Wednesday 5 August 2009

A Wednesday poem........


I think this poem by John Betjemen evokes the spirit of a British summers day perfectly........the photo is of Anglesey Bay, North Wales.


A Bay In Anglesey
by John Betjeman

The sleepy sound of a tea-time tide
Slaps at the rocks the sun has dried,

Too lazy, almost, to sink and lift
Round low peninsulas pink with thrift.

The water, enlarging shells and sand,
Grows greener emerald out from land

And brown over shadowy shelves below
The waving forests of seaweed show.

Here at my feet in the short cliff grass
Are shells, dried bladderwrack, broken glass,

Pale blue squills and yellow rock roses.
The next low ridge that we climb discloses

One more field for the sheep to graze
While, scarcely seen on this hottest of days,

Far to the eastward, over there,
Snowdon rises in pearl-grey air.

Multiple lark-song, whispering bents,
The thymy, turfy and salty scents

And filling in, brimming in, sparkling and free
The sweet susurration of incoming sea.

6 comments:

  1. Mick, I like the lazy calm feel of this poem. Wish I were there--and being lazy.

    Had to look up squills, which is new to me, and thrift, which is apparently what we call phlox.

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  2. Betjemen is quite a wordsmith. Wonderful!

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  3. Sounds delightful. I really wanted to be there and while reading the words was.

    Thanks for participating in Poetic Wednesday.

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  4. Ah 'the poet and hack' who became a Poet Laureate.

    yes this does conjure thoughts of a perfect British summer's day - when Wimbledon isn't washed out! I find it very beautiful.

    I only visited Anglesey once and I remember having dinner in a pub overlooking the bay - the August evening sunset was spectacular.

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  5. I'm putting Anglesey on my list of things to see before I die. I must try to find that pub.

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  6. sounds idyllic. love the photo too. nice choice of poem

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