Thistledownflight Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven Encoded by Kenichiro Shimada Helen Lucille DeVinney Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
2004

Researchers can gain access to the Papers of Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven in the Maryland Room, Hornbake Library, University of Maryland Libraries, College Park, MD 20742

"Thistiledownflight" manuscripts located in Series III, Box four, Folder 11; microfiche id numbers 5/920-5/927, 5/969.

Special Collections at the University of Maryland provides more information about the microfilm edition of the papers.

Images and manuscripts drafts of this poem may not be reproduced or downloaded and used on another site without the explicit permission of UMD Archives. They may not be reproduced or downloaded and used on another site without the explicit permission of UMD Archives. Though the intellectual property of Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven is in the public domain, all annotations and editorial commentary are copyrighted.
There are five versions of "Thistledownflight," presented here in the following order: four handwritten versions and one typewritten version (Version 2) by the Baroness (in the order of the "most-finished" version to the earliest draft, as determined by the editor). Since Baroness rewrtoe the sencond half of the version 3 and it to the version 3, the second half version is separately encoded as Witness a4. The version 4 (Witness 5) is available only as the images. Titles of the latest three versions are "Thistledownflight". "Ginga" is used as titles for the earlier two versions. The poem is unpublished. The following is an excerpt from Helen Lucille DeVinney's transcription rationale:

The handwriting is her typical use of majuscule letters, and the letters themselves are slightly larger than her standard print. It is presented as a visual poem; the Baroness has taken pains to add her own artistic decorations to the paper. Her use of the page is sparse, and the layout of the words themselves is artistic. The placement of the line groupings is irregular, and, in the case of the final word “Thistledownflight,” she arranges the word itself in an artistic way. Interestingly, the poem is unsigned, as are each of the subsequent drafts.

In some cases her handwriting seems to be slightly different in the corrections, but this alone is not enough to determine that the revisions occurred at another time. Her arrangement suggests that the poem was beginning to take shape: certain words or lines are clearly grouped and begin to suggest the arrangement of 2r/2v [Version 2]. She clearly leaves room for possibility....In 4r/4v [Version 4] we see the appearance of the later title "Thistle down flight," which are also the last lines of the poem. This version seems to precede 3r/3v [Version 3]; in 3r/3v we see the adoption of the title "Thistledownflight," as well as the arrangement and corrections of some of her revisions in 4r/4v.

Read Helen Lucille DeVinney's essay "Thistledownflight."

The Baroness' poems and papers are contained in the Archives and Manuscripts Department at the University of Maryland Libraries. Complete papers cover the period from 1917-1933 and consist of manuscripts, drafts, notes, correspondence, drawings and photographs.

Textual transcription and analysis of the seven poems encoded here were undertaken in Fall 2003 by graduate students in William H. Sherman's English 601 class, "Literary Research and Critical Contexts."

Text editing of "Thistledownflight" was performed by Helen Lucille DeVinney.

DTD constructed from TEI poetry base with tagsets for linking, figures, analysis, transcr, textcrit.

 English
Thitledownflight: Version 1 - Most-Finished version Thistledownflight: Version 2 - Typed Thistledownflight: Version 3 Thistledownflight: Version 3 - Rewritten Second Half Ghinga: Version 4 - Images Only Ginga: Version 5 - The Early Draft of Thistledownflight
<app> <rdg wit="#a1">Thistledownflight</rdg> <rdg wit="#a2">Thistledownflight</rdg> <rdg wit="#a3">Thistle down flight</rdg> <rdg wit="#a4">Thistle down flight-Second half of Version 3 <note anchored="true" >Baroness rewrote the second half (second column) of Version 3. This part is separately encoded in order to enjoy advantages of the Versioning Machine.</note> </rdg> <rdg wit="#a5 #a6">GINGA</rdg> <rdg wit="#a5"> <note anchored="true"> Version4 (Witness5) was not encoded since there are too many revisions (in this version) to apply parallel segmentation.</note> </rdg> </app> <milestone unit="stanza"/> GHINGHA — – (DJUNA) GINGA I MUSTI TREMBLE — – DO NOT MAY NOT LAUGH ! — BORN MOTHER FINE FLOWER FLOWER — – BY ORCHID SPPECKLED DARK-LIGHT SPECKLED — – DARK — – LIGHT — – DOOMED SHE WEPT AT MORNNIGHT SUMPTUOUSMEAGER AT NIGHT ! CURSED CURSING PROPER SNARING SNARE OF AMPLELIFE'S PURSE TAUT SNARE OF DULLARD'S AMPLE PURSE — –– AT SPIRITLEDGE — – BRIGHT BRIGHT YOUTH OF HERS OF TORN     SPIRIT BORN HER'S — – AT AGE OF AT WSDOM WORN EDGE BRIGHT — –– BRIGHT     WORN SOUL FORLORN WORN AT AT WISDOMEDGE — – WISDOM EDGE TORN ! BLIGHT WHY GHINGA GINGA — –  (DJUNA) WHY— THOUGH FROM HER'S — HERSS PATH COURSE BED CURVE PATH DIVERGED — –– YET FROM HERS AM I URGED FROM HERS AMWHY This paragraph was revised several times. As well as the other parts of the Version 3, all rewritten parts here are organized in a way of “a word in a line.” See the image of Version 3 in order to acquire the actual locations and layouts. In the far left of the first column, there is rewritten paragraph “YET IS SHE URGED D IN HEIR TO QUAKE ANEW VAGRANT FORLORAN SPILL” ("FORLORAN" is crossed out). Next this paragraph, there is another revised paragraph “YET WITHIN HEIR SHE QUAKES ANEW”("YET" is crossed out). Left side of the second column, there are another revisions. “YET IS SHE URGED TO," “QUAKE ANEW IN HEIR,” “TOO VGRANT SPILL.” WITHIN I FURGED HEIR HERE  HEIR TO TO WITH SHE SOB'S SOBS QUAKE WEPS QUAKE TO MUST I QUAKE ANEW : !    SOBS FRESH IS FOR IS FOR IN ISHER SPARK WITHINMY HORSE HOUSE YOUNG SHELL VAGRANT HEIR BULB     VAGRANT DOOMED DOOMED VAGRANCY FOR SPILL ! DOOM IS IT  IS ITCURSED TOO? TOODOOMED      LIGHT IS THERE NOISLE HOT BEDSTEAD BLOOD      VAGRANTHEIRESS HAS HASIS      BEACON — – ISLAND — – BED BED — – TO FOR TO BEAR BEAR — – FOR SPECKELED ORCHIDS GLARE ORCHIDS ORHID'S DARK — LIGHT GLARE — –      DARK—LIGHT HAS    TO BEAR DARK DARK LIGHT LIGHT TO FLEW BEAR HAS FOUND HAS HAS SITE SITE    FINDS FOUND ON EARTH NOWHERE IS IT NOWHERE ! NxWHERE?RIGHT There is a gray oval from this line to the bottom of the page. See the image. ON EARTH ILL WILL There are three rewritten attempts about this part. In the space on the left hand side of the column, there is the rewriting, “SUN WILL EARTH BEARS" ("EARTH" and "BEARS" are crossed out). On the righthad side of the column, there are two revising attempts. One is “SH WE IS ARE NIL ILL" ("WE," "ARE," and "NIL" are crossed out). Another is “SUN WILLED ILL MOTHER RIGHT BIRTH" (This part is actually closed out with the zigzag line). See the image. ? ON EARTH SUN MOTHER xxGHT WILL NIL! ILL ! BIRTH RIGHT BUT NIL BIRTH    EARTH — – x RIGHT BLIGHT BLIGHT — – THISTLEDOWNFLIGHT ! The original layout is diagonal (up-down-up); see the image. ! The original layout is diagonal; see the image. THISTLExxWNFLIGHT CHINGHA" FOR "DJUNA" FOR MOTHER ME OUR NAME — GINGA — BROTHER FLAME?