Set by Didier d'Argent
We asked for more profound entries for the Eurovision Song Contest (the finals for 2007 take place in Helsinki on 12 May) as written by a philosopher of your choice
Report by Ms de Meaner
Well done! £20 to the winners, the best of whom (Adrian Fry) also gets the Tesco vouchers. For the young 'uns, Cyril Joad was a well-known philosopher in the 1940s, listened to by (it is said) 29 per cent of the population on a BBC radio programme called The Brains Trust. His favourite expression, "It depends what you mean by . . .", became a popular catchphrase. On 12 April 1948, Joad was convicted of "unlawfully travelling on the railway without having previously paid his fare". He was sacked.
So, you contend that you love me,
But just what do you mean by "love"?
Do you know what I mean by "mean by"?
It's not something I'm certain of.
You assert that verbal description
Is inadequate for what you feel,
Contradicting my long-held conviction
That what can't be expressed isn't real.
You demand I heed my emotions,
I require you define your terms.
Seems to me, to accede to your notions
Would just open a new can of worms.
Still, if I contend that you love me
And you know what I mean by "love"
Our lives might well be quite lovely
And worth living, not thinking of.
Adrian Fry (Professor C E M Joad)
You are my sublime essence,
My noumenal Idea.
I fizz with effervescence
Whenever you are near.
This world is just a copy,
A shoddy duplicate,
Inferior and sloppy,
But you're my perfect mate.
So much defies explaining,
Since like a shackled slave
My mind is always straining
At shadows in a cave,
But I know my emotion
Is serious and real,
As deep as any ocean
And high as the Ideal.
Basil Ransome-Davies (Plato)
Reincarnation and re-creation:
I want the world to know that I've been here before.
Reincarnation and replication:
And I'll be around for several centuries more.
I used to think mortality couldn't be prevented;
If I did not exist I'd have to be invented;
But that was in the bad old days of "Devil Woman"
I'm not a Mormon: I'll be back again.
Regurgitation and relocation:
You know that death is just a summer holiday;
And with good Karma like the Dalai Lama
This bachelor boy'll be bouncing back your way.
I used to think the Young Ones couldn't be repeated
And that the final enemy couldn't be defeated;
But then just when you thought it couldn't get much darker -
Watch out, Sue Barker, it's me back again.
David Silverman (Buddha)
Set by Ian Birchall
Jim'll Fix It is returning to our screens. What might any contemporary politician/celebrity write in to ask Jim to fix?
Max 120 words by 3 MayEmail: comp@newstatesman.co.uk
Post this article to
We want to encourage people to comment on our content and to exchange views with other readers and hope this will be done on a courteous basis. However, if you encounter posts which are offensive please let us know by emailing comments@newstatesman.co.uk and we will take swift action where necessary.
