ELIOT, T(homas) S(tearns)...  First and foremost with the cluemeisters would seem to be T.S. Eliot, usually as either "'Prufrock' poet" or "'The Waste Land' poet".  He is even more popular, however, for his initials, TSE, for which we are frequently given "literary inits." or "literary monogram" as a clue.  One wonders how these two latter very general clues have come to refer to TSE so specifically, but nine times out of ten that will be the answer.  Anyone wishing to see an interesting biographical film about Eliot which concentrates primarily on his tempestuous marriage to Vivian Haigh-Wood may do so by renting a videotape of 1994's "Tom & Viv".  As ususal, you can click on the picture or on any high-lighted words for additional information from the web.
 

NASH, Ogden...  The "'Candy is Dandy' poet" may not turn up in puzzles as often as TSE, but he certainly appears often enough to be included here.  I recall an L.A.Times puzzle labeling him a "punster par excellence".  At any rate, his clever rhymes are so entertaining that we'll accept any excuse available to link to them.  He's also turned up as the "'Liquor is Quicker' poet", which is the follow-up line to 'Candy is Dandy'.  Click on his picture and high-lighted name to enjoy some of his work, and then to read some of his poems for children, click here.  Let's all be alert enough to remember that "when called by a panther, don't anther".
 

POE, Edgar Allan...There may be some argument as to whether POE is primarily a poet, but most of the clues I have seen over the years emphasize that he is "'The Raven' poet".  I've even seen someone call him a "raven quother" in a puzzle.  For his prose contributions there have been "'Rue Morgue' mystery man" and "mystery story originator", with the possibility of a challenge on that last one.  We can feel fairly assured, however, that since the name POE fits so tidily into a crossword clue writers will continue to find new and presumably clever ways of referring to him.
 

DONNE, John...Most often we're told he is the "'Holy Sonnets' poet", poems which reflected his obsession with human mortality, but then the cluemeisters remind us that he was also the "17th century love poet".  One thing is certain, he is definitely one of history's most prolific poets, which you can discover for yourself by clicking here.  A click on his high-lighted name above will take you to an excellent biography of the man.
 

OVID...Traveling back even farther in time, we now include this great Roman poet of the 1st century, A.D.  He's been accurately described as a "lst century Roman love poet" as well as the "'Art of Love' Roman poet".  It has also been suggested (in a puzzle) that OVID was an "exiled Roman poet", but that may not be quite accurate, and we have only the writings of the poet (which are sketchy at best) to fill us in on the subject of his punishment.  Read all about it here.
 

ILIAD... For one reason or another, "Homer's epic poem" has become quite a crossword favorite, which is a fact that has us traveling even a greater distance back in time.  Another clue informs us it is the "800 B.C.E. epic poem".  There seems to be controversy over whether a poet named Homer ever really existed, and you can read about that by clicking here.
 

EDNAand EMILY...The first would be "poet St. Vincent Millay" and the second refers to "poet Dickinson".  Two poets more opposite in their lives and natures would be hard to find.  Millay is the 20th century non-conformist clued as the "'My candle burns at both ends' poet" and Dickinson is the reclusive 19th century artist recognized as the "'I'm nobody! Who are you?' poet".  Not unexpectedly, Millay was quite famous from an early age, and in 1923 at the age of 31 she was awarded a Pulitzer Prize. Dickinson, on the other hand, went unpublished throughout her lifetime.  Five years after her death, following the discovery of over 1,000 poems in her bedroom, her work was finally published.   Dickinson can take solace in the fact that she seems to be the only EMILY in crosswords, while Millay finds herself sharing EDNA with "author/playwright Ferber" and "actress Best".
 

KEATS, John  and YEATS, William Butler ...John Keats is most often referred to in crosswords as the "'To a Nightingale' poet" and William Butler Yeats has been clued as "'The Winding Stair' poet" and the "Abbey Theatre founder".  Clicking on their portraits and on their high-lighted names will take you to sites containing more information about them.
 

ODE... It's the Crossword Hall of Fame time again with this one.  It's such a handy fit in puzzles that I'm sure we've all run across it dozens of times.  It is usually passed off quickly and easily as a "lyric poem", but the cluemeisters are beginning to stretch themselves, and we are now seeing the likes of "Thomas Hood's 'Autumn', e.g." and "Pindar piece" in their attempts to fake us out a bit.
 
 

If you are into online crosswords, and have a Java-powered browser, try Timothy Parker's Universal Crossword.  Just click on the logo below.

Copyright 1999 C. Schnebel
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