On scholarly habits: an epigram
If every schoolboy were to know what 'every schoolboy knows',
The world would need its schools no more, and gladly would they close.
or perhaps—
The world would be a place less dim, but far more dull, I s'pose.
Variations invited. Go on, give it a shot!
The world would need its schools no more, and gladly would they close.
or perhaps—
The world would be a place less dim, but far more dull, I s'pose.
Variations invited. Go on, give it a shot!
12 comments:
If every schoolboy were to know what 'every schoolboy knows',
Then schoolmen wouldn’t cavil at la moindre petit’ chose.
Good job, R. I considered 'chose' myself, actually--along the lines of--et ca serait une belle chose--but couldn't make it work. Your solution is far better.
Anyone else?
If every schoolboy were to know what "every schoolboy knows,"
Then none would stoop to doggerel, nor rhymes misdiagnose.
"If every schoolboy were to know what 'every schoolboy knows',
Then come examination time
Their brains would be less froze."
Ah, all superb; thank you, gentlemen. 'Froze'--ha! Very Ogden Nash.
If every schoolboy were to know what every schoolboy knows, ils comprendraient la valeur de cette belle anadiplose
Ah, tres bien!
Gotta try my hand at this, but my French is too rusty for that (what the heck is "anadiplose"?)
Anyhow:
If every schoolboy were to know what "every schoolboy knows",
Then pontifical windbags could not as wise men pose.
Thanks, Tom. Windbags like Dembski, you perhaps mean?
Anadiplosis, for what it's worth, is a rather archaic rhetorical term (perhaps less archaic in French, I'm not sure) meaning the repetition of the last word of one line at the beginning of the next line. I take it Ms. Genes is referring either to the repetition of 'schoolboy / know' or to the couplet as a whole, but I could be wrong.
Dembski would certainly qualify as a prime example. Thanks for the read; mon dictionnaire est aussi au courant...
Oh, oh; windbag alert! I just found the following in my other blog, written this weekend.
"As any student of physics knows, conservation laws are more fundamental than force laws, and are often much more effective in getting practical solutions to problems."
Good grief. Power of suggestion?
If every schoolboy were to know what 'every schoolboy knows',
They'd graduate with healthy stores of scholarly adipose.
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