Poetry Trivia Questions
In case you missed them, here are the past five Columbia Granger's World of Poetry trivia questions of the day.
January 29
Question:
What poem by Paul Verlaine was used to send secret messages to the French Resistance during the Second World War?
Answer
"Chanson d'Automne" (Autumn Song). The poem was broadcast on the BBC's French Service. When the first part of the first stanza was read ("Les sanglots longs des violons d'automne ," or "long sobs of autumn's violins"), it meant that the invasion of Normandy was imminent. When the second part was read ("blesse mon coeur d'une langueur monotone, " or "wound my heart with a montonous languor"), the invasion would occur in the next 48 hours
January 28
Question:
Which of William Blake's poems has become the unofficial anthem of the United Kingdom?
Answer
"And did those feet in ancient time" from the preface to "Milton: a Poem." This became, in 1916, the hymn titled "Jerusalem." It was famously featured in the movie Chariots of Fire , whose title comes from the same poem.
January 27
Question:
What American poet was convinced by Ezra Pound to found a press devoted to publishing Pound and his friends?
Answer
James Laughlin. In 1935 Laughlin founded New Directions in Prose and Poetry. Today, New Directions is one of the premier publishers of poetry in the United States.
January 26
Question:
What book of poetry, with an amusement park theme, has been the most popular book of poetry in the United States since its publication?
Answer
Lawrence Ferlinghetti's A Coney Island of the Mind .
January 25
Question:
What American poet's death by drowning is found ironic by some in light of his father's profession?
Answer
Hart Crane. His father invented Life Savers candies.
