Why I Love the Worlds Worst Poet- William McGonagall
Posted: Thursday, June 18, 2009
by Connor Davidson
My Books and Articles (under construction)
If any of you are at all familiar with William McGonagall then you may think I am absolutely barking (well maybe) but I just can't stop reading McGonagall – even if he was named the worlds worst poet. I don't at all agree that he is the world's worst poet: everyone knows he must be the universe's worst poet or if we find there is a multiverse he can be that too. In order to explain this to you is to shut up for the moment and let McGonagall do the waffling.
The Destroying Angel
or The Poet's Dream
"I dreamt a dream the other night
That an Angel appeared to me, clothed in white.
Oh! it was a beautiful sight,
Such as filled my heart with delight.
And in her hand she held a flaming brand,
Which she waved above her head most grand;
And on me she glared with love-beaming eyes,
Then she commanded me from my bed to arise.
And in a sweet voice she said, "You must follow me,
And in a short time you shall see
The destruction of all the public-houses in the city,
Which is, my friend, the God of Heaven's decree."
– William McGonagall
I hope agree with me so far but I would like to point out that you have not seen anything yet. Included at the end of this next poem is my favourite McGonagall quote off all time. The poem is about the first commercial soap on the market at the time in a factory near to where McGonagall lived and "worked".
Sunlight Soap
"You can use it with great pleasure and ease
Without wasting any elbow grease;
And when washing the most dirty clothes
The sweat won't be dripping off your nose
You can wash your clothes with little rubbing
And without scarcely any scrubbing;
And I tell you once again without any joke
There's no soap can surpass Sunlight Soap;
And believe me, charwomen one and all,
I remain yours truly, the Poet McGonagall."
– William McGonagall
McGonagall also has a habit of breaking basic grammar rules in his poem about the Tay Bridge disaster that saw the entire destruction of an enormous bridge and the death of over 70 people.
'Twas about seven o'clock at night,
And the wind it blew with all its might,
And the rain came pouring down,
And the dark clouds seem'd to frown,
And the Demon of the air seem'd to say-
"I'll blow down the Bridge of Tay."
- William McGonagall
After reading these poems you have probably made your mind up as you will either love him or hate him. His poems are not a work of literary for professors to spend years studying. But they entertain – is that not the reason why we read poetry?
I find that McGonagall is not like the guy who wanders on to Britain's Got Talent or X-Factor, gives a horrible performance and we all take pleasure at laughing at how bad he is. He is however, in many respects, different: you may buy his book because it is filled in the classics section but would you buy the CD of that guy who toddles on the stage?
He is by no means an obscure writer -in Victorian terms McGonagall was a best-selling author!
To finish, I would like to leave you with the words of wisdom from the man himself in his song "The Rattling Boy from Dublin:
"Whack fal de da, fal de darelido,
Whack fal de da, fal de darelay,
Whack fal de da, fal de darelido,
Whack fal de da, fal de darelay. "
Connor Davidson 06/18/09
good article...Please log in to respond to this comment.Are you sure it is good? One and a half stars is for articles that are unreadable.I have never seen anyone rate an article less than 3 stars with out an extremely good reason reflected in the comment.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Connor, I guess I share some of his same 'qualities', and that's why I don't feel he is a "bad/worst" poet, LOL. But thatnks for sharing this informtion with us.Please log in to respond to this comment.Thanks for the comment.Please log in to respond to this comment.I'm looking at my spelling ... it's like my fingers had a mind of their own (smile).Please log in to respond to this comment.Some days I may comment on over 30 articles and I share your problem. It is easy to get carried away when commenting - at the expense of spelling.Please log in to respond to this comment.
A good write up and made wme to think.Please log in to respond to this comment.Thanks for the comment.Please log in to respond to this comment.
I confess to having not been familiar with William McGonagall. His writing style is not for my taste specifically but I did learn who he was. Thanks.Please log in to respond to this comment.As I said you either hate him or love him.Thanks for the comment.Please log in to respond to this comment.
I love learning about new writers I've never heard of. Thanks.Please log in to respond to this comment.Thanks for the comment.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Other than the fact that his rhymes force meaning, meaning is disjointed, and he's got generally funky stuff . . . . errr, yeah, he can stay unknown. Sorry. Not for me. But that's why we have, as my mother says, 26 flavors. Not everyone loves vanilla.Please log in to respond to this comment.I knew many people would dislike him and I can in many respects understand why.I think he is a liitle like a block of council flats - function then form. But I like him and hate blocks of council flats.Thanks for the comment.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Connor, great article. I'll admit I'm not a huge poetry buff, so I've never heard of McGonagall. But I would tend to agree that he's no Walt Whitman! Simplistic is the word that comes to mind.Please log in to respond to this comment.Simplistic definately.Thanks for the comment.Please log in to respond to this comment.
I've certainly read worse poetry and no, he doesn't seem to write the stuff that you can't understand and wouldn't have to spend hours reading some poetic experts version of what he thinks McGonagall is saying--my kind of poetry!Thanks for sharing this with us Connor.SandraPlease log in to respond to this comment.I agree.Thanks for the comment.Please log in to respond to this comment.
i also favor this poetPlease log in to respond to this comment.OK.Thanks for the comment.Please log in to respond to this comment.
His poetry harks from days of oldOf stories oft and frequent toldWith a topaz view he bridged the gapOf mice and whale and soap and tapA knight who road the elephants backHis was poetry, off the beaten trackConnor, enjoyed your article about this intriguing Scottish character.Thanks for sharing,Ben.Please log in to respond to this comment.Liking the poetry.Thanks for the comment.Please log in to respond to this comment.
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