Today, I’m appearing in my first post at TeachingAuthors.com, where I’ll be a temporary member-whee! My post is about writing rituals, and I mention Roald Dahl over there, so I thought I’d share a Dahl poem here. As with his other writing forms, Dahl was by turns funny, sly, subversive, beautiful–and almost always brilliant.?This poem, which I can really only hear as the song, brings down my blood pressure 10 points in a single reading:>)
Pure Imagination
Come with me and you’ll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look and you’ll see
Into your imagination
We’ll begin with a spin
Trav’ling in the world of my creation
What we’ll see will defy
Explanation
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world, there’s nothing to it
There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there, you’ll be free
If you truly wish to be
–Roald Dahl, all rights reserved
And here I am reading this poem. No singing, I promise:
?Meanwhile,?Margaret at?Reflections on the Teche?has the Poetry Friday Roundup today. Enjoy!
50 Responses
The second I read the first line, I was singing! How you were able to read it straight is beyond me! Thanks for lowering my BP!
It’s amazing how hard it is to separate out the word from the melody!
The second I read the first line, I was singing! How you were able to read it straight is beyond me! Thanks for lowering my BP!
It’s amazing how hard it is to separate out the word from the melody!
Thanks, Laura. I had no idea the words to that song were written by Roald Dahl!
Thanks, Laura. I had no idea the words to that song were written by Roald Dahl!
Thanks, Laura! Great to hear you read Roald’s poem, and love the message, too. (Yay for being a visiting Teaching Author blogger!)
Thanks, Laura! Great to hear you read Roald’s poem, and love the message, too. (Yay for being a visiting Teaching Author blogger!)
Iv never herd this so I’m wondering how it sounds as a song I picked some wonder book at a sail
when This Box Is full is the one I reliy like
From Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVi3-PrQ0pY
Iv never herd this so I’m wondering how it sounds as a song I picked some wonder book at a sail
when This Box Is full is the one I reliy like
From Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVi3-PrQ0pY
Wonderful
Wonderful
I just read a post by a pre-school teacher whose students ‘imagined’ shadow monsters, & created stick puppets-just marvelous from their own “imagination”. Thanks for this, Laura, it is a poem to remember!
What a cool idea, Linda!
Oh, fun!
I just read a post by a pre-school teacher whose students ‘imagined’ shadow monsters, & created stick puppets-just marvelous from their own “imagination”. Thanks for this, Laura, it is a poem to remember!
What a cool idea, Linda!
Oh, fun!
*sigh*
It’s so bizarre how much I STILL LOVE THIS MOVIE. YearsandyearsandyearsandyearsandYEARS later.
Good old Roald.
(Not that I don’t love the book — but this is one of those times I came to the movie first.)
I *love* it once they’re in the factory. I admit the opening third/half of the movie drags too long for me.
*sigh*
It’s so bizarre how much I STILL LOVE THIS MOVIE. YearsandyearsandyearsandyearsandYEARS later.
Good old Roald.
(Not that I don’t love the book — but this is one of those times I came to the movie first.)
I *love* it once they’re in the factory. I admit the opening third/half of the movie drags too long for me.
Love the Glee version of this song. What wonder! Pure imagination. Thanks for sharing!
Ooh, will have to look for that on youtube. Thanks!
Love the Glee version of this song. What wonder! Pure imagination. Thanks for sharing!
Ooh, will have to look for that on youtube. Thanks!
Swoon! Love Roald Dahl! Love this poem! Our family’s favorite Dahl book is The BFG. = )
I need to re-read. It’s been way too long.
Swoon! Love Roald Dahl! Love this poem! Our family’s favorite Dahl book is The BFG. = )
I need to re-read. It’s been way too long.
Hi Laura, I know the song (and love it) but didn’t know that it was actually written by Roald Dahl! Imagination does make us free, doesn’t it? Learned a new thing today, thank you!
I haven’t read the book in a long time and need to see whether it includes the songs in it there, or if he added those for the screenplay. Thanks for coming by!
Hi Laura, I know the song (and love it) but didn’t know that it was actually written by Roald Dahl! Imagination does make us free, doesn’t it? Learned a new thing today, thank you!
I haven’t read the book in a long time and need to see whether it includes the songs in it there, or if he added those for the screenplay. Thanks for coming by!
To see this as a poem rather than lyrics lends a whole new perspective. Thank you!
Thanks for reading–it’s hard to see it as a poem only!
To see this as a poem rather than lyrics lends a whole new perspective. Thank you!
Thanks for reading–it’s hard to see it as a poem only!
That song/poem must have been a distillation of his whole life as a children’s author!
He was certainly a guy of immense imagination:>)
That song/poem must have been a distillation of his whole life as a children’s author!
He was certainly a guy of immense imagination:>)
I just finished putting together my post for this Monday and one of the videos I’ll be sharing is “Garden of Your Mind” by Mr. Rogers, which really complements “Pure Imagination”! I had never thought about Mr. Rogers and Roald Dahl together before, but I’ll bet they would have liked each other.
Oooh, I wonder! Dahl was very sly and subversive and often “adult,” and at times his writing was strictly an income source, so while their stories/messages to the world share some of the same lovely philosophies, they were, I suspect, extremely different! Would be interesting to have listened to them converse, wouldn’t it?
I just finished putting together my post for this Monday and one of the videos I’ll be sharing is “Garden of Your Mind” by Mr. Rogers, which really complements “Pure Imagination”! I had never thought about Mr. Rogers and Roald Dahl together before, but I’ll bet they would have liked each other.
Oooh, I wonder! Dahl was very sly and subversive and often “adult,” and at times his writing was strictly an income source, so while their stories/messages to the world share some of the same lovely philosophies, they were, I suspect, extremely different! Would be interesting to have listened to them converse, wouldn’t it?