[Next Project] Poetry, by George MacDonald

[ʗharlie ßowman]

Since no one else has picked it up, and since all the poetry rules are still (somewhat) fresh in my mind, I'd like to start the George MacDonald poetry collection, after my current project is complete.

Spreadsheet: George MacDonald — Works

Primary sources: The Poetical Works of George MacDonald in Two Volumes

Scans: Volume I Volume II

Transcripts: Volume I Volume II

Of the 439 poems, 18 are missing transcripts, but they are relatively short poems totaling only about 2,000 words.

For the cover, I like “The Bard” by John Martin (ca.1817).

[Alex Cabal]

OK, sure. There are quite a few items on that spreadsheet that are
marked as poetry but not proposed for the omnibus. Why is that?

Please send a link once you start.

On 12/9/25 11:52 AM, ʗharlie ßowman wrote:
> Since no one else has picked it up, and since all the poetry rules are
> still (somewhat) fresh in my mind, I'd like to start the George
> MacDonald poetry collection, after my current project is complete.
>
>

> Spreadsheet: George MacDonald — Works <https://docs.google.com/
> spreadsheets/d/1BcKbCc9s08jOdEaRbuRIelPDqwvM3TxTAFl2NcJgrI8/edit?
> usp=sharing>

>
> Primary sources: The Poetical Works of George MacDonald in Two Volumes
>

> Scans: Volume I <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?
> id=uiug.30112005650350>Volume II <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?
> id=uiug.30112097999715&seq=9>
>
> Transcripts: Volume I <https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9543>Volume II
> <https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9984>

>
>
> Of the 439 poems, 18 are missing transcripts, but they are relatively
> short poems totaling only about 2,000 words.
>

> For the cover, I like “The Bard” by John Martin (ca.1817) <https://
> collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:923>.
>
>
> Screenshot from 2025-12-09 12-36-13.png
>
>
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[Alex Cabal]

A repo link, I mean

On 12/9/25 11:52 AM, ʗharlie ßowman wrote:

> Since no one else has picked it up, and since all the poetry rules are
> still (somewhat) fresh in my mind, I'd like to start the George
> MacDonald poetry collection, after my current project is complete.
>
>

> Spreadsheet: George MacDonald — Works <https://docs.google.com/
> spreadsheets/d/1BcKbCc9s08jOdEaRbuRIelPDqwvM3TxTAFl2NcJgrI8/edit?
> usp=sharing>

>
> Primary sources: The Poetical Works of George MacDonald in Two Volumes
>

> Scans: Volume I <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?
> id=uiug.30112005650350>Volume II <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?
> id=uiug.30112097999715&seq=9>
>
> Transcripts: Volume I <https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9543>Volume II
> <https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9984>
>
>

> Of the 439 poems, 18 are missing transcripts, but they are relatively
> short poems totaling only about 2,000 words.
>

[Charles B Bowman]

So those are translations from other poets, namely:

Novalis
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Ludwig Uhland
Heinrich Heine
Johann Gaudenz von Salis-Seewis
Matthias Claudius
Petrus Augustus de Génestet
Petrarch
John Milton
Martin Luther

 

Should any of these be left out of the collection?

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[Alex Cabal]

Yes, leave them out, since they would go in an omnibus for those other
poets. However do make a note of this in the spreadsheet so this
question doesn't come up again.

On 12/9/25 8:07 PM, Charles B Bowman wrote:
> So those are translations from other poets, namely:
> Novalis
> Friedrich Schiller
> Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
> Ludwig Uhland
> Heinrich Heine
> Johann Gaudenz von Salis-Seewis
> Matthias Claudius
> Petrus Augustus de Génestet
> Petrarch
> John Milton
> Martin Luther
> Should any of these be left out of the collection?
> On Dec 9, 2025 at 16:23 -0500, Alex Cabal <al...@standardebooks.org

> standardebooks/4d2e1108-7ce4-4a40-bd8b-0dba253a737e%40Spark <https://
> groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/4d2e1108-7ce4-4a40-
> bd8b-0dba253a737e%40Spark?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.

[ʗharlie ßowman]

Understood.

Repo: https://github.com/cbbowman/george-macdonald_poetry

[Alex Cabal]

OK, David will manage with Robin reviewing.

> > Scans: Volume I <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt <https://
> babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt>?

> > id=uiug.30112005650350>Volume II <https://babel.hathitrust.org/
> <https://babel.hathitrust.org/>
> > cgi/pt?
> > id=uiug.30112097999715&seq=9>
> >

> > Transcripts: Volume I <https://www.gutenberg.org/ <https://
> www.gutenberg.org/>
> > ebooks/9543>Volume II
> > <https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9984 <https://

> www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9984>>
> >
> >
> > Of the 439 poems, 18 are missing transcripts, but they are
> > relatively
> > short poems totaling only about 2,000 words.
> >
> > For the cover, I like “The Bard” by John Martin (ca.1817) <https://

> > collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:923 <http://

> collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:923>>.
> >
> >
> > Screenshot from 2025-12-09 12-36-13.png
> >
> >
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[David]

Okay! The proposed cover looks quite MacDonald-ish to me. I took a quick scan of the poems' titles, and it looks like that image would suit them: can you confirm that's the case? (I've gone ahead and assigned it in the DB in any case.) Thanks.

David / Fife, UK

[Charlie Bowman]

I can confirm it is the case. Take a look at "The Journey":

"Hills retreating on each hand
Slowly sink into the plain;
Solemn through the outspread land
Rolls the river to the main.
In the glooming of the night
Something through the dusky air
Doubtful glimmers, faintly white,
But I know not what or where.

Is it but a chalky ridge
Bared of sod, like tree of bark?
Or a river-spanning bridge
Miles away into the dark?
Or the foremost leaping waves
Of the everlasting sea,
Where the Undivided laves
Time with its eternity?

Is it but an eye-made sight,
In my brain a fancied gleam?
Or a faint aurora-light
From the sun's tired smoking team?
In the darkness it is gone,
Yet with every step draws nigh;
Known shall be the thing unknown
When the morning climbs the sky!

Onward, onward through the night
Matters it I cannot see?
I am moving in a might
Dwelling in the dark and me!
End or way I cannot lose—
Grudge to rest, or fear to roam;
All is well with wanderer whose
Heart is travelling hourly home."

Charlie B Bowman
(480) 269-6261

(480) BOW-MAN1

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[David Reimer]

Wonderful stuff! Thanks for confirming.

[Charlie Bowman]

Is that crop OK, or should Mr Bard be bigger?

Charlie B Bowman
(480) 269-6261

(480) BOW-MAN1

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[David]

You can play around with it — my hunch is that if you come in much tighter, you lose the gorge, and don't gain much Bard. Up to you, though!

On Thursday, 11 December 2025 at 18:22:42 UTC CBB wrote:

Is that crop OK, or should Mr Bard be bigger?

[Charlie Bowman]

That was my thought too. I'll try a few variations.

Charlie B Bowman
(480) 269-6261

(480) BOW-MAN1

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[Charlie Bowman]

Several of his poems were originally published within a non-poetic work before later being compiled with his other poetry. Do I need to exclude any poems that are already published by SE within a non-poetic work (like "Phantastes") or might be in the future ("Paul Faber, Surgeon," "Wilfrid Cumbermede," and "Within and Without"?)

I'm guessing it's fine to include these, but I wanted to check, just in case.

Charlie B Bowman
(480) 269-6261

(480) BOW-MAN1

[Alex Cabal]

We don't want to maintain duplicates. If they are part of a separate
work, like an epigraph, then they can stay there.

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[Charlie Bowman]

Sounds good. I'll exclude them.

Charlie B Bowman
(480) 269-6261

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