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Poetry in motion

Posted by Graham Cambray on February 22, 2009 at 12:50

In Reply to: Poetry in motion posted by Graham Cambray on February 22, 2009 at 12:01:

: : Where does the phrase "poetry in motion" come from?

: ------------

: I can only make a start on this.

: I probably first heard the phrase as a pop song in 1960:
: Johnny Tillotson Poetry in Motion Lyrics:
: When I see my baby, / What do I see? / Poetry. / Poetry in motion.

: Now, with my limited resources, I can't seem to get this a lot further back. There's an unattributed and undated quote comparing a horse to poetry in motion. But - keeping wonderfully low-brow - hows about a quote from Toad:
: "Glorious, stirring sight! The poetry of motion! The real way to travel! The only way to travel! Here today - in next week tomorrow! Villages skipped, towns and cities jumped - always somebody else's horizon! O bliss! O poop-poop! O my! O my!"
: The Wind in the Willows

: However, I would be very surprised if somebody cant take "Poetry in/of motion" further back than this. (GC)

And a little more - "poetry of motion" seems to have the longer pedigree :

Phr. poetry of the foot or of motion: dancing.

* 1664 Dryden Rival Ladies iii. 32 - The Poetry of the foot takes most of late.
* 1813 Lady Morgan Wild Irish Girl (ed. 5) II. xix. 156, - `I seldom dance,' said I-`Ill health has for some time coincided with my inclination, which seldom led me to try my skill at the Poetry of Motion.'

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