Sea-Fever by John Masefield

I was once asked what, apart from my family, would I want to save if my home was burning. I realised then that my most treasured possession is a copy of Palgrave's Golden Treasury that was presented to my mother as a school prize in 1934. Palgrave's Golden Treasury of the Best Poems in the English Language is probably the most famous poetry anthology ever compiled. Originally published in 1861, it quickly established itself as the most popular selection of English poems. This edition is dated 1933 “with additional poems”. Inside, it is inscribed:

I learned a lot of poems from it and developed a life-long appreciation. Sea-Fever and Cargoes by John Masefield, who would have been Poet Laureate at the time of this edition's publication, were my two favourites.

I must go* down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, / And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking, / And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking. 

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide / Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying, / And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life, / To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover, / And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over. 

(*The word ‘go’ does not appear in Masefield’s original poem but seems to be included in every current anthology.)

This poem is very straightforward and accessible so I don't think it requires much analysis but I will say that it is a great example of alliteration & onomatopoeia. 

I'm listening to Bette Midler's wonderful cover of Bob Dylan's Buckets of Rain (and he is also featured on this recording!). Listen here.

Artist of the Month (4): Ronald Searle

RONALD SEARLE (1920 – 2011,) was an English artist and satirical cartoonist, comic artist, sculptor, medal designer and illustrator. He is perhaps best remembered as the creator of St Trinian’s School inspired by his sister's school in Cambridge.  Searle was born in Cambridge and started drawing at the age of five. In 1939, realising that war was inevitable, he abandoned his art studies to enlist in the Royal Engineers. He spent much of the war in a Japanese POW camp where he witnessed awful conditions. After the war, he served as a courtroom artist at the Nuremberg trials and later the Adolf Eichmann trial in 1961.   Searle was extraordinarily prolific producing a huge volume of work, including drawings for Life, Holiday, and Punch magazines. His cartoons appeared in The New Yorker, the Sunday Express, and the News Chronicle.

I'm listening to the fabulous Joni Mitchell singing her own song 'Carey'. You can enjoy it here!

Artist of the Month (3): Frida Kahlo Self-Portraits

FRIDA KAHLO (1907-1954), was born and raised near Mexico City and was unhappily married to the painter and muralist Diego Rivera. She had a Hungarian-Jewish father and a Spanish-Mexican mother and grew up in the midst of the Mexican Revolution, and throughout her life she would face many struggles. She contracted Polio aged six, was in a very serious bus accident at 18 and died from cancer aged 47. Although she would eventually heal from the bus accident, its memory caused her much trauma and she would often have painful relapses. She began painting in the Mexican style while confined to bed during her recovery and about a third of her 155 paintings were self-portraits. I think her work was a kind of therapy for her from her tragic life. She was popular in the 1940s but her popularity faded after her death until a revival during the 1980s feminist movement.

I'm listening to the original version of Rivers of Babylon by the Melodians. Listen here!

London's Green Parakeets

The ring-necked green parakeet is the UK's only naturalised parrot and the most northerly breeding parrot in the world. ring-necked parakeets are originally from Africa and southern Asia and were kept as pets in the UK mainly brought in as exotic pets from Pakistan. It is estimated that there are well over 50,000 of them in London alone. They are mostly confined to the south-east of England but warmer winters will probably see them spreading further. They nest in holes in trees in gardens and parkland, and are often found in noisy, roosting flocks of hundreds of birds and they are frequent visitors to bird tables and garden feeders, particularly during the winter months. They eat nuts, seeds, berries, household scraps and fruits.  The bird has a very long, narrow tail and a bright red bill. Males have a black throat and a thin black and pink collar. Despite their tropical origin, parakeets are able to cope with the cold British winters. 

They are said to be nearing the point where they are considered a nuisance but the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is not currently recommending a cull. However, there is now a new factor to consider. London has about 40 breeding pairs of peregrine falcons – the speediest animal on our planet. Since the first Covid Lockdown there has been a decline in the London pigeon population as tourists haven’t been there to feed them. So the falcons have turned their attention to other prey: starlings and parakeets!

I'm remembering the late Burt Bacharach by listening to one of his early songs sung by The Beatles. Listen to Baby It's You here.