"An ocean-planet, rounded by a glory, / The billowy glory of the great Pacific"

[larryhammer]

William Gibson attempts a poetic description of Hawaii:

  An island, central with inferior groupings,
Like Jupiter, in the cerulean distance,
Magnificent among his circling moons.

  Planet-like poiséd half submerged in ocean:
One hemisphere above the water-level
Apparent, belted by three climate-zones.

To which I can only say, "Ow, my ear."

ETA: I should probably clarify that this guy lived from 1826–1887, and did not write science fiction.

---L.

Comments

[genarti]

...Well. Uh.

Golly.

[larryhammer]

I know, right?

---L.

[malsperanza.livejournal.com]

poiséd </>

Ick.

[larryhammer]

That's not the worst of it, but. Yeah. That.

---L.

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

... 0.0

I can't even... Nope, still can't.

I do hear rumors he can write.

[larryhammer]

I should probably make clear this is a 19th century guy named Gibson, and not Mr. Cyberpunk.

---L.

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

Comment still stands.

You know how rumors go.

[larryhammer]

:-)

[sovay]

An island, central with inferior groupings

Whut.

and did not write science fiction

But should have been barred from using all astronomical metaphors anyway.

[larryhammer]

What sense of "inferior" he is using is problematic, ya -- from context, you'd think it'd be the astronomic/-logic, but that makes no sense. I suspect he simply means "smaller," but from point of view of the Big Island, the others are one trailing group, not a plural arrangement on either side, leading one to conclude that his grasp of geography is as shaky as it is of metaphor.

---L.

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

This is what comes of buying that Encyclopaedia.

[larryhammer]

:-)