Malevolent Poetry References: Season 1

malevolent poetry references: season 1

part 4: the voices

A DEEP, DISTORTED VOICE: This too shall pass.

this is the first of multiple times that this phrase appears in the show. it appears to have originated from a medieval Persian fable, written by the Sufi poet Attar of Nishapur. the phrase was popularized in the west following an early nineteenth century translation and retelling of the story by Edward Fitzgerald.

part 5: the gift

JOHN: Arthur, you have no money, no ID. We have literally nothing and miles to go before I sleep.

ARTHUR (confused): What?

JOHN: It-it means we have a long way to go –

ARTHUR: No, it’s a poem. By Robert Frost, I –

JOHN: Oh.

this is a line from “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” by the American poet Robert Frost. it was first published in 1923, eleven years before the events of malevolent.

part 8: the caves

JOHN: Yes. She’s directly translated something here: “Song of my soul, my voice is dead, die thou, unsung as tears unshed.”

ARTHUR (sighing): It sounds like poetry of some sort.

the quotation here comes from “Cassilda’s Song”, a poem written by Robert W. Chambers as a preface to his 1895 book, The King in Yellow, a collection of short stories.

part 12: the end

ARTHUR: How do I, er… is there a –

JOHN: There’s a lever to your right. It looks to be counterweighted. The chain leads into the wall. I don’t know how fast it will descend. You may want to hold on.

this isn’t poetry, but it is a notable reference, because it is a quote from H.P. Lovecraft. the full quote is: “The process of delving into the black abyss is to me the keenest form of fascination.”

More Posts from Avocado-47 and Others

avocado-47

5 months ago

14K notes View Post

avocado-47

1 year ago

TMA AU in which Jonathan Sims got himself a car after the promotion. He's not exactly a car person, but that's what people do, he's pretty sure of it. And he can do so much with that car. He can bitch about the parking in central London, he can use it to spy on his assistants, he can name the car, live in it for a while, have it stolen, have it confiscated, have it vandalized by every avatar in Britain. When Jon is on a run, he throws away his license plates and can't find them after his charges are cleared. He loses his driving license too, but that's alright, he can just consult with the Beholding to avoid police. At this point everyone tells Jon to leave the cursed pile of metal somewhere in the woods already, but he can't just abandon his beloved automobile! What do you think he named it? I think Barnabas. I also think the car became sentient and drove away after the apocalypse, as per the laws of the genre. Jon met Basira in one of the domains, asked if she's seen his car and got smacked immediately.

1K notes View Post

avocado-47

7 months ago