Talk:Xli Poems

Title / page name

Is the capitalization of only the X right. I would have thought it should be XLI, isn't that how Roman numerals are normally written ? -- Beardo (talk) 18:04, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

I agree; it's 41 poems, XLI poems, not kslee poems.--Prosfilaes (talk) 20:47, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

See Index talk:XLI poems.djvu.

In a nutshell: cummings apparently doesn't care for standard capitalization; and also all the running-headers (that are mixed-case) say exactly Xli poems.

So, as always, we go with the source. — Alien  3
3 3 21:00, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

See here, here or here for examples of how that isn't surprising me, coming from this book. Among others: I'd argue "I" is the most consistently capitalised word in the english language, he writes it as i; puts whitespace everywhere for no visible reason; often disregards syntax and/or spelling. Given all of that, and of course the running headers saying Xli poems (sic), it really looks like Xli poems was the intended title. — Alien  3
3 3 21:22, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

Though it may have been his publisher, not him who did that. (Apparantly it was his publisher who put his name in lower case.) But on that basis, why not "Xli Poems"? which is what the running headers do say. -- Beardo (talk) 21:32, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

That's actually right. I'm surprised I didn't pick up on that. Welp, sorry for the mess; will move to "Xli Poems", shouldn't take long. — Alien  3
3 3 21:38, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

Normally should say Xli Poems everywhere now. — Alien  3
3 3 22:33, 7 June 2025 (UTC)