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Post by Ann on May 3, 2004 13:34:28 GMT
As you may have noticed, there's been a bit of talk about some Victorian books called "The Girls Own Paper" to which a couple of us here are addicted. The first one I ever bought contained competitions called "Puzzle Poems" (first prize 1 guinea). I attempted every single one, with a spectacular lack of success, only to discover that the solutions to the final few were in the next volume! (I did find the next volume eventually.) The latest volume I bought last week, seems to have the very first puzzle poems in it, and if I thought the later ones were difficult, these are downright impossible. Halfway through the year, the editor decided to publish a much easier puzzle. He's right inasmuch as I've actually managed to crack the odd entire line of this one, but a lot of it is still a mystery to me, even allowing for the fact that some of the illustrations might have been commonplace in Victorian times, but aren't any longer. I thought I'd scan it in for anyone else who likes puzzles and feels like giving it a try.  Does anyone have the remotest idea what that implement at the end of line 5 is??? |
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Post by Ann on May 3, 2004 13:40:25 GMT
If anyone can work out a line or two, add a reply and we'll see how much of it we can do without cheating. I can copy and paste the lines into this post so we can see it building up - or not.
On checking to make sure I did actually have the solution, I inadvertently saw the title, so I won't put that here until someone else works it out. I did crack the first line on my own though.
I could not sleep a wink last night,
The world to me seemed upside down.
My head upon the pillows white,
????????change hue white to brown
And life so far as I could gauge,
Seemed like this heiroglyphic page.
My heart gave violent ????? knocks
As through the dark I clearly traced
A wrong lived life and prison docks.
Must as I thought full soon be faced,
I creased back the pillows around,
Line 12
Line 13
They found me lying wide awake.
And pointed with aglittering,
To an empty box of cake.
How odd/strange that our worst woes by far,
Are those which self inflicted are.[/color]#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys#nosmileys
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PAWS
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Posts: 244
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Post by PAWS on May 3, 2004 19:30:31 GMT
Line 5:
And life so far as I could gauge
The implement is a marking gauge as used in woodwork.
Line 6 possibly seemed like this page
Line 7 My heart gave violent knocks
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Post by Ann on May 3, 2004 20:42:45 GMT
So that's what it is! It looked like a stick with a nail in one end, a slice of bread on it and a very small bird perched on top of the bread. (I wonder what a psychoanalyst would make of that!)
There's still a word missing in the violent knocks line, as I think it should have 8 syllables rather than 7. I feel the back to front "k" is significant, but, despite looking at the puzzle every time I've had a cup of coffee today, what the significance is, is eluding me.
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PAWS
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Post by PAWS on May 4, 2004 19:20:21 GMT
You're right about line 7.
Line 8: As in the ? I clearly traced
Last line:
Are those which self-inflicted are.
What is the first picture in line 4?
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Post by Ann on May 4, 2004 19:38:38 GMT
I think it's a cow's head. It's not that clear in the original and what you can see on screen is pretty much what you see in the book. (I was pleasantly surprised at how well it scanned.) It's got to be something like sheets I think, but I can't turn "hee" into anything that fits with the picture.
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PAWS
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Post by PAWS on May 4, 2004 21:46:20 GMT
Line 10:
Must as I thought full ? be faced
I backward 'the' creased smelly socks
Line 16:
To an empty ...
Line 17:
How that our worst woes ...
(but why the funny 'w'?)
Not convinced about line 4 (or 11)!
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Post by Chris on May 4, 2004 22:02:02 GMT
This will keep me occupied for a week  |
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Post by Ann on May 4, 2004 22:09:41 GMT
It's certainly coming along. I think you're a natural Graham!
I could be wrong about the cow's head, but it does seem to be some kind of head.
I'm pretty sure line 11 ends in around as the S's are around the illustration and I've seen that used before. (Also, I think the next line finishes with "bound" so the rhyme would be right.)I'm just not too sure what the illustration is unless it's a pillow.
All the letters of "How" in line 17 are funny, so I think we're looking for a description of them. "How odd" perhaps?
I've put in a bit more of line 16, but it still seems to be a syllable short.
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PAWS
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Post by PAWS on May 5, 2004 8:10:20 GMT
"How odd" perhaps? I've put in a bit more of line 16, but it still seems to be a syllable short. Yes The rhyme scheme is a b a b c c repeated 3 times so 11 & 12 should rhyme. Line 14: ?? They found me lying wide awake ?? |
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PAWS
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Post by PAWS on May 5, 2004 15:30:06 GMT
I could not sleep a wink last night,
The world to me seemed upside down.
My head upon the pillows white,
 ??change hue white to brown
And life so far as I could gauge,
Seemed like this heiroglyphic page.
My heart gave violent ?? knocks
As through the dark I clearly traced
A wrong lived life and prison docks.
Must as I thought full soon be faced,
I creased back the ?? pillows round ??
Line 12
Line 13
Line 14
Line 15
To an empty box of cake.
How odd/strange that our worst woes by far,
Are those which self inflicted are. [/color][/quote] |
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Post by Ann on May 5, 2004 18:20:03 GMT
It's certainly coming on; it's going to be interesting to see what the solution is and how accurate we are. I had the same thought about "They found me lying wide awake", but wondered if the "s" should come into it.
I'm struggling with lines 12 and 13, all I have is
And shook the .......feathers bound
And as the flight of morn,
I have no idea what that triangular thing is. Is it a weight perhaps? "Weighten feathers"?? I couldn't work out how the hook fitted in either and light's just dawned as I've been typing this.
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PAWS
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Posts: 244
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Post by PAWS on May 5, 2004 19:14:01 GMT
I'm drawn towards "morning light" but I don't know why and the gin doesn't help.
How soon can we start another one?
Is "ANDDD.. " something to do with "and doubled.."?
eg "And double hooked ye paint-scrapern feather-bound"
but it divvent scan...?
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Post by Ann on May 5, 2004 19:44:35 GMT
I'm drawn towards "morning light" but I don't know why and the gin doesn't help. Well I think it's a flight of stairs, so I can get light for you, but how do we lose the "f"? Personally, I'd like to turn the stairs into fingers as a couple of lines later, they seem to be pointing at something and I've never seen stairs point before. If you find this one obscure, you should just see the others!! I think the multiple "D"s at the end of "and" give you the "s", then if you add hook, you get "shook" Just how many gins have you had?! (I wonder if any of the original interpreters came up with that!) |
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Post by boheme on May 6, 2004 6:59:05 GMT
OK, I'm new at this, but I think the last word in line 15 is "grin":
"I pointed with a glittering grin
To an empty box of cake."
and might that triangular thing in line 12 be a piece of lead?
"I shook the leaden feathers bound"
And is the title "Indigestion" ? ? ?
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