h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Heights of Macchu Picchu – the poem by Pablo Neruda - A1047386
Author: deemikay - U189265

Comments are welcome.... this one gave me a headache.

I'll start with some fiddlies (mainly because I've not read Neruda, 'though I want to now.)

"Pablo Neruda was born was Neftali Ricardo Reyes y Basoalto" I'm assuming his first name wasn't "was" with a lower case "w".

Titles of book length works should be italicised.

"The “sulphurous peace” of the world and it’s “spent human springtime”. " This is a sentence fragment.

You should link to the edited entry on the Incas A904259 .

"Everyday people die their “little” deaths." Do you mean "ordinary people die their little deaths" or "people die their little deaths every day"? If you mean the latter, then "every day" should be two words.

"gets a sense the history of the site." > "gets a sense of the history of the site."

"Neruda speaks to the lost Incas of: “you tumbled as in autumn to a single death.”" Why is there an "of" before the colon?

"Rise up to be born with me, my brother." Is this a quote? if it is, it needs the quotation marks; if it isn't, it's ungrammatical.

"rebirth a rebirth" > "rebirth, a rebirth"

Your closing bit ("Ascension") reminds me of a few things from my field: In Old English poetry there is an oral-formulaic theme known as the "Wall of Death". This theme is basically an image of a (usually) ruined (usually) stone wall looming over an empty world, usually with a number of dead bodies lying around. This image also leads me to think of the Old English poem "The Ruin" which is an extended example of the "Wall of Death" (too long to quote here).

Blah, blah, blah.

Just to mention, in case nobody else notices, that there should be only one 'c' in 'Machu'. There are multiple instances in the entry - at least you are consistent!

Hi

Thanks for your comments! And please excuse my sloppiness in this one... It originally didn't start as an article for H2G2 but just a list of notes for me at 2 in the morning. Hence the occasional fragment of an un-notified note (). And I need to sort the quotes out... most of the ungrammatical parts are from the poem!

So many apologies for my carelesness.

My copy has Macchu Picchu spelt that way and the original Spanish title uses the same spelling. I am aware that most references use "Machu". (A quick Google search gives 13,000 matches for two c's and 198,000 for one c.) But as Neruda used Macchu (and I've no reason to suspect the the Latin American world is different from him) I'll stick to it. But perhaps with a little "sic" and footnote attached.

Thanks for your comments!
deemikay

Anhaga... I forgot to comment on your last comment.

Interestingly, there is a point in the poem where (it seems, it's an obtuse poem) Neruda rests his against one of the stone walls of the site and imagines dead leaves, a symbol of the dead Incas. This while looking out over the gorge below.

deemikay

All sloppy mistakes have now (hopefully!) been erased. I've updated the biography and sorted out the quotes.

Now, I just have to remind myself not to take on something this complex again!

Thanks for your comments. More are welcome from anyone!

deemikay

Any more comments on this one? Or is it "discussed-out"?

deemikay

Hello

I wouldn't worry about the lack of discussion, sometimes that just means all the nits have been nit picked and no one can think of anything to say.

I can think of something to say, this seems a very comprehensive entry on a poem I have never heard of, it seems to give a very detailed insight into the motivation and the poets life. To be honest looking at it, admittedly so far from being an expert on the subject as to be believed, I can't see any glaring info omitions or major improvements.

Maybe it might only have a couple more discussing days in peer review

Researcher PSG

Thanks.

I was just being pushy. My motto is: if in doubt, push. It's the only way to be felt (if not heard ).

Again, thanks for your comments!

deemikay

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

!