Roy Croft
Encyclopedia
Roy Croft is a poet
(or translator; see below) frequently credited with writing a poem titled "Love" and beginning "I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.". This poem http://www.indiebride.com/kvetch/index.php?t=msg&goto=974328#msg_974328, which is commonly used in wedding
speeches and readings and is quoted frequently, is nearly identical in meaning to a German
-language poem http://www.liebeskummer.ch/gedichte-zitate/erich-fried-die-besten_t14882.html#post229853 titled Ich liebe Dich ("I Love You") and composed by Austrian poet Erich Fried
; the main difference is that Croft's version stops at the third-from-last line of Fried's poem, with the effect that Fried's poem contains two final lines for which Croft's version has no equivalent. Croft's version appears without further attribution in The Family Book of Best Loved Poems, edited by David L. George and published in 1952 by Doubleday & Company, Inc., then of Garden City, New York.
Little is known about the poet himself: A poet by this name had a 28-page collection published in 1979 by vanity publishers Blue Mountain Arts Press (now known as Blue Mountain Arts Inc. and specializing in "inspirational" books and greeting cards). Investigators such as Ted Nesbitt have surmised that if this Roy Croft is the same poet whose work appears in the Doubleday anthology above, his nationality was American and he lived at some time between the years 1905 and 1980. Some amateur investigators have speculated that "Roy Croft" is a pseudonym
used by a translator who wanted to keep all royalties from publication (rather than sharing them with Fried's estate) or who simply did not want to go through the trouble of obtaining a license from a foreign entity. Whatever the translator's motive for using the Roy Croft pseudonym, the pseudonym itself may have been inspired by the early 20th century Roycroft
publishing company.
The reading public's interest in Croft's identity and biographical details is comparable to or greater than its interest in the "Love" poem itself: Google
's record of searches indicates that the keywords "Roy Croft Love" have been searched 105,000 times while the keywords "Roy Croft wiki" have been searched 398,000 times.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
(or translator; see below) frequently credited with writing a poem titled "Love" and beginning "I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.". This poem http://www.indiebride.com/kvetch/index.php?t=msg&goto=974328#msg_974328, which is commonly used in wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
speeches and readings and is quoted frequently, is nearly identical in meaning to a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-language poem http://www.liebeskummer.ch/gedichte-zitate/erich-fried-die-besten_t14882.html#post229853 titled Ich liebe Dich ("I Love You") and composed by Austrian poet Erich Fried
Erich Fried
Erich Fried , an Austrian poet who settled in England, was known for his political-minded poetry. He was also a broadcaster, translator and essayist....
; the main difference is that Croft's version stops at the third-from-last line of Fried's poem, with the effect that Fried's poem contains two final lines for which Croft's version has no equivalent. Croft's version appears without further attribution in The Family Book of Best Loved Poems, edited by David L. George and published in 1952 by Doubleday & Company, Inc., then of Garden City, New York.
Little is known about the poet himself: A poet by this name had a 28-page collection published in 1979 by vanity publishers Blue Mountain Arts Press (now known as Blue Mountain Arts Inc. and specializing in "inspirational" books and greeting cards). Investigators such as Ted Nesbitt have surmised that if this Roy Croft is the same poet whose work appears in the Doubleday anthology above, his nationality was American and he lived at some time between the years 1905 and 1980. Some amateur investigators have speculated that "Roy Croft" is a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
used by a translator who wanted to keep all royalties from publication (rather than sharing them with Fried's estate) or who simply did not want to go through the trouble of obtaining a license from a foreign entity. Whatever the translator's motive for using the Roy Croft pseudonym, the pseudonym itself may have been inspired by the early 20th century Roycroft
Roycroft
Roycroft was a reformist community of craft workers and artists which formed part of the Arts and Crafts movement in the USA. Elbert Hubbard founded the community in 1895 in the village of East Aurora, Erie County, New York, near Buffalo. Participants were known as Roycrofters...
publishing company.
The reading public's interest in Croft's identity and biographical details is comparable to or greater than its interest in the "Love" poem itself: Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
's record of searches indicates that the keywords "Roy Croft Love" have been searched 105,000 times while the keywords "Roy Croft wiki" have been searched 398,000 times.