[Guest]

Forgive me, non-mushniks, but I couldn't resist:

Ancient am I, doubly shod, abreast

of four like beggars plying for your heart;

My tiny chant should go unheard, at best,

Or worse, my hearers flinch, and fast depart.

Would that he with trembling rod wish not

that I be ground to pieces in the mill,

to never speak a word of worth; forgot.

The trio made my life, now me, they kill,

For imitation, mockery and guile.

I hoped I might be, but there is no room

In my noble race for my pathetic while.

I'm destined for a cold and unmarked tomb.

'Tis all been said of me, no more to tell.

Say now, what I am, and bid farewell.

[Guest]

Thanks for thinking so highly of my riddle solving skills, and I liked the style of this one but

How your riddle relates to a sonnet. Can I get a clearer explication?

There are many, many types of sonnets. Shakespeare's differs from Milton's differs from the Italian originals, differs from the restoration of, differs from modern free verse. I don't get the one abreast of four. Do you mean standard post-Shakespearean rhyme schemes? Do you mean Iambic pentameter stress? Sonnets aren't restricted by such. There are at least three or four different rhyme schemes, including even free-verse, for sonnets, and metric feet has no bearing. I don't get the grinding up in the mill part.

Who are the three that created it?

Spenser?

Milton?

Lentini?

Howard?

Wyatt?

Donne?

Shakespeare?

I'm pretty sure it was created by one Italian poet.

I'm stumped . . . still. Oh well. It was well-developed. Maybe spenserian stanzas would have been a good clue! Cheers! And keep 'em coming, even for us Mushniks!

Shakee takee peekee:

I supposed that you would, by your (assumed) training, know much more about this form, and its history, than I know. And certainly, you do.

I was thinking "doubly shod" might imply a pair (of syllables) in the foot, and that the five iambs would provide the traditional "pentameter" clue.

I knew that neither of the 3 named poets "invented" the form; by "gave me life" I intended to suggest that this trio penned sonnets that have endured, and given longevity to the form.

The "mill" was a hope to invoke J. Milton: " ...the mil(l) to n(ever).

E.B. Browning, or Millay would've made a better illustration, perhaps.

They don't teach much of this in law school, and this particular meter was the only one I could remember!

Oh, and by "mushnik" I meant a romance-lover, romance being such a typical subject of this form

[Shakeepuddn]

Thanks for the clarification.

And I actually thought mushniks were a Taco Bell promo gimmick.

More riddles please. I like yours. This one was bit esoteric for me but some enjoy the hunt more. I always go for first kill.