Samuel T. Coleridge’s “Cologne” is a devastating portrayal of Cologne in the 18th century.
Should we really let this English poet get away with his bleak description of our beloved hometown? Man the barricades and defend Cologne!
Write your own poem about your hometown OR write a personal comment on why Cologne is the best town on earth OR, if you don’t agree, discuss the pros and cons of living in Cologne. To be done by Monday 01 February.
From Monday on, you’re supposed to rate the entries of your class mates.
There is one place
They call it cologne
He wants it to be home
Cause this is the ace
He likes the beer
He likes the Rhine
And adores the shrine
Yes he wants to live here
Sitting in the cab
Coming home
Still feeling
The shivering of the airplane
Seeing the bridges
The churches
The water
The light
My television tower
Seeing the streets
Built up by Romans
The subway
The pigeons
The rubbish
Knowing that
This is home
Though you are
Not beautiful
Not a vacation
Arriving
Cologne
I’m coming from far, far away,
Back to the place I want to be
Thinking of what I will see.
Back at the place I used to stay.
Business is all around,
Gabbling people make the sound,
But wait – if you could slow the time,
You would notice lots of smiles – like mine.
The Rhine and its waterfront outsparkle each other,
To elate the cathedral, old big mother
And every little thing I see
And hear
And smell,
Feels home to me.
I’m not already done yet.
I will add some missing lines if they cross my mind.
Rainy Cologne – by Nina
You think “Everything seems so dull
Every head’s a skull”
It’s raining and you feel cold
At this time your feelings are unfold
You feel tired and blind
This feeling is so hard-wired in your mind
Time is fleeting and you haven’t realized yet
That…
The sun is shining.
The glitter on the pavement is blinding
Now you realize, the sun is shining
The heads around you now look like grace
What’s about your own face?
You look around you and so you see
This city isn’t a misery
This city is the best place you’ve ever seen
Where you have ever been
You just have to wait for the sun
And the heat will your bad feeling stun
Lovesong
1 million people here they are
1 million people they are real
some strange some bizarre
but all of them can feel
feel the beautiful city
the ones who love money
the ones who wanna get famous
sometimes that’s kind of funny
‘cause they act very shamelessly
in the beautiful city
sometimes on mondays I wanna fly away
sometimes on mondays I lose control
but I always decide to stay
there’s something reminding my soul
it’s the beautiful city
many times I’m uninspired
many times I think my brains full of plastic
then I get sick and tired
and suddenly my mood turns to: fantastic
because of my beautiful city
at night I have bad dreams
at night I’m sometimes counting sheeps
and everything fast gets easier as it seems
so I get back my beliefs
oh my beautiful city
oh how you fill the air
and leave your beauty everywhere
and I just stand and stare
…I love you Cologne!
Eva T.
Flying through the cloud-covered sky,
floating downwind the stream,
racing along with the rowing team,
to the place of the three Magi.
People gaping in amazement,
throwing back their head,
remembering what the cicerone has said;
the Gargoyles blank faces gazing back absent.
Some are ossified, others are drawing,
some are begging, others are drinking,
the cameras of the tourist are blinking,
while the glistening snow is thawing.
People taking the next trams,
sitting at the windows dreaming,
while the illuminated theatre and the dark rhine are streaming
- behind me the door slams.
Resting under a tree,
seeing the pretty silhouette of downtown,
melting with the sun going down,
I have to agree:
Cologne is lovely.
Integration –
Assimilation ;
Variety –
And the burden of choice ;
Many people, friends and voices –
but too much!
Beautiful parks, playing children –
And all that noise from all those streets ;
Open-hearted people everywhere,
Fullfilled with tolerance and familiarity –
really? everywhere?
This is my Cologne,
My home.
but why?
Comment on why Cologne is the best town on earth- Burak Karip
Firstly I’m trying to clarify why Cologne is so important for me.
On 25th May 1991, a boy named Burak was born in a lovely city called Cologne. He made his first steps on the ground of the city Cologne. His parents have been living in Cologne for21 years. His father works in a well known company which is very important for Cologne and its economy. In his youth Burak started to analyse the culture of Cologne. He has recognized Cologne has an own culture which is delimited from other cultures. You must know Cologne is a multicultural city. A city, where Christians,Muslims and Jews have been living for ages. Well, the people of the city are very proud. Proud of the football club 1.FC Köln, proud of the ice-hockey club KEC, especially proud of Karneval. All in all Burak is very happy and proud to live in a city beautiful city like Cologne.
The special top-fermented potion,
of hops, malt and water
running down my throat with inimitable motion,
like the fulfillment of my dream, only better.
It’s the two peaked building,
and the river and the people speaking,
causing that feeling – so deep and strong
This is where I do belong.
milan
Cologne – notepad
One blue line
Two pinnacles stand straight out
Three Wise Men are hidden secretly
Four hoofs has our lucky charm
Five seasons exist only here
Uncountable cultures combined
Actually, every second sentence should be indentured, but it doesn’t work…
I tried to edit it. This is the best I could do. Do you prefer it this way?
There – by Marin Miletic
There
Where a cathedral is the town’s landmark
Where Kölsch is as essential as water for the evolution
Where Jews, Muslims and Christians live, work, dance and laugh together
Where a prince, who loves soccer, is as powerful as the Queen in the UK
Where simple walls are traces of a great roman empire
Where the winter freezes to welcome a fifth season of the year
Right there you can find the urban paradise named
Cologne!
Brilliant. I love it!