Wow, what a blast from the past! I read this poem as a student and was captivated by it. Thank you, Kerry!
Speaking of Annie Proulx, I went to a talk she gave one time where she discussed the letters of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid and theorized that there was more to their relationship than presented in the old movie with Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
You're very welcome, Lee. I too find
The Highwayman captivating and usually end up in tears by the end, even though I've read it countless times and know only too well how tragically it ends. Just can't seem to help myself, I guess. It's not only the tragically doomed, star-crossed nature of the love between Bess and the highwayman that brings me undone (and reminds me of Andrew & James), but also the highly-charged homoerotic imagery employed by Alfred Noyes in describing the highwayman that sets my heart a-pounding. It's very difficult for me to read about his thigh-high boots and skin-tight, doe-skin breeches that fit "with never a wrinkle", without conjuring up a lurid mental picture. Pant!
I sure would like to think Butch and Sundance had something going.
They were very handsome and make a beautiful couple. Pant again!
The REAL Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid
