23 January 2010

And now for some more Mad Madge


Again it's been a while since I posted a poem by 17th century Essex girl Margaret Cavendish (aka Mad Madge). Luckily for her posterity she was also the Duchess of Newcastle otherwise her great works may have been lost to the world. One of her favourite subjects was atomic theories. Here is a poem of hers dating back to 1652

The Bignesse of Atomes


M
HEN I say Atomes small, as small can bee;
I mean Quantity, quality, and Weight agree
Not in the Figure, for some may shew
Much bigger, and some lesser: so
Take Water fluid, and Ice thats firme, [5]
Though the Weight be just the Bulke is not the same.
So Atomes are some soft, others more knit,
According as each Atome's Figured;
Round and Long Atomes hollow are, more slacke
Then Flat, or Sharpe, for they are more compact: [10]
And being hollow they are spread more thin,
Then other Atomes which are close within:
And Atomes which are thin more tender far,
For those that are more close, they harder are.

If you enjoyed this offering from Mad Madge on atomes then you can find an elephant's sufficency of her scientific poems here

14 comments:

Alice Audrey said...

Talk about ahead of her time!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I never understood science at the best of times.

ModernityBlog said...

A British blogger has been intimidated by the police. The Reverend Stephen Sizer didn’t like comments and criticism made on the Seismic Shock blog, so got the police to physically intimidate the blogger, to take down that mild criticism.

This is a clear freedom of speech issue, the police should not be used to intimidate bloggers.

I urge you to publicise this issue and support Seismic Shock, as “I too am Seismic Shock”

For more information see http://modernityblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/reverend-stephen-sizer-uses-british-police-against-a-blogger/

And http://engageonline.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/anglican-vicar-uses-police-to-intimidate-blogger/

CherryPie said...

The description made me smile :-)

Kay Dennison said...

Good to see Madge again!!!!! Thanks!!!!

jams o donnell said...

I'm glad you enjoy Mad Madge's return!

Mod, thanks for the info. THat is a disgrace. I will post on this too.

James Higham said...

What is madness, after all?

jams o donnell said...

That is very true James!

Susan English Mason said...

Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are overrated skills. She was ahead of her time.

jams o donnell said...

I wish my boss thought so Pouty!

Unknown said...

How could I have missed previous post of Mad Madge's poetry?? I know my life is better for knowing about her now, even as my science knowledge was hijacked by aliens long ago. goddess only knows what they created with it! ;-)

jams o donnell said...

She is truly wonderful!

Stan said...

She is truly wonderful!

She sure is, Jams. I'd never heard of her before today, so thank you for the introduction. Madge had a fascinating fascination with the world around her.

[By the way, the captcha below is asking me to type "shatin".]

jams o donnell said...

Absolutely Atan. She was seen as a bit of a nut and her poetry is viewed as bad but you've got to love her