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The case for editing?

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

Here is the potential case for never editing once published. Discuss?
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 01:16 pm
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Tell that to Auden, constant reviser. Or Wordsworth...
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:27 pm
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Actually, cancel that last one: he never published the 1805 Prelude, though it was apparently better than the one that was published...
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:28 pm
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Well, given that that version of the Rubaiyat of Omar Kayyam is a translation of an edited version of a series of poems, not sure one could claim that it is exactly stream of consciousness.
Ah, but I did not read properly before putting pen to paper :-).
"once published" you say? Well, I am a great believer in editing, editing, editing to refine your work.
Adrian Mitchell did amend his poem To Whom It May Concern (Tell Me lies about Vietnam) to make it appropriate for a more recent war (Tell me lies about Iraq).
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:45 pm
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