{"id":519,"date":"2020-08-28T22:08:57","date_gmt":"2020-08-29T03:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/?p=519"},"modified":"2024-03-31T07:53:48","modified_gmt":"2024-03-31T12:53:48","slug":"game-poetry-stephen-crane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/28\/game-poetry-stephen-crane\/","title":{"rendered":"Game + Poetry: Stephen Crane"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f4aMsUlPfH8\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I play a lot of video games, particularly the Playstation Vita \/ Playstation TV.  I've started streaming on Twitch, but, being a new channel, wanted something to help it not feel as if I were just talking into the void.  The void is there, but I've filled in in this case with a gimmick - whenever my character in game perishes, I read out loud a wondrous (and public domain) poem. For my initial go at this format, I selected one of my favorite poets, Stephen Crane.  I am playing the platformer <i>Mutant Mudds Deleuxe<\/i>, and every time Max meets an unfortunate end (usually on a rather sharp spike), I mourned his passing with one of Crane's poems.<\/p>\n<p>The poems in this stream are from <i>The Black Riders, and Other Lines<\/i>, which you can read on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/ebooks\/40786\">Project Gutenberg here<\/a>.  Here are the specific poems that made it into the stream:<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">I<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">Black Riders came from the sea.<br \/>\nThere was clang and clang of spear and shield,<br \/>\nAnd clash and clash of hoof and heel,<br \/>\nWild shouts and the wave of hair<br \/>\nIn the rush upon the wind:<br \/>\nThus the ride of Sin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">II<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">Three little birds in a row<br \/>\nSat musing.<br \/>\nA man passed near that place.<br \/>\nThen did the little birds nudge each other.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">They said, \"He thinks he can sing.\"<br \/>\nThey threw back their heads to laugh,<br \/>\nWith quaint countenances<br \/>\nThey regarded him.<br \/>\nThey were very curious,<br \/>\nThose three little birds in a row.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">III<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">In the desert<br \/>\nI saw a creature, naked, bestial,<br \/>\nWho, squatting upon the ground,<br \/>\nHeld his heart in his hands,<br \/>\nAnd ate of it.<br \/>\nI said, \"Is it good, friend?\"<br \/>\n\"It is bitter--bitter,\" he answered;<br \/>\n\"But I like it<br \/>\nBecause it is bitter,<br \/>\nAnd because it is my heart.\"<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">IV<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">Yes, I have a thousand tongues,<br \/>\nAnd nine and ninety-nine lie.<br \/>\nThough I strive to use the one,<br \/>\nIt will make no melody at my will,<br \/>\nBut is dead in my mouth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">V<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">Once there came a man<br \/>\nWho said,<br \/>\n\"Range me all men of the world in rows.\"<br \/>\nAnd instantly<br \/>\nThere was terrific clamor among the people<br \/>\nAgainst being ranged in rows.<br \/>\nThere was a loud quarrel, world-wide.<br \/>\nIt endured for ages;<br \/>\nAnd blood was shed<br \/>\nBy those who would not stand in rows,<br \/>\nAnd by those who pined to stand in rows,<br \/>\nEventually, the man went to death, weeping.<br \/>\nAnd those who staid in bloody scuffle<br \/>\nKnew not the great simplicity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">VI<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">God fashioned the ship of the world carefully<br \/>\nWith the infinite skill of an All-Master<br \/>\nMade He the hull and the sails,<br \/>\nHeld He the rudder<br \/>\nReady for adjustment.<br \/>\nErect stood He, scanning his work proudly.<br \/>\nThen--at fateful time--a Wrong called,<br \/>\nAnd God turned, heeding.<br \/>\nLo, the ship, at this opportunity, slipped slyly,<br \/>\nMaking cunning noiseless travel down the ways.<br \/>\nSo that, forever rudderless, it went upon the seas<br \/>\nGoing ridiculous voyages,<br \/>\nMaking quaint progress,<br \/>\nTurning as with serious purpose<br \/>\nBefore stupid winds.<br \/>\nAnd there were many in the sky<br \/>\nWho laughed at this thing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">VII<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">Mystic Shadow, bending near me,<br \/>\nWho art thou?<br \/>\nWhence come ye?<br \/>\nAnd--tell me--is it fair<br \/>\nOr is the truth bitter as eaten fire?<br \/>\nTell me!<br \/>\nFear not that I should quaver,<br \/>\nFor I dare--I dare.<br \/>\nThen, tell me!<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">VIII<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">I looked here;<br \/>\nI looked there;<br \/>\nNowhere could I see my love.<br \/>\nAnd--this time--<br \/>\nShe was in my heart.<br \/>\nTruly, then, I have no complaint,<br \/>\nFor though she be fair and fairer,<br \/>\nShe is none so fair as she<br \/>\nIn my heart.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">IX<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">I stood upon a high place,<br \/>\nAnd saw, below, many devils<br \/>\nRunning, leaping,<br \/>\nAnd carousing in sin.<br \/>\nOne looked up, grinning,<br \/>\nAnd said, \"Comrade! Brother!\"<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">X<\/p>\n<p class=\"quoted-stuff\">Should the wide world roll away,<br \/>\nLeaving black terror,<br \/>\nLimitless night,<br \/>\nNor God, nor man, nor place to stand<br \/>\nWould be to me essential,<br \/>\nIf thou and thy white arms were there,<br \/>\nAnd the fall to doom a long way.<\/p>\n<p>I plan to continue on with Mr. Crane in my next go-around, which I will post here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I play a lot of video games, particularly the Playstation Vita \/ Playstation TV. I've started streaming on Twitch, but, being a new channel, wanted something to help it not feel as if I were just talking into the void. The void is there, but I've filled in in this case with a gimmick - &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/28\/game-poetry-stephen-crane\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Game + Poetry: Stephen Crane<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[61],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":643,"href":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519\/revisions\/643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/encyclopaedia-fortuita.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}