"author Unknown" Poem

[Samrc]

I have a poem posted on my website that has no authorship. I state on the site that I found it in 1978 stuck in a used book, author unknown and that I wish I could give credit. There is no doubt of the year I found it or that it was the poem in question not a different one. I even had it posted in my dorm room way back then!

 

A person claiming to be the author in an email sent to me says it was written in 1988. He was hoping I had a typo on my webpage. This person is trying to stop the plagerism on the poem and was pleased I had not taken credit for it. I responded that I could not assign his name to the poem since he claims to have written it 10 years after I found it. I said that I thought he honestly thinks he created it, but possibly had read it previously and remembered it as sometimes happens with music.

 

I have done a search and found his name on the poem on another site. And four other places state author unknown (like on my site).

 

Been considering whether or not to make a statement on my site that says he did not write it. Any thoughts?

 

 

-Samantha

[LisaJill]

Can you quote the book, who edit it or collated it, the publisher and the year? Like a bibliographic entry?

 

Seems that would be the best way to 'prove your point'. Otherwise it's just your word against his. Which makes it harder. =) Especially if he lodged a copy with the copyright office.

[TCH-Don]

As some who also has a poem on my k9 page (author unknown)

I also tried to find the author,

but it has been around for a very long time.

 

I would say leave it as is

with credit to unknown.

I think it will look better that saying he did not write it.

[Rickasaurus]

Sam, I agree with Don. better to leave it as it is, until there is some conclusive proof one way or the other. Perhaps one thing you could do, if not already, is put the year you discovered it, which in a way disputes his authorship, without making a definitive statement that he is not the author, which could be incorrect.

Rick

[Samrc]

Perhaps one thing you could do, if not already, is put the year you discovered it

As mentioned, I already state that I found the poem in a book in 1978 on the website so I will leave that on the page.

 

which in a way disputes his authorship, without making a definitive statement that he is not the author, which could be incorrect.

 

WIth a 10 year discrepancy, it's not possible he wrote the poem. The year is fixed in my mind because of certain events that fall when I found it, giving it even more meaning to me than just a casual reading.

 

Can you quote the book, who edit it or collated it, the publisher and the year? Like a bibliographic entry?

 

Nope. It was on a torn piece of paper stuck inside a used book, purchased in the fall of 1978. It might have been forgotten in the book or placed there for the next person to read. I don't know. No author, no source references, nothing. I might have images of the poster I made of the poem on my dorm wall... usually I was taking photos of people not walls. I wish I had more definitive proof....

 

 

I will leave it posted on the page as author unknown and not address the issue further unless he pushes the point. In the mean time, I might try to do more researching.

 

-Samantha

[TCH-Dick]

Just pass the fun along to someone else. Specifically Cecelia Laurenzi since she claims to have wrote it.

http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/rap/pdf/1-8.pdf

[Samrc]

Yup. That's the poem! I wonder if she really wrote it or if she too has laid claim to an anonymous author poem because she could.

 

Guess we really won't know for sure.

 

I can only be sure that I didn't write it and neither did the person that contacted me! And I know that it was written some time before I found it, making it at least 26 years old.

 

-Samantha

[TCH-Dick]

Not sure if it helps but I seen a lot of people cedit Larry S. Chengges.

These are the only two books that I can find of his.

Light One Candle Softly; Violet-Love Publishing Co. 1973

You are a Friend of Mine; Springbrook, 1979

 

I found 1 copy of each by searching here.

Edited November 14, 2004 by TCH-Dick

[Samrc]

COOL. Thank You!

 

I did not find the poem in a book of love poetry as those seem to be, but since the page with the poem on it was not printed into the book I bought, it could have come from anywhere.

 

Those books are the right time period, and definitely not by the person that wrote me about the poem. I will check them out. Would love to find REAL proof of the author.

 

-Samantha