What Blog is This?

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From The Gray Cat Gazette (December 2007)

Ancient Music
Manuscript Found!  Reveals blogging history!

LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND (GCNI)—A set of ancient English manuscripts have been uncovered.  Linguistic Experts from the Flounder Institute of Technology Department of Obsolete Languages examined one of the manuscripts carefully.

A Spokesflounder said “After we ruled out Algol-58, RPG, SNOBOL, and a few others, we realized it was in Old English.  One of our experts, who had once heard Benjamin Bagly present Beowulf, undertook translation.   The result is incontrovertible proof that blogging is an ancient pastime.  This is clearly a song, apparently to the tune of “Greensleeves”, probably sung by minstrels to entertain in taverns.  This manuscript is certainly part of a larger saga, perhaps the famous Adventures of ye Grey Catte, and describes one of the many incidents of that chronicle.”

The original first verse was (in the original Old English text)

    Hwæt blogge be yis, Græg Catte áræden
And leornung fyrwitgeornlice?
a blogge she náhwær ærost sceawian
But áredian mid micel cisness, she.

 ^*fyrwitgeornlice: studiously

 Fantasie on Blogging

Music by Ralph Vaughn Williams and with translation from the Old English by S. Flounder, F.I.T./DOL.

What blog is this that Gray Cat reads,
and studies most assiduously?
A blog she ne'er before has see’d,
But files it most fastidiously.

 This, this is an archives blog
and of Gray Cat’s time, it's become a hog.
Read, read, from dawn to dusk
It's the blog being read by The Gray Cat.

 What blog is this, that Gray Cat found?
That some ListServ maven has run to ground?
A blog of uncertain ancestry,
And of many discussions, it's content-free.

 This is a museum blog
Of flame wars daily, it does abound.
But buried gems, are often found.
It's a huge time sink for the Gray Cat.

 What blog is this that Google shows
And how many more, well, no one knows
Haste, haste, to read it all
There's a dozen more blogs to slog through!

 This, this, is a culture blog,
Of museum culture it catalogs
Topics for Gray Cat's class
Of which, many are but a morass.

 What blog is this of which Gray Cat talks
Its the blog of her mentor, Richard Cox.
His insights deep, makes others weep
He's the envy of all other bloggers!

 This, this, is the blog to read
What you really want, is a real-time feed!
R-S-S would be such a treat
For a blog of such obvious value.

 What blog is this, that Gray Cat writes?
And keeps her up late on many nights?
Assignments due, and syllabi, too,
And Blackboard pages impromptu!

 This, this is a coursework blog
And of Gray Cat’s time, it's the latest hog!
Of Blackboard pages she’s done enough
To avoid writing any empty fluff.

 What talk is this, that Gray Cat gives,
and her students deal with, and much forgive
Though content deep, they go to sleep
For they are, of their topic, clueless

 This, this, is a Gray Cat talk
Of facts and concepts it’s fully chocked.
Haste, haste to read it through,
This talk of the cleverest Gray Cat.