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Congratulations to Society of Classical Poets Member Paul A. Freeman who won the Queen’s English Society Poetry Competition. His winning poem was “An Apple for Geoffrey Chaucer.” Read the official announcement and winning poem here.

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23 Responses

  2. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Fantastic, Paul! Congratulations on a signature classical poetry achievement!

    Reply
  6. Cheryl Corey

    Congratulations, Paul. It’s a fabulous poem. I love the apple references throughout.

    Reply
  7. Joseph S. Salemi

    Paul, those are fine rhyming couplets on the Father of English Poetry. And the last couplet is a knockout. Sincerest congratulations!

    Reply
  9. Margaret Coats

    A prize apple of a poem with red, green, and yellow allusions baked into its sweetness. Congratulations, Paul!

    Reply
  10. jd

    Yes, many congratulations, Paul. The poem is excellent and how lovely that it’s a traditional poem which won.

    Reply
  14. Paul A. Freeman

    Thanks a lot, everyone.

    That poems been sitting about waiting for the right moment. It’s the third time I’ve had a hit in a landscape that might be considered free verse territory, so it’s worth submitting.

    I’m especially happy because Chaucer’s been such a large part of my writer’s life and I get this chance to honour him.

    Reply
  15. Yael

    Getting to read beautifully rhyming and rhythmic classical poetry on the SCP website all the time, I realize how spoiled I’ve become. Congratulations on the winning entry Paul. If the runner-up poem is any indication, I’m glad I didn’t see any of the other entries. Thank you classical poets for enriching my life with your beautiful poetry every day, it’s a blessing to me.

    Reply
  16. Paul Martin Freeman

    Terrific poem, Paul. Many congratulations. As you indicate, Chaucer has been so much part of your life as a poet. Your recent story I thought was Chaucer reborn, making this particularly fitting and meaningful:

    To peasants, serfs and freemen he unfurled
    his stories in the language of their world.

    Reply
  18. Euphrates

    Big congratulations to Paul A. Freeman on this win. I remember him posting this in my comments section when I had an essay discussing Chaucer posted here. I’m from Washington State where the apples are particularly delicious so I can’t think of a better fruit but I did admit I would’ve unoriginally chosen sundried tomatoes since sundry is in the original poem.

    And I do like the term “sundry” but I can very easily see this particular work was is a lot more developed and fleshed-out than I would’ve made it. So if the business of winning this thing were to outstrip my effort this is work well done.

    Reply
      • Euphrates Moss

        I read your work last night. I thought about the new slang and the old in there. When I was going back and forth with the editor about my essay it ballooned up to a lot of words and I did address “The Cokes Tale” a little bit in there. I was interested in getting into the dirtier parts of Chaucer’s masterwork but even though it may get a rise it may not be ultimately what legitimized the English language. You’ve managed 30 of these, huh? That already outnumbers what survives of Chaucer.

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