AWE AT NABOKOV’S LOLITA

Your honor, I confess: if even
I were a native English speaker,
A tenured Cambridge-born professor,
And knew the language like the back of
My own, I’d never write like that.

Your honor, I confess: if even
I were the most exalted thinker,
The most unorthodox, uncanny,
Convention-redefining dreamer,
I wouldn’t dare to think like that.

Your honor, I confess: if even
I were a Romeo, a Tristan,
An ageless perfect Mr. Darcy,
A poet of eternal passion,
I couldn’t hope to love like that.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

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Parker Avatar
September 30, 2026 at 7:23 PM
of all the books you could have chosen, you chose this one, it's an interesting poem though, my first thought after reading your poem
Parker Avatar
October 1, 2026 at 8:04 AM
Now I understand, and yes he was
Hall Avatar
October 1, 2026 at 7:10 AM
The first copy of the book I read was in Russian, and I was a teenager. At that time, I thought, “what a perv!” I am now re-reading the book in English, and I am in my late 40s, I realized that the core idea of the book goes much deeper than that. Just saying.
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