What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I'm trying to identify the source of a poem, which paraphrases a prose passage. The prose may or may not be fiction. And there is no clue about the prose writer's name. Please help me!

Here is the content:

The narrator visits British Museum, and looks at some re-assembled temple structures. The temple was "staged" there with artificial sky and see front. The narrator thinks of his days in Greece. He also contemplates the relationship between time and nature. He remarks that the temple is now saved from natural decline and would last forever in a museum, but he prefers to be mortal and free.

This is definitely from a literary book. Could anyone suggest some likely candidates? Like by a writer who has a special connection with Greece, or with museums. Or if you happen to have read the passage and could tell me what it is, I'll be so thankful!!!

Robert Graves comes to mind as a poet who had a special connection to Greece.

Veronica wrote: "I'm trying to identify the source of a poem, which paraphrases a prose passage. The prose may or may not be fiction. And there is no clue about the prose writer's name. Please help me!

Here is the..."

Where did you come across this poem? Was it in something you read for pleasure, or a school assignment, or something else? When did you read it, and do you have any idea of the era it was written?

All that's coming to mind for me is Keats' "On Seeing the Elgin Marbles," but that doesn't seem quite right. There are many poems on the Elgin Marbles, though, so maybe one of them would be yours. Actually, what you wrote about "He remarks that the temple is now saved from natural decline and would last forever in a museum, but he prefers to be mortal and free," could be taken as the opinion of someone who believes the Marbles should be returned to Greece, even if they don't stay perfectly preserved.

Abigail wrote: "Veronica wrote: "I'm trying to identify the source of a poem, which paraphrases a prose passage. The prose may or may not be fiction. And there is no clue about the prose writer's name. Please help..."

Hi Abigail. Thanks for mentioning Keats. I'm making annotations for a collection of poems. It's by a modernist Chinese writer, and he basically experiments with translating non-Chinese fictions into Chinese poetry. So the source material is definitely in prose. The lead about Keats is very useful though. It could be a fiction writer who alludes to that poem of Keats's? (I think the "temple" here refers to the Nereid Monument in British Museum.)

This is difficult because you're asking about a poem which is referring to a work of prose --and the prose may or may not be fiction? I would guess that is is probably not fiction; its rare that poetry double-dips like that from something which is already false.

So, yes then the question is, 'who are some famous Brits who might have been strolling the British Museum and narrated their musings as they did so, and then that musing became such a famous anecdote that a poet could refer to it and know people would understand the reference'?

Definitely investigate the following figures:
Thomas Cole
'The Architect's dream' (his painting)
John Ruskin
The Pre-Raphaelites
Walter Pater
Lord Byron
Thomas Carlyle
Wilkie Collins and Thomas Dickens (traveled in Italy together)
James Henry Leigh Hunt
Frederick Leighton
Wordsworth, Keats, and Shelley (all keenly interested in time and nature)


I think there may be a crossover from the art world--or the world of architecture--not just the world of Brit authors. If the narrator clearly 'recalls his days in Greece' --perhaps in his letters--it could easily have been a painter; or someone else who undertook the Grand Tour.

Use Google image not just Google search. 'Architect's Dream' is a famous enough literary anecdote for this.

Could you share who wrote the poem for which you seek the source? Someone may know the connection, or enough about the other to know what they used as reference.

It could be from an biography of Greek athlete to an Agatha Christie story, though, Abigail's suggestion could very well be though.

Any reference to "Ozymandias"?

D wrote: "Could you share who wrote the poem for which you seek the source? Someone may know the connection, or enough about the other to know what they used as reference.

It could be from an biography of G..."

The writer is called Mu Xin. He has only one book translated into English: Empty Room (can be found on amazon). The collection of poetry is called "The False Book of Solomon" (my translation), and I don't believe there is an English version. If anyone here reads Chinese, I can post some poems here. I still have a lot of unidentified poems at hand :-)

Feliks wrote: "This is difficult because you're asking about a poem which is referring to a work of prose --and the prose may or may not be fiction? I would guess that is is probably not fiction; its rare that po..."

Thanks Feliks! The list is very valuable. I'll go look into Byron, for I know this Chinese poet is a great fan of Byron.

You're welcome. By the way, I will scratch off 'Samuel Pepys' from my list, he died before the museum was built in 1759. Samuel Johnson, too--upon consideration I doubt he ever traveled as far as Greece. He was a fussbudget.

Thomas Cole was an American painter, but there's no reason he couldn't have been in the British Museum, reflecting about Greek architecture. I just think if you're going to track down this theme--Greek temples--its a way to start finding 'leads'.

I'll try to spot and correct any other issues but the body of what I tossed off should be alright..just as a place to start. :p

Ode to a Grecian Urn? It's by John Keats
http://www.bartleby.com/101/625.html

Wordsworth wrote a lot of prose as well as poetry, and he contemplates the relationship of nature with just about everything! The Prelude collects his thoughts over decades. I think he's just the sort of person to have said the kind of things you're identifying.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16550

Veronica has left the Group so I guess this is Query Abandoned.