Another person has hit the buffer of death - Tom Lehrer, at the age of 97 years old he has left this world. And now Radio3 is interspersing their classical music with his songs. So let us raise a glass to a sanely simpler time when sarcasm was not frowned upon ;)
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Something else I picked up this morning. One of Wales most famous poets, R.S.Thomas was written about in The Observer. (Shock horror you are reading The Observer says Andrew, it is a right wing paper) please note that an occasional article from the Observer pops through my tablet but the paper does not besmirch my computer ;) Anyways to get back. I love this Thomas, the other one is Dylan, he is so moodily miserable he suits my character. But I have lost his book of poetry. I have written of him elsewhere though. Thomas was also a favourite of Pat of Weaver fame. I think the following poem is good for it reminds me that as a child I went fishing in a Welsh river but it also reminds us when we first meet death.
Song for Gwydion
When I was a child and the soft flesh was forming
Quietly as snow on the bare boughs of bone,
My father brought me trout from the green river
From whose chill lips the water song had flown.
Dull their eyes, the beautiful, blithe garland
Of stipple faded, as light shocked the brain;
They were the first sweet sacrifice I tasted,
A young god, ignorant of the blood's stain.
R.S.Thomas
When I was a child and the soft flesh was forming
Quietly as snow on the bare boughs of bone,
My father brought me trout from the green river
From whose chill lips the water song had flown.
Dull their eyes, the beautiful, blithe garland
Of stipple faded, as light shocked the brain;
They were the first sweet sacrifice I tasted,
A young god, ignorant of the blood's stain.
R.S.Thomas
Also, another favourite.....
The Island,
And God said, I will build a church here
And cause this people to worship me,
And afflict them with poverty and sickness
In return for centuries of hard work
And patience. And its walls shall be hard as
Their hearts, and its window let in the light
Grudgingly, as their minds do, and the priest's words be drowned
By the wind's caterwauling. All this I will do.
Said God, and watch the bitterness in their eyes
Grow, and their lips suppurate with
Their prayers. And their women shall bring forth
On my altars, and I will choose the best
Of them to be thrown back into the sea.
And that was only on one island.
Ah, that's why I saw something about him today, and I can't remember where. It was along the lines that he used to follow Billy Graham around the world to undo the bad he did.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!
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