Probably almost a perfect example of anadiplosis with bittersweet is the title of Gertrude Stein’s poem: “Before the Flowers of Friendship Faded Friendship Faded.”
And of course George W. Bush’s famous quote: “When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible.”
I would think songwriters use this technique a lot, but looking around I’m seeing mostly their use of refrain, which is similar, but usually is the repetition of a phrase or line(s) at regular intervals, as in a song’s chorus.
One possibility is from Stevie Nicks’ “Dreams”:
“Like a heartbeat drives you mad / In the stillness of remembering what you had / And what you lost / And what you had / Oh, what you lost”
Her repetition of “had” and “lost” is good, with the second lost set off by “Oh,” which is devastating (she actually sings it more like “ooh”).
I’m finding that examples are easier to find than to write.
Patrick Gillespie over at Poem Shape pointed out a couple years ago the many rhetorical devices Amanda Gorman used in the poem she composed and read at Biden’s inauguration. Had another look just now and sure enough, anadiplosis. It’s everywhere.
“We close the divide because we know, to put our future first / we must first put our differences aside”
There’s also Matthew 20:16: “So the last shall be first, and the first last.” And also Mark 10:31: “But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.” Those are both from the King James translation. Those translators were contemporaries of Shakespeare and probably knew their rhetoric and poetry, although I suppose the anadiplosis could also be in the original Greek (a Greek word after all).
Dylan practically quoted those in “The Times They Are A-Changin’: “And the first one now will later be last.” Although he dropped the anadiplosis.
I've just written a children's novel set in the time of Wm. Tyndale translating the new testament into English (one of the last, if not the last, European languages to be translated). He knew 8 languages and was from a colourfully-languaged area that was both port and known for sheep/wool production and textiles... much to draw from. He's responsible for about 80% of the KJV, and Shakespeare gleaned from his work. It's been fascinating research.
Again, great examples here. I appreciate your sharing Gorman's work! I'll check out the Gillespie piece--thank you!
KJV: translation by committee. Amazing that they succeeded. But they read every line aloud for the group to make sure it sounded good. That’s what poets do. Probably not in the same social strata as the low-culture Shakespeare, but I’ve often wondered whether those churchmen were familiar with his sonnets, which were presumably written in the early 1590s during his dandy phase.
Finch’s quotation from II Peter is not from KJV; presumably it’s from a modern translation. Has any poet ever used the terms “self-control” or “mutual affection”? KJV translates those as “temperance” and “brotherly kindness,” so much more poetic sounding. And charity, not love, which is more in keeping with the overall theme of the passage.
One of the remarkable things about Shakespeare are all the familiar phrases he coined; and yet it appears as though Tyndale, via his translation, was also responsible for quite a few, such as “filthy lucre” and “brother’s keeper” (from Wikipedia). We owe him a debt, I suppose.
Yes... to the more poetic sounding! Interestingly, Tyndale's translation of the verses about "faith, hope and love" was "love" (1526) and that committee changed it to "charity." (1611)
Lillian Hellman wrote a play called "The Little Foxes"- I can see where she got the name from now.
Oh! Hadn't thought of that!
Probably almost a perfect example of anadiplosis with bittersweet is the title of Gertrude Stein’s poem: “Before the Flowers of Friendship Faded Friendship Faded.”
And of course George W. Bush’s famous quote: “When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible.”
I would think songwriters use this technique a lot, but looking around I’m seeing mostly their use of refrain, which is similar, but usually is the repetition of a phrase or line(s) at regular intervals, as in a song’s chorus.
One possibility is from Stevie Nicks’ “Dreams”:
“Like a heartbeat drives you mad / In the stillness of remembering what you had / And what you lost / And what you had / Oh, what you lost”
Her repetition of “had” and “lost” is good, with the second lost set off by “Oh,” which is devastating (she actually sings it more like “ooh”).
Love these examples, Frank!
Thank you. This is helpful to understanding anadiplosis.
I’m finding that examples are easier to find than to write.
Patrick Gillespie over at Poem Shape pointed out a couple years ago the many rhetorical devices Amanda Gorman used in the poem she composed and read at Biden’s inauguration. Had another look just now and sure enough, anadiplosis. It’s everywhere.
“We close the divide because we know, to put our future first / we must first put our differences aside”
https://poemshape.wordpress.com/2021/02/12/a-brief-look-at-amanda-gormans-inaugural-poem/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4
There’s also Matthew 20:16: “So the last shall be first, and the first last.” And also Mark 10:31: “But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.” Those are both from the King James translation. Those translators were contemporaries of Shakespeare and probably knew their rhetoric and poetry, although I suppose the anadiplosis could also be in the original Greek (a Greek word after all).
Dylan practically quoted those in “The Times They Are A-Changin’: “And the first one now will later be last.” Although he dropped the anadiplosis.
I've just written a children's novel set in the time of Wm. Tyndale translating the new testament into English (one of the last, if not the last, European languages to be translated). He knew 8 languages and was from a colourfully-languaged area that was both port and known for sheep/wool production and textiles... much to draw from. He's responsible for about 80% of the KJV, and Shakespeare gleaned from his work. It's been fascinating research.
Again, great examples here. I appreciate your sharing Gorman's work! I'll check out the Gillespie piece--thank you!
KJV: translation by committee. Amazing that they succeeded. But they read every line aloud for the group to make sure it sounded good. That’s what poets do. Probably not in the same social strata as the low-culture Shakespeare, but I’ve often wondered whether those churchmen were familiar with his sonnets, which were presumably written in the early 1590s during his dandy phase.
Finch’s quotation from II Peter is not from KJV; presumably it’s from a modern translation. Has any poet ever used the terms “self-control” or “mutual affection”? KJV translates those as “temperance” and “brotherly kindness,” so much more poetic sounding. And charity, not love, which is more in keeping with the overall theme of the passage.
One of the remarkable things about Shakespeare are all the familiar phrases he coined; and yet it appears as though Tyndale, via his translation, was also responsible for quite a few, such as “filthy lucre” and “brother’s keeper” (from Wikipedia). We owe him a debt, I suppose.
Yes... to the more poetic sounding! Interestingly, Tyndale's translation of the verses about "faith, hope and love" was "love" (1526) and that committee changed it to "charity." (1611)
Growing up in Episcopal Church loved KJV. So sad when it was watered down.