The Best (Anonymous) Poem in English, Ever.
About this episode
This episode explores the poem 'Tom O'Bedlam's Song' and its significance in English literature.
400 years ago, a brazenly braggadocious begging ‘bedlamite’ possibly penned a poem so incantatorily-poignant, so wonder-woundedly-written, so symmetrically and cognitively bruising, that it demands to be memorized and chanted aloud. Let's dive into the song of Tom O'Bedlam. ⇓ ⇓ ⇓ Tom O'Bedlam's Song I. From the hag and hungry goblin That into rags would rend ye, The spirit that stands by the naked man In the Book of Moons defend ye, That of your five sound senses You never be forsaken, Nor wander from your selves with Tom Abroad to beg your bacon, While I do sing, Any food, any feeding, Feeding, drink, or clothing; Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing. II. Of thirty bare years have I Twice twenty been enragèd, And of forty been three times fifteen In durance soundly cagèd On the lordly lofts of Bedlam, With stubble soft and dainty, Brave bracelets strong, sweet whips ding-dong, With wholesome hunger plenty, And now I sing, Any food, any feeding, Feeding, drink, or clothing; Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing. III. With a thought I took for Maudlin And a cruse of cockle pottage, With a thing thus tall, sky bless you all, I…
People in this episode
Host: Alexander Eth
Topics covered
- poetry
- literature
- Tom O'Bedlam
- English poetry
- historical analysis
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Tom O'Bedlam's Song
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