way too often miss that the Bible explicitly says Adam was present, and is at least equal in blame. So this poem emphasizes that.

There's also a whole lot of confusion about what the text actually says about "The Serpent" that our cultural tradition completely messed up, but that's a big ole subject in itself. Suffice to say that, while my poem uses serpentine descriptors by way of common analogy, it does not reinforce the idea of a literal scaly reptile. Because the text itself does not support that.....but whatevs, we can talk about that later if anyone's curious.

PS: fair warning, it's ~820 lines long

Last edited by Writhyn (2020-12-02 17:37:58)

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Re: I wrote an epic poem :P

Bookmarked this when you posted it and just started reading tonight. I find myself completely enamoured and regretting that I started reading late in the evening! So though I've not yet even gotten to the creation of man, I just wanted to jot down some thoughts:

This is really beautiful. The rhythm feels natural (this is a pleasure to read aloud) and the rhyme unforced. A lot of that comes down to the precision and variation in your language. It's vivid, conjures specific images, and your use of repetition helps to orient the reader through the long poem.

It has been some time (oh, probably 14 years or so) since I read the story of creation, and this is a very nice way to return to it.

alicia ♆
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Re: I wrote an epic poem :P

LatinAlice, just curious if you finished smile How was the creation of man and woman, and (of course) the fall?

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