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ISSUE 240 Date: 8th June 2012

Words

Exercises

Assign-

ments

Fiction

Projects

Events

Work-

shops

Thoughts

Your

Pages

Poetry

News

Items

Read

Whale

Rescue

Article

Page

6-7

Issue 240

Page 2

RANDOM RAMBLINGS

I always mean what I say but I don't always say what I mean.

I am nothing not even hope.

I don't fear death; it's re-incarnation I dread.

I don't have an attitude problem: you have a perception problem!

I don't need your attitude, I have one of my own!

I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it!

I don't understand women, if someone said to me "go home and make babies" it would make my day.

I have the body of a god. Specifically, Buddha.

I know very well that beauty is empty. But I want it anyway.

I only made one mistake in my life; that's when I thought I was wrong.

It's the horse you are the most unwilling to ride that will take you the furthest.

It is easier to create naked art than it is to create clothed porn.

I was born intelligent. But, education ruined me.

I wasn‘t always this fat – blame it on inflation.

I would insult you, but you're not bright enough.

I'm in shape. Round is a shape.

In God we trust. The rest must pay cash. ( Depression saying.)

If I had liked you in the first place, I'd have gone off you by now.

If intelligence had anything to do with the voting process, then all the smart people would vote the same.

If a man speaks in a forest, but no woman is around to hear him, is he still wrong?

If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

If at first you don't succeed, read the instructions.

If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving's not for you!

If at first you don‘t succeed, others do so at your expense.

If it's worth fighting for... it's worth fighting dirty for.

If I'm going down I'm taking somebody with me.

If the left half of the brain controls the right hand, and the right half the left, then left-handed people are the

only ones in their right minds.

If the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.

Issue 240

Page 3

LIFE OBSERVATIONS No matter how bad things seem ... this too will pass.

In 50 years all today’s trauma will ebb away to be buried in the pages of history.

The calming influence of a pet can have a positive affect on one’s mental health.

What a lovely smile the Queen has ... such a pity about all that

rain ...

Tired of the Jubilee by now? If not, http://www.bbc.co.uk/

programmes/galleries/p00td2yr

Rolf Harris and various artists provide a gallery of portraits,

pictures, etc of the Queen’s reign.

(This oil portrait tribute to the Jubilee will be exhibited in the

Millbank Gallery in October.)

What they don’t tell you in the pet shop! Some tropical fish can

jump. Some tropical fish can take a flying leap out of their tank

and flap about on the floor, which can be quite disconcerting.

A maximum fill line on an aquarium is there for a reason — it is not a decoration or

an option. Electricity and water is a deadly dangerous mix.

eyrie n

A bird of prey's nest e.g. eagle

Any high and remote but commanding place.

consonant adj

Characterized by harmony or agreement.

bestride v

To be astride something, to sit on with legs on either side, especially to sit on a horse.

vexatious adj

Causing vexation, annoyance, trouble, or the like; teasing; annoying; troublesome.

Full of trouble or disquiet; harassed; distressed; annoyed; vexed.

nulla pœna sine lege phrase

(law) The principle that a person shall receive no punishment unless he has committed an

offence as explicitly defined in a law.

overawe v

(transitive) To restrain, subdue, or control by awe; to cow.

debauch v

(transitive) To morally corrupt (someone); to seduce.

(transitive) To debase (something); to lower the value of (something).

CLIVE‘s three free e-books

NOW PUBLISHED on RBW and issuu

http://www.risingbrookwriters.org.uk/DynamicPage.aspx?PageID=52

http://issuu.com/risingbrookwriters

Issue 240

Page 4

Steph‘s FREE poetry e-chapbook is now published on www.issuu.com/risingbrookwriters

and on RBW main site

http://www.risingbrookwriters.org.uk/DynamicPage.aspx?PageID=52

The chapbook is illustrated by some of her original artwork.

She is a member of Stafford Art Group and has exhibited some pieces locally.

Random words: cornet, bass-drum, journey, mountains, politi-

cal, crimson, trauma, weir, insomnia, overcoming, birthday,

Gordon

Assignment: not making the grade

Random words SMS

Every Sunday at the care-home, Mrs Ruth Diamond, had a ritual. Despite Mr

Sunny’s protests, she would sit the Persian tom, his expression contorted by the

darkness of his thoughts, on a silken cushion and feed him biscuits and tea with

two sugars and milk in a Wedgwood saucer taken from the china cabinet espe-

cially for the occasion. It was a very special saucer, decorated with a rainbow pat-

tern, closely painted and fired in fairy lustre featuring minute dancing figures. Mrs

Goldstein said, they looked like midges fighting to stand up in a gale, but then

Mrs Goldstein had feet of clay and was not given to flights of fancy or encouraging

unnatural belief.

Gordon Weir, trauma specialist and supporter of the Conservative Party, always

wore a blue tie. Alan Warren, one of his patients and a stickler for political correct-

ness, suggested that on alternate days the doctor should wear a red tie. Alan made a

special journey to the surgery on the doctor‘s birthday, giving him a crimson tie

and saying, ―there‘s no excuse now.‖ The doctor bided his time and when one lady

complained of insomnia, the doctor prescribed sleeping tablets for her. The next

patient with insomnia was Alan Warren. Remembering to be politically correct, the

doctor gave him a noisy CD with cornet and base drum, telling Alan to play it in

bed, as the loud noise was perfect for overcoming insomnia. (YW)

Issue 240

Page 5

In the renamed Diamond Jubilee Close, Gale thought it was unnatural for her hus-

band and sons to go to the pub every weekend leaving her to cook their Sunday

lunch. Her protest was long overdue. When the men left, she went into the darkness

of the basement, found a child‘s blackboard, chalk and easel and kneeling on a

cushion, wrote,

TODAY‘S SPECIALS

Rainbow Trout

Minute steak with garden vegetables

Sugar-free strawberry cheesecake.

She put the menu board in the front garden, prepared the meal quickly and ate all

four helpings. Just before the men were due to return, she went back to the board

adding, SOLD OUT, and took a hearty dose of indigestion medicine and lay down

to rest. (YW)

UPDATE FROM THE POETRY LIBRARY

Latest Competitions:

Mslexia Women's Poetry Competition 2012 | Closing Date: 18-Jun-12

http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1195

Mslexia Women's Pamphlet Competition 2012 | Closing Date: 18-Jun-12

http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1196

Wasafiri New Writing Prize 2012 | Closing Date: 27-Jul-12

http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1197

National Poetry Competition 2012 | Closing Date: 31-Oct-12

http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1199

The New Writer Poetry Prizes 2012 | Closing Date: 30-Nov-12

http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1198

New Magazines:

Jacket 2 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/magazines/emagazines/?id=654

Wikipedia image

Issue 240

Page 6

Whale Rescue How many people on their first visit to Orkney have the opportunity to witness a whale rescue at

first hand? This is what happened to my husband and me, rewarding us with a holiday we will

never forget.

We have just returned from a visit to my cousin Dave and his wife Pam who live on Burray,

one of the Orkney islands off the north-most tip of Scotland.

Each year Radio Orkney holds an auction to raise money for ‘Children in Need’ and Dave had

successfully bid on a boat trip around Scapa Flow donated by Orkan Adventures. He arranged

this boat trip on our first full day on Orkney so that we could take the trip with them. Dave had

suggested that Orcan Adventures might take us on a day when they were planning a diving trip

to fish for scallops so there were also two divers on board.

We set off down the Flow with the very knowledgeable skipper, Magnus Woolham, pointing

out the wartime sites and the wildlife and stopping off to put down the two divers. We returned a

short time later pick them up before we were taken to Lyness on the Island of Hoy for lunch and

a visit to the Scapa FlowVisitor Centre and Museum while the boat went off for another dive.

On our return trip we had to stop in a sheltered location to refuel. As we left the shelter we

saw what we thought was a basking shark and went for a closer look, actually passing over it,

but it was not too keen on our proximity and kept moving away. Not wishing to cause distress we

left it alone without a positive identification and there is some suggestion that it may have been

a whale shark – most unusual in those waters.

Then the skipper drew our attention to a whale fluke thrashing the water and we set off to

investigate. It soon became obvious that the whale, a hump-back, was in some distress – the

creature was making no progress through the water, the fluke thrashing was becoming increas-

ingly feeble and the whale was barely able to break surface to breathe. One of the divers, Mag-

nus Spence, went into the water with his snorkel gear to investigate and found that the whale

was caught up in some old lobster creel lines, with the lines passing through its mouth. Every

time the whale tried to surface it had to lift the weight of the bunch of creels off the sea bed, it

was tiring fast and the line was causing injury to the corners of its mouth.

Magnus returned to the boat to don his scuba gear, while the second diver also readied him-

self to assist if needed. Magnus then returned to the water and by swimming underneath the

whale he was able to climb up the creel lines and cut the line as near to the whale’s head as he

dared go, baring in mind the thrashing tail! Fortunately the line then ran freely through the

whale’s mouth ‘like dental floss’ (Magnus’s words) and the whale swam away.

Magnus’s prompt action, without regard to his own safety, almost certainly saved the whale’s

life. It was a privilege to witness this encounter at such close quarters whilst being in company

with those able to assist the creature in its distress.

The encounter has been reported on Radio Orkney, on Radio Scotland and the Scottish Daily

Mail. We were also interviewed by the local paper, The Orcadian, which gave the story front page

coverage and I understand it was also mentioned on the UK National News. There are a couple

of clips on Youtube which have received well over a thousand ‘hits’ - look for ‘Orcan Adventures

Whale Rescue’ and ‘Skipper Frees 40ft Humpback Whale’. To listen to the Radio Orkney inter-

view with Dave and Magnus go to http://soundcloud.com/radio-orkney/whale-interview.

Elizabeth Leaper

Issue 239

Page 7

Randolph knew his place. In the pecking order of Mans‘ Best Friend volunteers he was

the lowest of the low, anything of a ‗thinking‘ nature was not his business, he was man-

ual help only.

Thus it was as Lady Whattsit and Mick Grabble were having an eye-contact mo-

ment, which was dragging emotional torment and the prospect of wild desire to the

level of an Olympic sporting event, Randolph did what he did best and sloped off out of

the way, sporting the black bin bag with a slit rent in it as he went.

‗Here you are,‘ he said, dropping the donations bag at the feet of Deirdre Drinkwa-

ter who was very flushed around the jowls and grasping hold of the cash till in a very

strange manner with her gaze riveted on the security mirror where the ‗Lady Chatterley‘

moment going on in the back room.

‗Just hang things up,‘ she snapped and waved majestically towards the ‗As Yet Un

-priced‘ rail.

This was just as Randolph had wanted. No-one would notice what he was doing.

He set to with gusto, haphazardly hanging the various garments on to hangers.

‗Not like that, you chump,‘ said Deirdre, snatching a pair of polka dotted slacks of

epic marquee proportions from a size 10 coat hanger. ‗You have to size the item to the

hanger size.‘

Randolph looked blankly at the hanger and the polka dots. Sizing! That was some-

thing dudes had a mum for, wasn‘t it?

‗Give it here. Go and fetch some doughnuts from next door,‘ sighed Deirdre hand-

ing over a fiver from the pocket of her piny. Randolph blinked, volunteers were defi-

nitely not allowed to have any money of their own on the shop floor. So he wasn‘t the

only one breaking the rules round here.

‗What sort?‘ he asked remembering that the daily doughnut ritual was a minefield

of complication, and Trentby Bakery had the widest selection in town, and he should

know, he had in his schooldays tried them all. Emm ... at that moment Randolph had an

epiphany revelation ... Trentby Bakery ... proprietor Mrs. Mountjoy. Mrs. Mountjoy,

who was Sharleen‘s grandma. Sharleen worked there during the summer hols, didn‘t

she? Was it the summer hols? Had college broke up yet? Randolph looked round the

shop for a calendar. What day was it? What month? Was it summer yet? A light pinged

on somewhere in that blank recess of a science fiction immersed frontal cortex ... it

would be hours before he could go online as he wasn‘t allowed his phone in the shop.

He‘d buy a newspaper that would have a date on. At least he would have bought one if

he had any money... never mind. He could work with this idea and as he hesitated by

the doorway he actually felt himself grinning from ear to ear. That was a strange new

sensation.

‗Get an assortment,‘ grumbled Deirdre who felt the urgent need for a double choc

doughnut with dairy custard coming on and didn‘t notice the change in the demeanour

of the usually reclusive recidivist. Just as the shop door closed behind Randolph‘s size

ten Biker Boots Deirdre heard a clunk and on looking under the counter found the item

that had clunked and rolled.

‗Well, where did you spring from? I wondered where you‘d got to.‘ With that

Deirdre gave the sacred Bluddschott scarab a rub with her piny and dropped it back into

the junk jewellery box by the till making a mental note to write out another price ticket

when she had less on her mind than Mick Grabble‘s imagined infidelity with a member

of the aristocracy and the prospect of chocolate doughnuts.

Strange to say but that at the very moment of the piny rubbing, a shaft of sunlight

pierced the gloom of the British Museum and the obsidian eye of the guard-doghead

statue in the Bluddschott exhibit glinted with malice.

Wikipedia image

A Frog he would a wooing go, Heigh-ho, says Rowley,

A Frog he would a-wooing go, Whether this mother would let

him or no,

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

He saddled and bridled a great black snail, Heigh-ho, says

Rowley,

He saddled and bridled a great black snail, And rode between

the horns and the tail,

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

So off he set with his opera hat, Heigh-ho, says Rowley,

So off he set with his opera hat, And on the way he met with a

rat,

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

They rode till they came to Mousey Hall, Heigh-ho, says Rowley,

They rode till they came to Mousey Hall, And there they both

did knock and call,

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

"Pray, Mrs. Mouse, are you within?" Heigh-ho, says Rowley,

"Pray, Mrs. Mouse, are you within?" "Oh yes, sir, here I sit and

spin."

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

Then Mrs. Mouse she did come down, Heigh-ho, says Rowley,

Then Mrs. Mouse she did come down, All smartly dressed in a

russet gown,

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

"Pray, Mrs. Mouse, can you give us some beer," Heigh-ho, says

Rowley,

"Pray, Mrs. Mouse, can you give us some beer, That froggy and

I may have good cheer?"

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

She had not been sitting long to spin, Heigh-ho, says Rowley,

She had not been sitting long to spin, When the cat and the

kittens came tumbling in,

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

The cat she seized Master Rat by the crown, Heigh-ho, says

Rowley,

The cat she seized Master Rat by the crown, The kitten she

pulled Miss Mousey down,

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

This put Mr. Frog in a terrible fright, Heigh-ho, says Rowley,

This put Mr. Frog in a terrible fright, He took up his hat and he

wished them "Good night!"

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

And as he was passing over the brook, Heigh-ho, says Rowley,

And as he was passing over the brook, A lily white duck came

and gobbled him up,

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

So there's an end of one, two, and three, Heigh-ho, says Row-

ley,

So there's an end of one, two, and three, The Rat, the Mouse,

and little Froggy,

With a Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach, Heigh-ho says An-

thony Rowley.

"Frog Went A-Courtin’” is a

folk song. Its first known ap-

pearance is in Wedderburn's

Complaynt of Scotland

(1548) under the name "The

frog came to the myl dur",

though this in Scots rather

than English.

There is a reference in the

London Company of Sta-

tioner's Register of 1580 to

"A Moste Strange Weddinge

of the Frogge and the

Mouse."

There are many texts of the

ballad, however the oldest

known musical version is in

Thomas Ravenscroft's Melis-

mata in 1611. The unpopu-

lar wooing of three different

Queens has been suggested

by researchers as its satirical

basis. (Anthony Rowley is

unknown)

No more woe for Juliet and her Romeo?

Write-Connections launches Romeo & Juliet Rewritten competition

Write-Connections, the ground-breaking writers resource website, has launched an innovative new writing competition

challenging entrants to rewrite the ending of Shakespeare’s classic love story of Romeo & Juliet.

The ending could be adapted to any historical period, any parallel universe, across any genre. For example, Romeo and Juliet

could be set in Vegas; in the future; in the sixties, in a galaxy far, far away, or as vampires. The options are endless.

Romeo & Juliet – the basics

A boy (Romeo) and a girl (Juliet) fall in love. But they come from families which hate each other, and know they will not be al-

lowed to marry. They are so much in love they marry in secret instead. However, before their wedding night Romeo kills Juliet's

cousin in a duel, and in the morning he is forced to leave her. If he ever returns to the city, he will be put to death.

This is the cut-off point at which stage writers can use their imagination to finish this classic tale. For details on how to receive the

full manuscript and to enter the competition, visit http://write-connections.com/events/competitions.html?view=category.

Competition details:

The Prizes - The winner will receive a free upgrade to Write-Connections’ Orwell Package, worth £129.99. The story will also

be featured in our newsletter and on the website.

The 2nd and 3rd winning entries will receive a choice of a comprehensive chapter appraisal, or a place at a Write-

Connections Workshop of their choice. The stories will also appear in our newsletter and on the website.

The Entry Requirements - £10 per entry.

For an extra £10 per entry we can also provide you with a short personalised critique from the judging panel. Interested parties should contact us at info@write-connections.com to register for this service.

Texts submitted MUST be between 1000 and 3000 words

Please visit us at www.write-connections.com for further information. Write-Connections' aims to provide aspiring writers with everything they need within one easy to navigate website. The mission is to provide the most useful information, advice, events and services to support and help writers in achieving their individual goals. Basic registration to the website is FREE and members will have access to a comprehensive directory of literary agents and pub-lishing houses in the UK and Ireland including submission information. These directories also offer the unique ability to review, rate and comment on individual experiences. Members will receive a regular newsletter containing news, features and blogs from literary professionals as well as interviews and Q&A sessions. In addition, members will have full access to a friendly and lively forum, and a literary festival calendar. There are also a number of upgraded packages available which include a raft of services including chapter appraisals, submis-sion support, professional introductions packages and mentoring.

Nantwich Library Presents international author of historical

novels 'Anne O'Brien'on Tuesday 12th June at 2.00pm. Anne will be talking about her writing career as well as passing on tips and techniques on how to construct an historical novel. Anne will also be signing copies of her new book “The Kings Concubine”

Tickets are priced at £3.00 each Refreshments will be served For more information call Nantwich Library on 01270 375361

Issue 240

Page 12

Act It! Film It! Make It! Sing It! Play It! Welcome to Creative Minds, the festival for imaginative talent, young and not so young, all under one roof! The Bertarelli Foundation Creative Minds Festival will see The Regent Theatre, from the foyer to the Britannia Suite, from the circle bar to the main stage, transformed into a hive of creative activity. Each evening between Tuesday 3 to Saturday 7 July schools and com-munity groups will stage a series of variety shows of their own work - drama, music, film, song and visual arts - more than forty different groups showing their amazing creative skills. But that isn’t all the Festival has to offer and we would like to extend an invitation to everyone; schools, community groups as well as individuals to join us! During the day, The Regent Theatre will open its doors from Noon til 6.30pm (from 10am on Saturday) for a series of workshops and we invite YOU to be part of this fantastic event by joining us. And these workshops are completely FREE OF CHARGE There’ll be plenty to see and do with actors, musicians, artists, film and theatre makers run-ning a whole variety of things, so come on down! Act it! Wed 4 4.30 – 6.30pm | Thur 5 Noon – 2pm | Sat 7 2.30 – 4.30 & 4.30 – 6.30pm Improv, storytelling and a whole lot more from Samuel Miller, Fiona Paul and RevealTheatre Company Saturday 7 July workshops will be joint workshops (2.30pm with Sing It!) and (4.30pm with Make It!) Film it! Fri 6 Noon – 2pm | Sat 7 Noon – 1.30pm Two film makers will be running fun-filled workshops for all those wanting to star in their own movie! Make it! Wed 4 Noon – 2pm | Thur 5 & Fri 6 4.30pm – 6.30pm | Sat 7 Noon – 2pm (Brit Suite) A making space for those young visual artists who want to create and add to the exhi-bition alongside arts practitioners We Are Frilly, Creative Arts North Staffs and Andy McKe-own. Saturday 7 July will be an Make It! & Act It! joint workshop Sing it! Wed 4 & Fri 6 4.30 – 6.30pm | Sat 7 2.30pm – 4.30pm Can’t sing? Want to sing? A two hour workshop featuring fun songs for all ages and abilities. A taster for what’s to come in September 2012 - the launch of the Regent Theatre Academy Choir with regular performances across the region and in Stoke’s number one venue. Saturday 7 July will be an Sing It! & Act It! joint workshop The Regent Academy Choir meets every Tuesday 6 – 8pm from 18 September. For details email stokecreativelearning @theambassadors.com Play it! Thurs 5 4.30 – 6.30pm | Sat 7 Noon – 2pm Actors and a musician will be running fun-filled theatre workshops for all those wanting to get up and make some noise! And on Saturday – the Festival get’s a whole lot crazier with a really early start For children and adults alike, see a brand new piece of theatre based upon the history of the Olympics!!!! The whole tale from Ancient Greece to the modern games all told in twenty-five madcap minutes. Expect mayhem, magic and madness - something for everyone These events are followed by the Act It! Film It! Make It! Sing It! Play It! events All workshops are FREE but places are limited. Please contact the ticket office on 01782 211 284 to book a place(s)

Issue 240

Page 13

Bookings are open for the 2012 TV Drama Writers' Festival.

This is the only festival for professional working TV writers. A unique chance to mix with writers, commissioners and producers at the top of their field, the festival is a mix of masterclass, conversation and de-bate - led by writers for writers. The 2012 festival is chaired by Peter Bowker and created by Stephen Butchard, Danny Brocklehurst, Toby Whithouse, Emma Frost, Ashley Pharoah and Jack Thorne. Contributing alongside them will be Paula Milne, Sally Wainwright, Tony Marchant, James Wood, Lucy Gannon, Nicola Shindler, Julie Gearey, Sophie Gardiner, Ben Stephenson, John Yorke, Kate Harwood, Faith Penhale, Christopher Aird, Christine Langan, Laura Mackie - and more TBC. When: Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th July 2012 Where: Leeds College of Music, Leeds Price: £45.00 for both days How to apply: See our website for full details and the application form. http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunities/tv-drama-writers-festival-2012

Issue 240

Page 14

I met a traveller from an antique land

Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:

And on the pedestal these words appear:

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Percy Bysshe Shelley 4 August 1792 –

8 July 1822) a major English Romantic

poet and regarded as one

of the finest lyric poets in

the English language.

Wik

iped

ia i

mag

es

IN Egypt's sandy silence, all alone,

Stands a gigantic Leg, which far off throws

The only shadow that the Desert knows:—

"I am great OZYMANDIAS," saith the stone,

"The King of Kings; this mighty City shows

"The wonders of my hand."— The City's gone,—

Nought but the Leg remaining to disclose

The site of this forgotten Babylon.

We wonder,—and some Hunter may express

Wonder like ours, when thro' the wilderness

Where London stood, holding the Wolf in chace,

He meets some fragment huge, and stops to guess

What powerful but unrecorded race

Once dwelt in that annihilated place.

Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote his poem in compe-

tition with his friend Horace Smith.

Smith published his sonnet a month after Shel-

ley's in the same magazine.

It takes the same subject, tells the same story,

and makes a similar moral point.

It was published under the

same title as Shelley's sonnet; but in later collec-

tions Smith titled it : On A Stupendous Leg of

Granite, Discovered Standing by Itself in the

Deserts of Egypt ...

Horace (born Horatio) Smith

(31 December 1779 – 12 July 1849)

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