Bread and wine
Butter and salt
Fish and fowl
Hand and foot
Flesh and blood
Cat and mouse
Horse and hound
Cow and sheep
Sea and land
Oak and elm
Young and old
Fire and water
Hand and foot
House and home
Sleep and dream
Sun and moon
Heaven and earth
4 comments:
I love the way it expands from bread to sea to moon to heaven. Gives me a soaring feeling. Did you mean to use "hand and foot" twice? The title is interesting, and so important with a poem this elliptical. Could the title do a bit more: "The old words are all you need for/to __"? (I'm guessing others will disagree.) When I read the poem, I picture a British countryside, peasants sharing bread in a cold stone house, their animals just outside. Maybe it's "old" that makes me think historical and foreign, or maybe it's "fowl, hound."
Yes, that repeated line was a mistake. I was playing with words that go back to Old English and have connections with German.
I like this list idea, like how it ended. And seeing now the linguistic connection, I understand why, as a franco, there are a couple I'd never heard before..
I'll weigh in that I don't feel the title needs expanding. It is clear from the short tangible words, even if one hasn't studied language development, that you are providing a contrast to our modern vocabulary of abstracts and technology, and the title asks the question "is it possible indeed that this is all we need?" I was left wondering however whether there was only 1 person or 2 sharing these items.
I like the looping from earthly food to more heavenly objects.
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