Rearranged poetry

Jean

Colossal Squid
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Nov 19, 2002
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4,217
Location
Dunedin, New Zealand
I got to thinking about how ancient bards might have written about squid (as you do!) and I came across this poem by Anacreon (c.572-488 BC)
. OFT am I by the women told,
. "Poor Anacreon! thou growest old;
. Look; how thy hairs are falling all;
. Poor Anacreon, how they fall!"--
. Whether I grow old or no,
. By the effects I do not know;
. But this I know, without being told,
. 'Tis time to live, if i grow old;
. 'Tis time short pleasures now to take,
. Of little life the best to make,
. And manage wisely the last stake.

and with some tweaking by yours truly how it might relate to our cephy friends!

OFT am I by the scientist told,
"Poor Kraken! thou growest old;
Look; how thy suckers are falling all;
Poor Kraken, how they fall!"—
Whether I grow old or no,
By the effects I do not know;
But this I know, without being told,
'Tis time to live, if I grow old;
'Tis time short pleasures now to take,
Of boats and folks the meal to make,
And manage wisely the last steak!

J
 
Love the last two lines!

Your enhancement leads me to a question though. Is it common for an octopus to loose its suckers or is that poetic license? Trapper appears to have lost all the suckers on one arm from a point where several were missing in December when she began her tank life. That arm is exceptionally thin all the time. One other arm appears to have lost the tip in the last week (suckers still in tact) and the other 6 look normal. She is 8 weeks post hatching so the aging is expected but I try to observe the changes and learn what is considered "normal"
 
dwhatley;95028 said:
Love the last two lines!

Your enhancement leads me to a question though. Is it common for an octopus to loose its suckers or is that poetic license? Trapper appears to have lost all the suckers on one arm from a point where several were missing in December when she began her tank life. That arm is exceptionally thin all the time. One other arm appears to have lost the tip in the last week (suckers still in tact) and the other 6 look normal. She is 8 weeks post hatching so the aging is expected but I try to observe the changes and learn what is considered "normal"

Thank you all! It was fun, anyone else rearranged poetry????

Some of it is poetic license, but I have observed that the suckers seem to get much looser in old age and they seem to be far more likely to lose them. Haven't really quantified the ocurrance though.


J
 
I keep trying to get a good look at the arm but can't be sure if the suckers and arm are just "shrunken" or if the suckers are truely missing. She still uses it as her primary waving in the water column arm and has wrapped it around my fingers. The part with no (or shrunken) suckers does not have the velcro feel but she still has a strong grip with it.
 

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