"Southern Italian Landscape" by Buehlmann ‘A Southern Italian’s Reply to Shakespeare’ by Bradley Samore The Society October 24, 2022 Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare 10 Comments . A Southern Italian’s Reply to Shakespeare If you compare me to a summer’s day then, Bill, your mind has melted in the heat. Let’s go inside, there’s no one on the street. Just look at how the snowbirds flew away. If I were wealthy, I would not delay. Our sweaty, sticky skin and smelly feet without some shade will surely spell defeat. The piercing sun has far too much to say. A winter’s day would suit me so much more, for it is cool and welcoming to all. To work outside would not be such a chore. Instead of just one hour, I’d last for four. When writing me more sonnets, please recall these words if it is I whom you adore. . . Bradley Samore has taught English and writing in Spain and the U.S.A. and also has worked as a school service worker. The Palm Beach Poetry Festival named him a Thomas Lux Scholar in 2022.Bradley’s poetry was shortlisted for Aesthetica Magazine’s Creative Writing Award and River Heron Review’s Poetry Prize. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 10 Responses Dan Ward October 24, 2022 A southern Texan might reply in a similar fashion, though maybe not so eloquently! A clever idea, and well written. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 24, 2022 My comment is the same, except it’s not just southern Texas; I’m in central Texas and summers here are brutal! Reply Rachel Lott October 25, 2022 I’m up in Canada, but I still agree! It doesn’t take much heat to melt a mind, I’m afraid. Reply James A. Tweedie October 24, 2022 Lol. After 17 years in the humid, embryonic, womb-like, all-embracing warmth of Hawaii I felt exactly as does Shakespeare’s come-back lover in Bradley’s nifty Petrarchan sonnet. Fortunately I have now found my perfect and permanent climate retreat in the Pacific Northwest. Thanks for the smile. Reply Joseph S. Salemi October 24, 2022 This poem makes sense when you think of the blistering heat of the Italian Mezzogiorno. But Shakespeare wrote in a very temperate and mild English climate, where even summer is pleasant. Reply Paul Freeman October 24, 2022 A much satirised sonnet being well-satirized again (I’ve had two versions published myself!) Welcome to the club, Bradley, and thanks for the read. Reply Anna J. Arredondo October 24, 2022 Bradley, As has been alluded to, including the place of writing in the title of your poem causes your objection to make perfect sense. It seems to me that Shakespeare answered ‘nay, I shall not’ to his own proposed comparison, finding his addressee “more temperate” than a summer’s day, in which “Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines”… Or rather, he praised her by way of contrast. This of course in no way detracts from the point you make, with clever wit and humor, in your own sonnet. Nicely done! Reply Cynthia Erlandson October 24, 2022 As much as I like Shakespeare, I really like your poem, too, Bradley! I’m still smiling! It’s good to have fun with poetry, at least once in a while. As Dr. Seuss (speaking as the Cat-in-the-Hat) said, “It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how!” Clearly, you know how! Reply Richard Craven October 25, 2022 A Southern Italian responding to Shakespeare with a Petrarchan i.e. Italian sonnet is a very nice touch. Reply Adam Sedia November 2, 2022 As a fellow Southern Italian, I was drawn by the title, and the poem didn’t disappoint. A very clever and unexpected insight — it reminds me of the line in Lawrence of Arabia in which Prince Faisal tells the English soldiers that the Arabs hate the desert and seek out green places. The geography the foreigner finds idyllic or Romantic is often not so well loved by those who inhabit it. I will remind myself of this whenever I wonder how my ancestors could have left the beautiful Campanian and Abruzzese landscapes. I also echo Richard’s thoughts about your choice of form. Well done, indeed. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Dan Ward October 24, 2022 A southern Texan might reply in a similar fashion, though maybe not so eloquently! A clever idea, and well written. Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 24, 2022 My comment is the same, except it’s not just southern Texas; I’m in central Texas and summers here are brutal! Reply
Rachel Lott October 25, 2022 I’m up in Canada, but I still agree! It doesn’t take much heat to melt a mind, I’m afraid. Reply
James A. Tweedie October 24, 2022 Lol. After 17 years in the humid, embryonic, womb-like, all-embracing warmth of Hawaii I felt exactly as does Shakespeare’s come-back lover in Bradley’s nifty Petrarchan sonnet. Fortunately I have now found my perfect and permanent climate retreat in the Pacific Northwest. Thanks for the smile. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi October 24, 2022 This poem makes sense when you think of the blistering heat of the Italian Mezzogiorno. But Shakespeare wrote in a very temperate and mild English climate, where even summer is pleasant. Reply
Paul Freeman October 24, 2022 A much satirised sonnet being well-satirized again (I’ve had two versions published myself!) Welcome to the club, Bradley, and thanks for the read. Reply
Anna J. Arredondo October 24, 2022 Bradley, As has been alluded to, including the place of writing in the title of your poem causes your objection to make perfect sense. It seems to me that Shakespeare answered ‘nay, I shall not’ to his own proposed comparison, finding his addressee “more temperate” than a summer’s day, in which “Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines”… Or rather, he praised her by way of contrast. This of course in no way detracts from the point you make, with clever wit and humor, in your own sonnet. Nicely done! Reply
Cynthia Erlandson October 24, 2022 As much as I like Shakespeare, I really like your poem, too, Bradley! I’m still smiling! It’s good to have fun with poetry, at least once in a while. As Dr. Seuss (speaking as the Cat-in-the-Hat) said, “It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how!” Clearly, you know how! Reply
Richard Craven October 25, 2022 A Southern Italian responding to Shakespeare with a Petrarchan i.e. Italian sonnet is a very nice touch. Reply
Adam Sedia November 2, 2022 As a fellow Southern Italian, I was drawn by the title, and the poem didn’t disappoint. A very clever and unexpected insight — it reminds me of the line in Lawrence of Arabia in which Prince Faisal tells the English soldiers that the Arabs hate the desert and seek out green places. The geography the foreigner finds idyllic or Romantic is often not so well loved by those who inhabit it. I will remind myself of this whenever I wonder how my ancestors could have left the beautiful Campanian and Abruzzese landscapes. I also echo Richard’s thoughts about your choice of form. Well done, indeed. Reply