Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-07-01
A POETIC
DIFFICULTY
Markley Sought Aid in a Rhyme
for "Loosed."

MI. Marley WAS engaged some Lllue
ago in writing poem, and in the
course of the work he got stuck upon
a verse, and it occurred to him to call
upon Rev In Potts to ask for assist
ance. When the doctor came down to
the parlor, Markley said:
Doctor, called to see you confiden-
TALLY about a matter that has been
troubling me, and want to get some
advice
Very proper very proper" said the
doctor. Il am always glad to find a
young man turning his thoughts to
serious things. Now just tell me what
your experience has been, and then |
will give you couple of good books to
read, so as to prepare you before you
make formal application for admission
to the church"
II think you misunderstood me-"
said Markley. The trouble to which
l refer is not exactly that nature.
L"
Il see." said the doctor, you have
committed some crime; you are a
prey to remorse. You want to unbo-
som yourself to me- Go en-, sir go
on! Tell me the whole melancholy
story. Nothing can be better than for
a criminal to confess before he makes
restitution. Have you embezzled
money, or have you"
ooh, not at ALL The fact is that l
am writing a poem, and l have got to
a place where must find good word
TO rhyme with loosed, and ] can't. 1t
bothers me like the mischief"
ooh, that is it! Well, now, what is
the case?"
We'll, you see, there is a girl who
has been captured by the Indians. Her
lover, who is the hero of the story,
pursues the Savages. At last he over
takes them, and, after driving them
off, he finds that girl tied to a tree.
They We're going to kill her, you know.
Well, now, my point is that he UNI
| loosed her and tried to get her out of
the way before the Indians returned,
but can't get the right word to rhyme
| with 'loosed .
ut seems hard that you should suf-
fer when there are so many words in
| how would boost do? Would it do for
the lover to boost that girl up that
| tree?
When once he had unloosed her,
/ Up the tree he tried to boost her.
how's that?"
at hardly is the thing said Mark
ley. The rhyme is good, but the idea
of the lover boosting his darling up a
maple tree is not sufficiently affecting;
there is not enough poetry in it
perhaps not said the doctor.
We'll, then, what do you say to 'reost?'
'Roost is a good rhyme.
When the maiden was Embossed,
She went up the tree to roost.
Something like that, you know"
Il thought of 'roost." replied Mark
ley, but upon the whole l think I'd
rather not send the girl up that tree.
and as she is out in the midst of a
trackless Wilderness there's actually
no other place anywhere about for her
TO roost. Can't manage it anyway you
fix it,
No? Well, lets see, loosed-
loosed-noosed; how about 'noosed?'
You might make the lover chase the
Indians with a lasso, and catch one
in the moose
When his darling was unloosed
a savage brave he noosed.
Now that seems to me to be first
rate
Don't strike me favorably," said
Markley. The way I've got it he has
nothing with him but a double bar
relied gun, and he couldn't lasso an In
dian with that now could he? And
ANYHOW, he is a salesman in a mil
linery store in New York, and those
people hardly ever know how to throw
the asso, any way
We'll, what do you say to used;
You might put it:
She was glad to be unloosed,
. For to it she was not used.
Or suppose you take amused for in
stance and say:
AT his efforts to get her unloosed
She very greatly amused.
And then you might use the word IRE
fused and fix it somehow this way
After he got her completely unooset
. He wanted TO kiss her but she refused
l Or:
To kiss him she couldn't be induced.
I'm afraid not" said Markley, Ten
nyson and those other fellows neve
make amused rhyme with Embossed;
and as for the others, | couldn't sa,
she refused to kiss him. for in thu
very next line | assert that she rushe
1 into his arms and smothers him witt
| her endearing kisses. Blamed if
| know what Well do about it. I've go
notion to write to Rudyard Kiplin
| to ask him
! How would it do to invent a ney
word?" asked the doctor. 1T woul
be original and it would attract al
;ention. Say, for instance, you cor
struct such word as 'glugloost,' and al
range it in this way:
When his darling was Embossed
They leaped upon their horses and glu
gloost.
Nobody would know what it meant
I would oi "a n wild Iy