August 6th
We’ve been learning -oems by heart.
1. Housman’s On Wenlock Edge. We visited the spot in June this year, and walked around, along an easy path from much Wenlock, then a trickier one down the other side of the through the woods, until we could see the Wrekin’s ‘forest fleece’.
We later spent half an hour or so in Uricon (Wroxeter)
On Wenlock Edge the wood’s in trouble
His forest fleece the Wrekin heaves
the gale, it plies the saplings double
and thick on Severn snow the leaves.
‘Twould blow like this through holt and hanger
when Uricon the city stood
Tis the old wind in the old anger
But then it threshed another wood.
then, ‘twas before my time, the Roman
At yonder heaving hill would stare
The blood that warms an English yeoman,
The thoughts that hurt him, they were there.
There, like the wind through woods in riot
Through him the gale of life blew high
The tree of man was never quiet.
Then ‘twas the Roman, now ‘tis I
The gale, it plies the saplings double
it blows so hard, ‘twill soon be gone:
Today the Roman and his trouble
Are ashes under Uricon
Labels: Housman, poetry., Uricon, Wenlock Edge
