Is Tom o’Bedlam a mad song?

Is Tom o’Bedlam a mad song?

“Tom O’Bedlam” is one of a number of “mad songs,” though nothing else in the genre compares to it, not even the “Mad Song” of William Blake. Try chanting the poem aloud, repeatedly.

What is the pathos of Tom o’Bedlam?

There is a marvelous pathos in “The meek, the white, the gentle / Me handle, touch, and spare not.” The poet of “Tom O’Bedlam” attains a visionary height in the brilliant final stanza, suggestive of Cervantes as well as Shakespeare.

How do you memorize Tom o’Bedlam?

“Tom O’Bedlam” is one of a number of “mad songs,” though nothing else in the genre compares to it, not even the “Mad Song” of William Blake. Try chanting the poem aloud, repeatedly. Its surging power is deeply energizing for the attentive reader, and I strongly recommend the poem for memorization.

When was the poem Poor Tom written?

This is an anonymous lyric, discovered in a commonplace book of about 1620. Following the poem are some notes by critic Harold Bloom. Poem and notes are copied from his excellent book How To Read and Why. Poor Tom will injure nothing. Poor Tom will injure nothing.