Contrapuntal Poetry

Late July is right around the time the yearly Gish event would have been. The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt (Gish) was created by Misha Collins and it aimed to raise money for charities, while infusing the world with a sense of whimsy. Participants formed teams and attempted to complete as many unique and strange art challenges as possible. I didn’t know at the time that 2022 would likely be the last Gish event ever and I’m glad I was able to participate. Although Gish has come to an end, some kind-hearted people still maintain the lists of the challenges online. If you're seeking a bit of creative fun in your life I highly recommend exploring these lists.

Recently, I was looking over what I created last year and became inspired to create illustrations for one of my favorite submissions. Item #161 from the 2022 Gish list asked participants to take two short poems from vastly different genres of poetry and rearrange the words to form an entirely new poem. Combining two or more poems in this manner is also known as contrapuntal poetry. Although I didn't listen to the requirement of selecting short poems, I really enjoyed weaving together the words from Lord Byron's She Walks in Beauty and J.R.R. Tolkien's Over the Misty Mountains Cold. Both poems are beautiful, and by using the imaginative language in them I was able to form a completely new story. I was really proud of the poem I created for Gish and I think the illustrations I made finally make it feel complete. 

 

She Walks in Middle Earth

She walks in beauty, like the night

Far over the misty mountains cold

Of cloudless climes and starry skies

To dungeons deep and caverns old.


In hollow halls beneath the fells

A heart whose love is innocent!

In places deep, where dark things sleep

Her thoughts serenely sweet express

To seek the pale enchanted gold.



For ancient king and elvish lord

Took all that’s best of dark and bright

And meshed the light of moon and sun

One shade the more, one ray the less

They shaped and wrought, and light they caught

In ways so soft, so calm, yet eloquent

Carved there for themselves harps of gold.


This dragon-fire, in twisted wire

Softly lightens o’er her face

The fire was red and flaming spread

o’er her cheek, and o’er her brow

For the dwarves of yore made mighty spells

Thus she mellowed to that tender light.


A mind at peace with all below

There lay she long, and many a song

Which waves in her every raven tress

Was sung unheard by men or elves.

For in her aspect and her eyes

Blazed with light like flowering stars

The dragon’s ire more fierce than fire

Had half impaired her nameless grace.


How pure, how dear the dwelling-place

Where no man delves for long-forgotten gold.

She must away, ere break of day

With smiles that win, the tints that glow

And beneath the moon she fled their hall.


Far over the misty mountains grim

Heaven to gaudy day denies

In dungeons deep and caverns dim

Many a gleaming golden hoard

Tells of days in goodness spent.


(She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron &

Over the Misty Mountains Cold by J.R.R. Tolkien)

I do acknowledge that the beauty of my resulting poem only comes from the brilliance of the original poets' work. I feel that as long as you give proper credit to the true poets and explain your methodology, then there isn’t any harm in crafting poems in this way. After all, this is just a fun creative exercise. I think writing poetry is good for the soul and if you need a little inspiration from the greats, there is no shame in that. Maybe one day I’ll write another poem using this same method and try to make a new story.