Scholar, computer believe it was written by Shakespeare

CHICAGO: A 383-year-old poem unearthed in a library may be the work of William Shakespeare, a scholar says. H14 computer agrees, reports Al'.

Dorjald Foster found the poem, "a Funeral! Elegye In Memory of the late Vertuous Maister William Peeter." in the Oxford-University library in .1981.

It's about the death of a young actor in 1612. and Foster acknowledges that, even if it is accepted as one of Shakespeare s works, the 578-line poem will never be counted as one of his masterpieces.

“It's not a poem that will ever be widely loved." Foster said.. "But it will change how we read his other texts. It is. in a way. a retirement poem, talking of theatricality as a fraud. He also talks of 'a sadder case of knowing shame.’ possibly scandal of a sexual nature."

It reads in part:

“but whether doth the stream of

my mischance

drive me beyond myself, fast

friend, soon lost.

long may thy worthiness thy

name advance

amongst the virtuous and

deserving most, who herein hast

forever happy proved;

in life thou livest. in death, thou

diedst beloved."

Foster of Vassar College presented his findings Saturday at the Modern Language Association's 1 II th annual convention.

He said Thomas Thorpe, publisher of Shakespeare's Sonnets, entered the 1612 elegy in London Stationers Register, a copyright depository, along with the initials "WS" Shakespeare's last plays were written at about the same time; he died in 1616.

Foster ran the poem through a computer programme called SHAXICON. which he wrote to weed out poetry not really written by Shakespeare It compares word usage and style with that of Shakespeare and 50 other Elizabethan writers-

Return from the dead!

SHANGHAI: An 81-year old woman rose from the dead as her body was being move into the furnace of a crematorium in neighbouring Jiangsu province, a newspaper reported today. says AFP

The Xinmin Evening News reported that Xue Wangshi had stopped breathing after an Hlness and was sent to Tongshan county crematorium to be cremated on December 2.

As her body was being move along a conveyor belt into the furnace. Xue moved her right hand, and when crematorium attendants stopped the belt, she sat up. the report said