Modern Poet Laureates books and stories free download online pdf in English

Modern Poet Laureates

Prologue

2-It was the practice in ancient Greece to honour their Army generals when they returned victorious from the battle-field by crowning them with a wreath of laurel leaves and blessings of Nike (the Goddess of victory) The ancient Roman and Greek culture ushered England with the accession of Tuder Dynasty to the throne in 1485. This was known as Renaissance derived from the Latin "renascentia" meaning "Rebirth; Influenced by Renaissance in England, the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge gave the title, 'Laureate', meaning worthy of laurels to various poets in which John Skelton (1460-1529) was also included. Skelton won a "Laureateship" at both Oxford and Cambridge and became tutor to Prince Henry, and later Henry VIII. elder he returned to court where he acquired the title of "Oral Regius" in 1512. Later this title was given to Court Poets like Ben Johnson (1572-1637) a dramatis and Poet.

In 1668 the title gained a royal recognition when John Dryden (1631-1700) was granted a stipend as a member of the Royal House Hold and charged with writing Court odes and celebrating state occasions in verse. Since the time of Drydon Laureat ship has been awarded to few poets of worth and prominent and to many of mediocre talent chosen for reasons of fashion and political considerations and acceptability as under:

Pre Romantic Poets after Drydon

Romantic Poets:

Victorian Poets:

Modern Poets

Name of Poet

It is desirable to name the poets who were offered laureateship but who refused to accept. They include

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Wordswarth was the first poet Laureal who accepted the Laurealiship with a condition. That he would not be obliged to honour official accaisions with specially composed Poems. But later Laureates specially Lord Tenny on & Betjemann and Ted Hughes continued to follow political purpose of the post.

The title "Poet Laureates of 20th Century will be in complete if the name of Andrew Motion is not mentioned. Born in 1956 and enthroned as Poet Laureate in 1999, he linked the 20th Century with 21st Century and left the throne of "Holy Island in 2009 saying.

"Your black hair slows into any eyes but I can see everything moving fast now. Weather polishes, the silver fields ahead; the ravens swoop down and settle among the gorgeous pages of the gospels" and giving immortal message to Mankind in his "Betterlife" -

"Whether I am myself alone or the sum of those I remember:

Whose voices have become mine alongwith their destination"

1- Robert Bridges (1844-1930)

1- Personality

Robert Bridges was born on 23rd Oct. 1944 in Walmer situated on the coast of kent. His childhood passed there. At the age of 10 years he was admitted to Eton college and remained there upto 1863. There he played in oppidon's wall and field Football teams. From 1863 to 1867, he studied in Corpus Christi college Oxford. He obtained second class in the final school of Lit. Hum. He was worshipper of Nature and Beauty from the very childhood.

He was of the view that Beauty is the prime motive to lead one to excellence and Peace. He published his "Shorter Poems" in 1873 at the age of 29 years. He was convinced that he would be a better poet if he learned and practiced some profession which brought him into active contact with human life especially with observation and investigation of Natural Science. Accordingly he traveled in Egypt Syria and Germany and thereafter became a medical student at St. Bartholomew's Hospital London (Barts) where he worked as casualty physician in his fourth year. Here he made a series of critical remarks about the Victorian medical establishment. He was subsequently made Asstt. Physician at the children's hospital in Great Ormond street and physician at the Great (Royal) Northern Hospital and he remained there till 1882. He traveled in France, Netherland and Italy with his friend Harry Ellis Wooldridge. Slade professor of Fine Arts at Oxford, who lived for some years in the same house in London.

In 1882 he suffered seriously from an attack of pneumonia and went to Italy and Sicily for treatment. He, thereafter in 1884 gave up his medical profession and settled at the Manor House Yattendon, In 1884 he married Monica, daughter of Alfred Water house R.A. They had one son and two daughters.

He was elated to the Fellowship of the Royal college of physicians of London in 1900. He is the only poet to occupy this office. He spent rest of his life in rural seclusion first at Yet tendon, Berkshire and then at Boars Hill Oxford. The years at Yattendon were very productive.

Appointment as Poet Laureate-Robert Bridges was appointed as Poet Laureate in 1913 by King George V (1910-36) on recommendation of Prime Minister Henry Asquith Leader of the conservative party, famous for an extensive social welfare programmes, which faced resistance from his own party, particularly when he raised taxes on rich to pay for the welfare programmes. Robert Bridges remained Poet Laureate till 21st April 1930, the date of his death, the verse reminds-his personality-

The evening darkens over

After a day so bright

The windcapt capwaves discover

That wild will be the night

There is sound of distant-thunder,

The latest sea-birds hover

Along the cliff's sheer height

As in the memory wander

Last Fluttering of delight

White wings lost on the white.

There is not a ship in sight

And as the sun goes under

Thick clouds conspire to cover

The moon that should rise yonder

Thou art alone fond lover.

2-Performance

Robert Bridges works as a bridge betweens the Victorian and Modern Age. He is a poet whose Victorian outlook made his name, though he was to become twentieth century (Modern Age) Poet Laureate in 1913. Therefore his works may be classified between Victorian Age works and Modern Age (works).

His first collection of Poems was published in 1873 at the age of 29 year. Major works in Poetry, Drama and Prose are classified as under:-

Victorian Age (1837-1901)

Poetry-

Verse Drama:

Prose-

Modern Age (1901)

Poetry (1) Demeter; A mask (1905)

Prose-

He remained Poet Laureate for 18 years and during this period he wrote five poetry books. Ibant Obscuri, October Poems, Tapestry Poems, New Verse and Testament of Beauty and 4 Books of Prose mentioned above.

Subject Matter Bridges was an Artist and Artistic subjects like Love, Beauty and Nature are the subject matter of his poetry. Bridges best love poetry is contained in the "Growth of Love" composed in 1876 and revised in 1889 and 1898, the golden period of Victorian Age. Bridges is the poet of joy and optimism. He takes life cheerfully with all its ills and finds joy in the simplest beauties of life, beauty of nature, women and ideas. In fact, he is direct descendant of Keats in his Love of Beauty, in sonet No. 3 of Growth of Love he writes.

The whole world now is but the minister

of thee to me. I see no other scheme

But universal love, from timeless dream

Waking to thee his joy's interpreter,

I walk around and in the fields confer

of Love at large with tree and flower and stream

And list the lark decant upon my theme

In the similar vein of Love's sojourn the following sonnet shows the ecstasy of Love-

"And when we sit alone, and as I please.

I taste thy love's full smile, and can estate

The pleasure of my kingly heart at ease,

My thought swims like a ship, that with the weight

of her rich burden sleeps on the infinite seas

Becalmed, and cannot stir her golden freight.

Love is all pervasive for Bridges. In "Growth of Love" sonnet 60, he says-

Love that I know, love I am wise in, love

My strength, my pride, my grace, my skill untaught

My faith here upon earth, my hope above,

My contemplation and perpetual thought

The pleasure of my fancy, my heart's fire,

My joy my peace, my praise, my happy theme,

The aim of all my doing, my desire

Of Being, my life by day by night my dream

Love, my sweet melancholy, my distress

My pain, my doubt, my trouble, my despair

My only folly and unhappiness

And in my careless moments still my care

O Love, sweet love, earthly love, love divine.

For Robber Bridges. Beauty and love are integral they cannot be separate. In sonnet 20 of "Growth of love" poet says-

"So mighty is the beauty that doth woo

So vast the joy that love from love hath won

God's love to win is easy for he loveth

Desire's fair attitude, nor strictly weighs

The broken thing, but all alike approveth

For him the mystery of joy becomes minifesd in the smile where lips reconcile passion with place:-

In thee my spring of life hath bid the while

A rose unfold beyond the summer's best

The mystery of joy made manifest

In love's self answering and awakening smile

Whereby the lips in wonder reconcile

Passion with peace and show desire at rest

The love reaches its zenith when

The very countenance of plighted troth

Between heaven and earth, where in moment blend

The hope of one and happiness of both."

Describing the role of Beauty poet says in sonnet No. 8 of "Growth of Love"

For beauty being the best of all we know

Sums up the unsearchable and secret aims

of Nature and on joys whose earthly names

were never told can form and sense bestow"

Nor is there fairer work for beauty found

Than that she win Nature her release.

See how the beauty love and nature are integrated: The poet is very much obliged, to his love which has gifted him the Truth, Good and Beauty-

"How, could I quarrel or blame you, most dear

Who all thy virtues gave and kept back none,

kindness and gentleness, truth without peer

And beauty that my fancy fed upon,"

According to Poet, the Beauty of ship lies in the Harmony and wholeness of Health, In mirth, strength, adventure, pride and zeal, Diligence and wit, justice, courage coverage temperance and radiance of reason-

"Who builds the ship must first lay down the keel

of Health, where to the ribs of mirth are wed

And knit, with beams and knees of sherigth, a bed

For decks of purity, her floor and ceil.

Upon her masts, Adventure, Pride and Zeal

To Fortune's wind, the sails of Purpose spread,

And at the prow make figured maiden head

Override the seas and anchor to the wheel.

And let him deep in Memory's hold have stored

Water of Helicon: and let him fit

The needle that does true to heaven accord;

Then bid her crew, love, diligence and wit

With justice courage, temperance come aboard

And at her helm Master Reason Sit."

The Poet says how the entire humanity is hyponised in it to seek and shape the face of Blameless Beauty in joint venture with God.

The world is unto God a work of Art

Of which the unaccomplished heavenly plan

Is hid in life within the creature's Heart

And for perfection looks unto the Man.

Ahme! Jhose thousand Ages: with what slow

Pains and persistence were His Idols made,

Destroyed and made, ere ever He could know

The Mighty Mother, must be so obeyed.

For lack of knowledge and thro' little skill

His childish mimicry outwent his aim;

His effort shaped the genial's of his will

Till thro' distinction and revolt he came,

True to his simple terms of Good and ill.

Seeking the Face of Beauty without Blame"

Poet imagines that the noble men of England go to heaven with their mission to search the Beauty & love like Dante who goes to heaven in search of his beautiful Beatrice in his "Divine Comedy"

"Say who be these light bearded, sun burnt faces

In negligent and travel stained array

That in city of Dante come to day,

Haughtily visiting her holy places?

On these be noble men that hide their graces

The England's blood her ancient glory's stay

By tales of fame diverted on their way

Home from the Rule of oriental Races.

Life trifling lions these of gentle eyes.

And motion delicate, but swift to fire

For honour, passionate where Duty lies.

Most loved and loving and they quickly tire

of Florence, that she one day more denies

The embrace of wife and son of sister of sire."

The poet sees wondrous beauty in the 'Works and Days' of more work in lesser time in machine age.

"And do I, dead upon the living, gaze,

or Rather does the mind, that can behold

The wondrous beauty of works and days

Create the image that thoughts enfold.

For the nothing is worthy of praise as love:-

And if war look for any praise on Earth

It is Maris love all else is nothing worth."

For the poet everything in the universe is unity but nothing is in vain-

O Flesh and blood, comrade to tragic pain

And clownish merriment whose sense could wake.

Sermons in stones, and count death but an Ache,

All things as unity and nothing vain.

Pain and pleasure are the leisure's of God and Nature. Shelly's if there is winter, spring is not behind" with hope and optimism is reflected in sonnet No. 24 of "Growth of love" in following words-

"Spring hath her own bright days of calm and peace.

Her melting air, at every breath we draw,

Floods heart with love to praise God's gracias Law

But suddenly - So short is pleasure's lease-

The cold returns, the buds from growing ease.

And nature's conquered face is full of awe."

Poet desires to have a progressive and sustainable love from the object of Beauty-

"And that I love to praise her, loves again,

So from her beauty both our loves are moved,

And by her beauty are sustained, nor when

The earth falls from the Sun is this disapproved."

The Poet does not care for the past cares as fresh beauty with lovelier sights and fair things is born-

"I have no care for what was most any care

But all round me see fresh beauty born,

And common sights groom lovelier than they were

I dream of love in the light of mom

Tremble, beholding all things very fair

And strong with strength that puts my strength to scare

Earthly Love is the ladder of joy and bliss to reach the heavenly love-

"All earthly beauty has one cause and proof

To lead the piligrim soul to beauty above

Yet lies the greater bliss so far aloof

that few there be are weaned from Earthly love

Joy's ladder it is reaching from home to home,"

Optimism and Hope are the things which comfort human soul-

"I live on hope and that I think do all

Who come into this world and since I see.

Myself in swim with such good company

I take my company whatsoever befall."

The poet considers that science has robbed all the best in Man's life:

"I will be what God made me, nor protest.

Against the bent of genius in my time

That science of my friends robs all the best

While I love beauty and was born to rhyme"

See how the Beauty with hope and Faith leads to Goodness and welfare of Earth-

"The cause of Beauty given to man's desire.

Writ in the expectancy of starry skies

The faith which glows in our fleeting fires

The aim of all the good that here we prize

Which but to love persue and pray far well

Makes Earth heavenly and to forget it, hell.

For poet love is Good. In the last 69th sonnet of "Growth of Love" poet very beautifully confirms the exalted state of love.

"Eternal Father who did all create

In whom we and to whose bosom make

To all men be Thy name know which is love

Till its loud praise sound at heaven's high gate

Perfect thy kingdom in our passing state

That hereon Earth thou may as well approve"

Review of Important Books

1-: this book was written in 1929, a year before his death. Here Bridges moves away from Reality to platonic Idealism to incarnate his mature reflections in a vast. "Verbal Mausoleum" it is a pretentious fabric of craftsmanship, about whose precious idiom. It is difficult to speak seriously. It is the expression of ambition and talent of Bridges. The philosophical language and mythological and historical allusions require a philosophical and historical tracing to understand.

The poems not only arouse wide spread enthusiasm by the splendor and exquisite beauty of its disdain and prophetic vigour of poet's faith, but also contain a puzzle in Matter and manner.

Bridges was a physician turned poet and therefore Testament of Beauty is anatomy and in religious sense Bible of Beauty. He writes that. Beauty is the prime motive of all his excellence, his aim and peaceful purpose. This he glorified in "Growth of Love' and from this purpose, he never wavered, rather his medical profession helped him to investigate and evaluate human life philosophically, logically and scientifically.

While engaged upon this poem, Robert Bridges called it as his D.H.N. (ie De Hominum Naturu) with allusion to the famous philosophical poem of Lucretius" De Rerun Natira" N.C. Smith writes in his "Notes on the Testament of Beauty'

"It is safe to say that there is reference to the fact that poem is the "last will and testament" of the poet of over 80 year of age. With a full sense of responsibility he leaves to posterity this high and serious statement of his philosophy of life, his religious faith and the purpose of this statement is 'Beauty'. It concerned Beauty; nay more and here comes in another stream of association to make part of the meaning of title it is also the Testimony of Beauty the witness borne by Beauty to the Truth that reality is "Good" or in the traditional language of Christianity that God is Love. It is throughout the Poet's witness to his faith, which faith is founded on Beauty's witness to the Love of God. And indeed other idea associated with the word "testament" is not entirely absent that of "Covenant" Beauty is the sign and symbol of God's covenant with Man"

The book is in four parts - Book I- Introduction, Book-II, Selfhood, Book-III Breed, Book-IV Ethics, Introduction begins with Beauty's relation with Reason in the light of generic or genetic qualities of man leading to his spiritual elation and response to Nature. The poet being calm and composed with self-confidence recognizes the limitations of human power. The mission and commission of his life being the pursuit of Beauty and wisdom he tries to neither exploit the opportunity neither created nor foreseen to fulfill his mission. For this, he deploys skillful conduct, prudence and discussion and the conduct wins prize. The poet seems to have been kindled with spiritual elation very late in life which he describes:

"A glow of childlike wonder enthralled me, as if my sense had come to a new birth purified, my mind enrapt re-awakening to a fresh initiation of life"

He compares this purely spiritual enlightenment to two similar experiences partly spiritual and party sensuous. Introduction, Poet uses the word "Inconscient" which means 'unconscious'. The Poet emphasises the truth that every common wild flower is a perfect creation or expression of God's will. He compares it with master pieces of Art thrown aside by the Painter or Musician. Both the flowers of Nature and works of Art are Supreme Beauty.

Book II of Testament of Beauty is titled "Selfhood". The book begins with recollection of the famous image of Photo Phaedra's, of the soul of Man as Charioteer and two horses, where chariot is reason or intellect and horses represent spiritual or passionate elements and Desire or Appetite. Robert Bridges. Changes, the symbolism where charioteer keeps the character of Reason, but horses are selfhood and Breed symbolises sex in common parlor. But unlike Photo's horses, Bridges horses both selfhood and Breed are good.

Poet gives a vivid description of the selfhood of plants and young animals, which do not deviate from the rules of innate Nature. Being a student of medical science he suggests that the first degrees of self hood may be attributed to the dumb activities of Atom or molecule similar to the activities of plant and fledgling.

Poet further describes that in animals selfhood begets its out restraint for example wolfs find it better to hunt in packs, and pastoral animals herd together for protection of themselves and their young. Here the selfhood does not wait for the charioteer Reason to administer. The Poet, thereafter describes maternal devotion, the spring of man's purest affection and of all the compassion.

In Book-III named Breeds the poet gives a long and entertaining digression or departure or deviation on "Pleasure in Food's. He remarks that picture of selfhood and Breed as two horses is only construction of Intellect. When a man's reason becomes conscious of the Pleasure in food', men who are foolish as well as rational make of it an end in itself.

In Book IV titled "Ethics' Poet describes the task of Reason as charioteer. The 'Ethick' deals with the managing skill of the Charioteer. Here Beauty is described as the eternal spouse of the wisdom of God and Angel of His presence through all creation Beauty arouses desire in some richly favoured soul. The Poet describes how the childhood and breed, love, God and morals, reason, wisdom, autonomy, faith have an immortal impact on Beauty. He also describes the impact of Breed on beauty, friendship, Love, Marriage, pleasure, self hood, and Sex.

This is a long philosophical poem for which he received the Order of Merit. It is a philosophical investigation of Beauty. For him Beauty is the end and Truth as well as Good are the means to acheive the Beauty. This philosophical treatise and testament on Beauty, deals with wholeness harmony and radiance needed in socio political and individual life to bring progressive evolution and inclusive growth with sustainable balance and justice. The universe has so far used the deverse techniques of Truth and tolerance, Good and welfare, but at is still on the verge of war. Therefore, the Poet rightly in the tune of Time tells us to worship Aphrodite (Venus) The Goddess of love and Beauty. The German Poet Hermann Hesee in 14th century said" "We do'nt doubt that cleavage between Beauty and Good is not an absolute fission but only a self differentiation of a unitary living essence both being the daughter of the same principle Truth," But Robert Bridge has slightly altered this in 20th century, For him there is no cleavage between truth and good both being the breeds of the "Beauty".

The testament of Beauty is not only philosophical investigation of Artistic Beauty tending to be associated with the idea of Art's for Art is sake which required its coloring of Aesthetic Movement of late 19th Century in Victorian age dominated by the Pre-Raphaelites viz the Oxford don water pater’s “Marius the Epicurean” (1885), Oscar wild’s. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) or Aldington’s “The Religion of Beauty” It is really the “Bible of Beauty” with a mission and commission for the Good and welfare of the society, where Beauty is equated with Truth and God, Robert Bridges seems her to be influenced by keat’s “Fragment Hyperion “ whose theme is the dethronement of Hyperion by his successor Apollo. In Hyperion Keats takes a celestial theme of Saturn, earth, Jupiter, The Neputure consoles Saturn in the following words:-

“We fall by course of Nature’s Law, not Force

Of Thunder of Jove, Great Saturn!

Thou are not the beginning nor the end,

From chaos and parental darkness came light

Light in touch with its producers gave life.

With Heavens and the Earth,

Then you are first born, and we the giant race

Found ourselves, ruling new and beauteous realm

O Folly/ for to bear all makes Truth

And to envisage circumstance all calm.

That is the top sovereignty.

So, on our heels a fresh perfection treads,

A Power more strong in Beauty, born of us

And fated to Excel us, as we passed

In glory that old darkness.

Say, does the silent soil quarrel with

Proud forests it has fed?

But Eagles golden feathered, who

Do tower above us in their Beauty

And must reign in right thereof

For, it is the Eternal Law

That first in Beauty should Be first in Might

Receive the Truth and let it be your Balm.

Thus, first in Beauty is first in might and first in might has first night to rule. John Keats like Robert Bridges; was apprenticed as pharmacist and a surgeon “For Keats-

A thing of Beauty is joy forever

Its loveliness increases, it will never

Pass into nothingness”

Like Keats who propagated that “Beauty is truth and Truth is Beauty” Bridges also believed that. Beauty is God. For Keats-

“Thy Beauty. Grows upon me, and I feel.

A greater love, through all my essence steal”

Similarly Robert Bridges makes a bridge to unite Beauty and love-

“So mighty is the Beauty that doth woo

So vast joy that love from love had won”

Bridges is influenced by:

“That garden sweet, that lady fair,

And all sweet shapes and colours there

In truth have never passed away

It is we are changed, not they

For Love and Beauty and delight

There is no death or change, their might

Exceeds our orgasm, which endure,

No light, being themselves obscure

2-Promethus the Fire Giver. Here also Bridges is influenced by P.B. Shelly:

In the “Prometheans Unbound”, Shelly presents Saturn as a good ruler and Jupiter as the usurping evil, and Prometheores as Regenerator. The Promethean uses knowledge as a weapon to defeat evil to lead mankind to a virtuous state through wisdom. But Jingoist Jupiter chains. Prometheus to Roek and orders a vulture to devour his heart. But, in the meantime, a prophesy is floated in heaven, portending the fall of Jupiter. The secret of the prophesy was known only to Promotheus. Jupiter offers him freedom from fetters, if he discloses the prophesy. Prometheave defies the power of Jupiter and endures tortures till the hour when Jupiter espouses, thetas and a son Demorgan is born with more might to dethrone Jupiter the Evil and bring back happier reign. Accordingly Jupiter is dethroned and Prometheus is liberated from bondage by the strength of Hercules. The Asia wife of Prometheus symbol of love and Beauty meets her husband and the entire nature resumes Prime Beauty and Earth says:

"Familiar acts are beautiful through love,

Man one harmonious soul of many a soul.

Whose nature is its own divine control,

Love rules, through waves which dare not

Overwhelm for long life’s wildest shores

To own its sovereign way."

The Moon say’s to Earth.

“Shattered by the warm embrace.

Of the soul from the hungry space

Drinking from the sense and sight

Beauty, majesty and the might".

The Earth soon responds-

“Oh, gentle moon, the voice of the delight

Falls on me like clear thunder light".

And the New Ruler Demogorgon praises both earth and moon and promises progress, prosperity and peace and sums up philosophy of life-

"To suffer woes which Hope thinks infinite

To forgive wrongs darker than deaths or night

To defy Power which seems omnipotent

To love and bear to hope till hope ereates

From its own wreck, the thing it contemplats

Neither to change nor falter nor repent

This like thy glory, Titan is to be

Good, great and joyous, beautiful and free

This is alone life joy, empire and victory"

Prometheus the Fire giver: written by Bridges is in the form of Music written in the Greek manner. It is based on the Greek mythology. In the war between gods and titans, Prometheus remained neutral, and was still on terms with Zeus when the gods were victorious. He was, however, very cunning and skilled. According to legend Zeus was very angry at a deception practiced on him by Prometheus and he deprived mankind of fire. Prometheus, however, stole fire from the gods, and gave it to man. Zeus then tried to punish him by sending the woman Pandora with her jar of misfortunes. Hope, however, was left to man when the misforturies were released to plague humanity. Zeu's then tried to drown the human race in a great flood, but again Prometheus caused to the rescue of mankind. To punish Prometheus for repeated out witting him Zeus chained him to a mountain and sent on vultures to devour him, but he never asked for pardon and with held a secret affecting the destiny of Zeus. Eventually Zeus allowed Hercules to free the Titan, who told the secret and enabled Zeus to save himself. Prometheans was mortal and on his death descended to underworld.

4- Other Poems: The other poems of Robert Bridges include – (1) I will not let thee go. (2) A passers by (3) London snow and November (4) Awake my heart to be loved (5) Spring goath all in white (6) Nightingale. The Subject matter of all these poems is Beauty, Love, nature, joy, optimisme, the beauties of nature, the charm of landscape in particular, memories of childhood.

Hymns: Bridges made an important contribution to hymnody with publication in 1899 of his Yatlendon Hymnal” which he composed for muses. This collections of hymns became a bridge between the Victorian hymnody of the last half of 19th century and the modern hymnody of the Early 20th century. Bridges wrote and translated historic hymn included in songs of syem (1904) and the later English Hymnes (1906). Several hymns and translation are still in use viz.

Thee will I love my God and king.

Happy are they that love God.

Rejoice, O Land, in God, thy might.

Other Literary works: A part from Poems, Bridges also wrote verse play (Poetic Dramas) with limited success. Most of his plays are based on historical, mythological themes, for example Nero is a historical tragedy of Roman emperor Nero, "The Feast of Boachus" is based on Greek legend and translation from the drama Terence, a Latin dramatist (159BC) who wrote comedies on the basis of old Greek literature. Bacchus was a God of wine who managed the celestial feasts, "Achilles in sayrose" is based on Homer's Iliad, Similarly "The Return of Ulysses a drama in five Acts is based on Homer's odyssey. The theme is love and war. The Christian captives is a tragedy in five acts, the subject matter being the same as Calderon's "Elprinipe Construer". "The Humours of the Court is a comedy in three acts based on Calderon's Elsecreto a voices".

Style:

Bridges is a great artist with appropriate words in appropriate order According to E. Albert his poetry reflects the clarity of style, delicacy of touch, a perfection of musical appeal and a subtlity of rhythmic pattern. His Art gives to his most personal poems remoteness to feeling which is through the careful craftsman lying behind them. Bridges is a lyric poet but lacks the intensity of Shelly's lyrics. His lyrics are marked with artistic beauty but the fire of passion and heat of emotion do not kindle them. They are calm and cool His poems reflect the restraint, purity, precision and delicacy with strength of beautiful expression. It embodies a distinct theory of prosody: In the book "Milton's prosody" he takes an empirical approval to Milton's use of blank verse and develops a controversial theory that Milton's practice was essentially syllabic. He considers "free verse" to be too limiting and explained his position in the essay" Humdrum and Harum seanum" His own efforts to use free verse resulted in the poems he called Neo "Miltonic syllabies" were callected in 'New verse' 1925. The meter of these poems was based on syllabls rather than accents, and he used the principle again in long philosophical poem "The Testament of Beauty 1929"

He was a lover of "Sonnets'. But differs from the Elizabethan Rhyme pattern. His growth of Love" is a book of 69 sonnets with rhyme pattern a b b a, a b b a, a b a b, a b.

Bridges is poet of joy and optimism He adapts life cheerfully with all to tell. He is great lover of Nature's beauty. He is simple, direct and unaffected by any artificial glow of imagination. He presents the hills, the rivers, the meadows, in a charming manner; His landscapes of south, of the Thames are not wild, rugged or violenct.

The charm of Robert Bridges lies in his love of quite effects pale colour, small soft sounds, all the dreaming and all the greatness of still and beautiful day's.

Bridges was a great metrical Artist His effort was to naturalize classical meter in England. He introduced the richness, of vowel sound into the English Language. In his early dramas, masks and shorter poems he attained metrical excellence. He threw fresh light and the laws and secrets of verse and developed the study of phonetics and prosody.

Popularity:

Robert Bridges was not a popular poet. His poetry was privately printed and published in the beginning. His circle of admirers was comperatively small. He was made Poet Laureate in 1913 after the death Alfred Austin who was never known as a poet, But he acheived a great popularity shortly before his death with publication of "Testament of Beauty" in 1929. However, his verse evoked response in many great British composers of the time who set his poems to music. Robert Bridges became popular for his reformed spelling system which he devised with the help of distinguished typographer Stanley Morison who designed the new letter. Thus Robert Bridges contributed to phonation and became the Founder member of Society for pure English.

2- John Edward Masefield.

(1st June 1878 - 12th May 1967)

1.Personality:

Masefield was born on 1st June 1878 in Ledbury in Herefordshire. His mother Caroline died when he was only six. His father George Masefield a solicitor could not bear the pang of separation and soon died Thereafter. John went to live with his aunt. For education he was admitted to the king's school in Warwick where he remained as boarder from 1888 to 1891. Then he left to board the H.M.S. Conway ship to be trained for a life at sea. He was very much addicted to reading.

He spent several years aboard this ship and found that he could spend much of his time in reading and writing. It was aboard the convoy that he developed a taste for story tiling while on the ship. He listened to the stories told about sea lore, He continued to read and realized that he was destined to become a writer and story teller himself.

At the age of 16, in 1894, Masefield boarded another ship "Gilcruix destined to Chile. The voyage brought him, the experience of sea sickness.

While sailing through the extreme weather he felt extreme delight in saving flying fish, porpoises and birds. He was overawed by the beauty of nature specially to see a sight of nocturnal rainbow. The nautical blusters gave him extreme ecstasy. On reaching chile, he suffered from sunstroke and was hospitalized. He eventually returned to England aboard a steamship. But next year in 1895, he again returned to sea on a wind farmer destined for New York City. But soon, while in New York a feeling of despondency overtook him, and he descried ship jobs. There he lived as vagrants for several months and did many odd jobs and worked even as an Asstt. to a Bar Keeper.

At the age of 17 years sometimes round Christmas of 1895, Masefield read a New York periodical "Truth" Dec 1895 edition, which contained a poem. "The piper of Arie by D.C. Scott" reading of which inspired him intensely and set him on fire. Since then he did develop a love for poetry. He expressed his desire in Sea-Fever'

"I must go down to the seas again to the lonely sea and sky and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steerby.

"And the wheels kick and the wind's song and white sails shoking and a gay mist on the sea's face and gay down breaking.

I must go down to the sea again for the call of the ruming tide is wild call and a clear call that may not be denied.

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

Thereafter Masefield was employed in a carpel upto 1897, where working conditions were not satisfactory, but his keen interest in reading continued and he purchased 20 books in a week and devoured both classical and modern literature. His reading extended to the works of Chaucer, Keats, Shelly, Thomas Brown, Hazlitt, Dickens, R.L. Stevenson. Then, he returned to England in 1897 as a passenger aboard a steamship. There, 23 years Masefield met his future wife in 1901, aged 35 years. Educated in classiecs and English Literature and a Mathematics teacher Constance Crommelin was a suitable match for Masefield despite the difference in age. The couple had two children. Judith born in 1904 and Lewis born in 1910.

When the First world war started, he joined the staff of a British Hospital in France for French soldiers as a hospital orderly in 1915. After serving for breif period, he returned home. Thereafter, Masefield was invited to the United Stats on a three month lecture tour on English Literature. There, besides lecturing, he collected information on the mood and views of Americans regarding the war in Europe. When he returned to England after 3 months he submitted a report to the British Foreign office and be the permission of the Govt. to write a book on the failure of the efforts of allied powers in the Dardanelles which could be used in U.S. to counter the German Propaganda. He wrote the Book. Gallipoli during the wartime which encouraged the British People and raised their morale and lifted them from the disappointment they had fell due to losses in Dardanelles.

Due to success of his wartime writings Masefield met with the head of "British Military Intelligence in France" and was asked to write an account of the "Battle of the Somme", but he was denied to the access of official record, and therefore, he could finish the book, but his "preface" to the book was published as "The old Frontline" as a description of the Geography of the somme Area.

In 1918 Masefield returned to America on his second lecture tour and spent much of his time speaking and lecturing to American soldiers waiting to be sent to Europe for war, These speaking engagements were very successful, and one occasion a battalion of all black soldiers danced and sang for him after his speech. During his tour he matured as a public speaker and realized his ability to touch the emotions of his audience with his style of speaking which sprang from his heart rather from dry written speeches. During this trip both Yale and Harvard Universities conferred honorary Doctorate of letter on him.

After the end of 1st world war, he became honourable Author. His family settled bed on Boar's Hill a rural setting close to Oxford and Masefield took up bee-keeping, goat herding and poultry keeping. In 1921 he received honorary doctorate of Literature from Oxford University.

In 1923, he organized "The Oxford Recitation, an annual contest to discover good speakers of verse and to encourage, the beautiful speaking of poetry. The Recitations were a success in view of the number of contest applicants, the promotion of natural speech in poetical recitation and the number of people learning how to listen poetry. However, later Masefield began to question himself, whether the Recitations should continue in the shape of contest. He thought that it would become more of festival and therefore he broke with the concept of contest and the Recitations came to an end.

Appointment as a Poet Laureate:

In 1930, after death of Robert Bridges Poet Laureate was to be appointed. The first Nobel Prize winner in Literature in 1907, Rudyard Kipling, a poet of Imperialist ideology was a possible choice as per the people's voice. But Poet laureateship being top official post at national level, appointment was required to be made by the king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. In England, first Labor Govt. under the Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald was formed in 1929, who recommended the name of John Masefield and King George V appointed him as England's Poet Laureate in 1930, who remained in the office for 37 years till his death in 1967. This was the longest period of Poet Laureateship in 20th Century. The only person to remain in the office was Lord Tennyson. (1850-1892) for 42 years in 19th Century Victorian Rule.

On the appointment of Masefield as Poet Laureate in 1930, The 'Times' News Paper said of him" His poetry could touch to Beauty the plain speech of every day life". Indeed, he was a poet of people with democratic sympathy for the down trodden, the poor and the rural England.

Although, the requirement of the Poet Laureate to write verse for special political occasions had changed by that time, and those in office were not required to write such verses, Masefield took has appointment seriously and produced a large quantity of verse. In 1932, Masefield was commissioned to compose a poem. for the occasion of unveiling of the queen of Alexandra Memorial by king Georg V on 8th June 1932. For this he wrote. "So many true Princesses who have gone" which was set to music by the Master of the king's Music sir Edward Elgar and performed by choir and orchestra at the auspicious occasion. He sent the Poems composed in his official capacity to 'Times' newspaper. It is highest humility of Masefield that he enclosed a stamped Envelope to the Editor of Times so that his composition could be returned if unacceptable for publication.

After his appointment as Poet Laureate, Masefield received the order of Merit by King George V and many honorary degrees from British Universities. In 1937, Masefield was elected as President of the Society of Authors. He encouraged the development of English Literature specially the Poetry. He started annual awarding of the Royal Medals for Poetry for a first or second published edition of Poetry by a poet less than 35 years of Age. In spite of his speaking engagement on longer tours he continued to contribute significantly to enrich English literature in a wide variety of genres.

Masefield slowed down his writing after the age of 70 year due to illness. In 1960 his wife Constance died at the age of 93 year after long illness. After that he spent a tiring time. But he continued his duties as Poet laureate. His last book was "In glad thanks giving" published in 1965 at the age of 88 years. After one year on 12th May 1967 he died due to infection of gingering in his ankle and leg. According to his wishes. He was cremated and his ashes were placed in 'Poet's Corner' in Westminster Abbey. He wrote the following verse addressed to his "Heirs, Administrators and Assigns".

Let no religious rite be done or read

In any place for me when I am dead,

But burn any body into ash, and scatter

The ash in sacred running water,

Or on the windy dawn, and let none sec.

And then thank God that there is end of me.

After his death, the Warrick school where he was educated was named as "The Masefield Centre at Warrick School. "In 1977 Folkways records released an Album of his poetry which included poems read by himself.

Performance

(Works, subject matter, style)

Works:Masefield's works included poetry, plays Fiction and Prose and Autobiographies.

Poetry Collections-

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Phays :

Fiction:Masefield wrote 25 fictions including the following:

Prose / Biography:

Subject Matter-

Masefield is basically a sea- Poel. The life of the sea, the ships, and sailors, find a vivid and realistic place in his poems of Saltwater Ballads particularly poems like Danber and Sea Fever. Masefield is also a romantist and lover of Beauty, and best of his poems are in which we get glimpse of both romance and Beauty like "The Seekers" and "Cargoes". The subject matter of Masefield is common contemporary life particularly of down trodden, the poor and the suffering. He is really a poet of People with stark realism. Dauber (1913) is an autobiographical Poem which describes the like of a youth who runs away to sea. It contains many memories of Poet's early life. It catches the wonder and magic of the sea. Renard the Fox (1919) is a narrative poem that describes a fox hunt. It is a little Odyssey of fox hunting. "The ever lasting merey" is his great narrative poem.

Sea-Poet-Approximately seventy pevcentens the globe is governed by the power of oceanus England itself is a island girdled by sea. During Victorian period largest part of the world was under its "whiteman's Burden" as described by Nobel prize winner Rudyard Kiplin Masefield had a born love for Sea, which is reflected in the Poem. "Sea Fever" contained in the volume. Salt water Ballads" published in 1902.

Poet finds extreme pkasure in the silence of the sea and sky, while sitting in the tall ship and seeing the stars in sky, hearing the sweet sound's of wheel's wing, and enjoying the music of wind, gray mist and dawn.

"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 white clouds flying.

And the flung spray and the blown spums.

And the sea gulls crying.

Sea in the following poem. Cargoes' how the poet enjoys the cargo of ivory sandalwood, cedar wood, with living apes and peacocks vis-avis. Cargoes. loaded with Diamonds, Emeralds and golds as well as cargoes of coal.

Quinquirene of Ninveh from distant ophir

Rowing home to haven in sunny palestine

With a cargo of ivory, and apes and peacocks

Sandalwood, cedar wood and sweet white wine.

Stalely spanish galleon coming from the Isthmis

Dipping through the tropics by the palm green shores

with a cargo of diamond, emeralds amythystes,

Topazes and cinnamon, and gold modores.

The poem "Sea Fever" has the emotional spine. like W.B. Yeat's" "The Lake isle of Innisfree".

"I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfre.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore

While I strand on the road way or on the pavements grey

I hear it in the deep heart's core"

W.B. yeat's fire for Insifree Lake is symbol of Homesickness and escapism from the world of drab realities whereas Masefield's fire is for sea fever itself.

The "Everlasting Mercy" (1911) is one of the best Poems of John Masefield in which he presents in first person the evangical conversion of Saul from prize fighting, drink and debauchery Racy idioms and octosyllabic blend the poem.

Saul kate narrates his previous history in the following poems.

I was folk's contrary son.

I bit my father's hand right through.

And broke my mother's heart in two

I sometimes go without my dinner.

Now that I know the times I have given her.

I cut my teeth and took to fun,

I learned what not to be afraid of

And what stuff women's lips were made of,

I learned with what a rosy feeling.

Good ale makes floors seem like the ceiling.

And how the moon. give shiny light.

To lads as roll home singing by't

My blood did leap, my flesh did revel

Saul kane was tokened to the devil.

I lived in disbelief of heaven

I drunk I fought, I poached, I whored,

I did despite into the Lord.

I used, I would make a manlook pale.

And nineteen times I went to goal.

After descrbing evil attributes of Saul kanes, he narrates one of his confrontations with his friend Billy Mayers over the ownership of a field.

Now, friends, observe and look upon me,

Mark, how the Lord took pity on me.

By dead Man's Thorn, while setting wires

Who should come up but Billy Myres.

A friend of mine, who used to be

As black a sprig of hell as me.

With whom I had planned, to save encroaching

which fields and coverts ach should poaching.

Now, when he saw me set my snare.

He tells me," Get to hell from there.

This field is mine," he says "by right"

If you poach here, there will be a fight."

There was war of words between them but they postponed the fight after harvest on the wood top grass land. He narrates-

But wood Top grass is short and sweet.

And a springy to a boxer's feet.

At harvest hum the moon so bright.

Did shine on wood Top for the fight.

When Bill was stripped down to his bends.

I thought how long we two had been friends,

And on my mind, about that wire,

I thought." He is right I am liar'.

There were several rounds of fight between them after long struggle, heart undergoes a change.

"And in men's hearts in many lands

A spiritual plowman. stands.

Forever waiting, waiting now.

The heart is" Put in, man, zook the plow".

And the entire scenario is changed as under:-

"By this the sun was all one glitter

The little birds were all atwitter,

out of a tuft a little lark.

Went higher up than I could mark.

His little throat was all one thirst.

To sing until his heart should burst.

To sing aloft in golden light.

His song from blue air out of sight.

The mist droveby, and now the cows

Came plodding up to milking hour

Followed by Frank, the Callon's cowman'

who whistled" Adam was a plowman"

There came such cawing from the roots

Such running chuck from little brooks

One thought it march, just budding green

with hedgerows full of celandine.

I heard a partridge covey call

The morning sun was bright on all

Down the long slope the plow team drove.

The tossing rock arose and hove.

And finally, ends the song in the following words and the. "Everlasting Meroy" comes to close.

And now my song is ended

And all the summer splended.

The blackbird's second brood,

Routs beech leaves in the wood.

The pink and rose have speeded.

Forget-me-not has seeded.

Only the winds that blew

The rain that makes things new

The Earth that hides things old.

And blessings manifold.

O Lovely lily clean,

O Lily springing green

O Lily bursting while

Dear lily of delight

Spring my heart again

That I may flower to men.

This was the first narrative poem of Masefield. Which contained the truth of life in brief. It was followed by "The widow in the By street' and "Dauber". Masefield became widely popular in 1912 He was awarded the Annual Edmond de Polygene prize. In 1920's, three poems (1) Reynard the Fox, (2) Right Royal and (3) King Cole, Renard the Fox emphasis the relationship of humanity and Nature. His "Douber 1913 is the story of an Artist. He goes to sea so that he can paint nautical scenes with inside understanding.

After 'King Cole' Masefield turned away from long poems to the Novel and from 1924 to second world war, 12 novels were published which included Midnight Folk 1927, the Box Delight 1935, Victorious Troy 1935. In the same period he wrote a large number of dramas. Most of theme were based on Christian themes. He also faced ban on the performance of plays on Biblical subject. However later a compromise was reached, in 1928. His "The coming of the Christ" was the first play to be performed in an English Cathedral since the Middle Ages.

Being influenced by Chaucer, Keats Shelly, Thomas Browne, Hazlitt Dickens, Rud yard Kipling and R.L. Stevenson he was both classical and modern on various aspects of social economic and political life of the common people. During 1st world war (1914-18), like Rudyard Kipling he wrote on success and failure of the battle and encouraged the soldiers by his speeches and writings. Allied Power had incurred heavy losses in Dardanelles battle. Masefield wrote 'Gallipoli' for the use of Political Leaders and Army personal against the Axis power. This was a great success. After the war he became a well known writer and he continued to meet with success. In 1923 approximately 80,000 copies of his collected poems were sold. Masefield, like W.B. Yeats had a romantic longing for a more perfect work. He tries to live in the fairy land of love.

Style:

Imaginative clarity, easy fluency and vibrancy are the main attributes of his style. Racy idioms and octo syllabics have the happiest combination in his poetical works. His early poetry is written in the style of Rudyard Kipling. A note of action and adventure is visible. He describes in outspoken style without using stately diction. The everlasting mercy (1911).

The widow in the Bystreet (1912), The Daffodil Fields and Dauber (1913), Lollengdown (1917) and Reynard Fox have paved a new life into the English narrative verse. They may be read as couplets quotrons with rhymes and proper lineation. Poet is always in control of his rhymes, rhythms and meters.

Masefield in his historical play. "The tragedy of Pompey the Great (1910)", is vigorous and sinewy with abrupt jerks and spurts breaking the rythm. His religious plays. Good Friday (1916) and the Trial of Jesus (1925) are poetic dramas in verse with sustained dramatic dialogue and vitality.

However, in the narrative poems, lineation of the stanzas differs. For example, in the Everlasting Mercy, the stanzas range between 4 lines to 32 lines as illustrated below:-

On the wood Top field the peewit's go

Mewing and wheeling ever so;

And like. The shaking of Timbrel.

Cackles the laughter of whimbrel.

In the old quarry pit they say

Head keeper pike was made away

The walks, head keeper pike, for harm

He taps the windows of the farm

The blood drips from his broken chin

He taps and begs to be let in

On wood Top nights, I have shaked to hark.

The Peurts wimbling in the dark.

Lest in the dark the old man might

Creep up to me to be a light.

The next 32 lines stanza in starts as under.

The stakes were drove the ropes were hitched

Into the ring my hat I pitched

My corner faced the squire's park

just where the fir trees make it dark

The place where I begun poor Nell

Upon the woman's road to hell.

I thought after, sitting in my corner.

After the time keeper stroke his Warner.

While we whom Jesus died to teach fought round and round three minutes each.

Masefield's couplets may be compared with John Dryden's couplets. For example.

All human things are subject to decay

And when fate ramous monarch must obey

It may also be compared with couplets of Alexendr Pope. (1668-1744)

Masefield was also fond of writting sonnets of 14 lines, with the rhyme. pattern a,b,ab, a,b,ab,ab,ab,ce, A sonnet from the "Story of a Round House (1915) is given below.

Is there a great common wealth of thought

which ranks the yearly pageant and decides

How summer's royal progress shall be wrought

By secret stir which in each plant abides?

Does rocking daffodil consent that she

The snow drop of wet winters, shall be first

Does spoted cowslip with gross agree

To hold her pride before the rattle burst.

And in the hedge what quick agreement goes

When hawthorn blossoms redden to decay

The Summer's pride shall come, the Summer's Rose

Before the flower be on the bramble spray.

Or is it, as with us unresting strife

And each consent, a lucky gasp for life.

Masefield' sonnet is supremely royal in thought and theme. By the symbols of flowers Daffodils, cowslip, hawthorn, bramble and the rose and season's winter and summer, the entire political situation during the 1st world war has bean described in a single sonnet.

Popularity:

John Masefield was a Georgian Poet, Georgeon Poetry is the poetry of the Pertod from 1910-1935 during which king George II ruled over England. Masefield is popular because of the following qualitics of his poetry.

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His contemporary poets include T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) W.B. Yeats (1865-1939), W.H.Auden (1907-1973), Stephen spender (1906-1995), George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) a dramatist was also his contemporary. During 1930's all these were active in writing. It may be recalled that from 1929 to 1940's was a period of economic depression in America and England. In England, Ist Labour Govt. was formed in 1929 under the Prime Ministership of Ramsay Macdonald but it had to resign due to economic depression in the winter and for the first time a national Govt. of all major parties. Conservatives Labour and liberals was formed under Labour Leader Macdonald which continued till 1935, when the labour party lost the election. The period from 1935-1940 witnessed the rule of conservative Prime Minister's Baldwin (1935-37) and Chamberlain (1937-40); From 1940-45 (The period of war. There was coalltion Govt of Labour and conservatives. This was followed by Labour Govt. under Atlee (1945-50) under whom India got inslependexce Thus we see that From 1930 to 1950, socialism prevailed in England. There is indired relationship between Poetics and Politics. In 1930's Sir Stephen. Spender in association with poets W.H. Auden, C. Day Levis Mac-Niece formed an influential group of left-wing writers. Spender was passionately a political poet, working as a protagonist for the Republicans in Spanish civil war. In "Destructing Elements (1935), he defends Poetry's addressing of a poetical subjects through a discursion of fellow poets W.B.Yeats and T.S. Iliot. John Masefield was very much influenced by the Spender's thought. That poetics cannot be alienated from politics and this ideology which he exalted during 37 years of his Poet Laureateship from 1930-1967 made him the representative poet of the Modern Age. He was appointed as poet Laureate during Labour regime and died in 1967 under Labour regime under Wilson (1964-1969)

His popularity cannot wane and shall always remain by his poetic reputations, touching the emotions of Audience, by his war service in publishing war novel wiz Bird of Dawning and Victorious Troy, Social Novels about modern England viz. The Haw bucks and "The Square Peg., and the Religions Drama "The coming of the Christ."

The popularity of John Masefield has been immortalized in "Art song settings' Many of his short poems were set as art songs by British Composers of the time. The best known is his "Sea-Fever", the last popularity of which belies any mismatch between Language and Melody. Several songs from the 'Salt Water Ballads' were crafted to musical tone. Of these "Trade winds" is very popular. Frederick keel's setting of "Tomorrow" written during world war It was frequently programmed at the BBC even after the war. Another memorable war time composition is Ivor Gurnev's climatic declamation of "By a sea-side", a setting quickly set down in 1916 during a brief spell behind the lines.

Further, Masefields popularity has been immortilised by "Warwick school" which he attended, by naming "Masefield centre at Warwick. In his honour, a high school in Ledbury, Herefordshire has also been named after him. In 1977, 10 years after his death, Folkways. Records released an album of his Poetry, including some read by Masefield himself.

He lived a long life of 89 years (1878-1967) and served the people and princes, He served Prime Minister - MacDonald Baldwin, Chamberlain, Churchill and Wilson with complete cooperation with Labour and conservatives in the interest of state. In his last book written one year before his death at age of 89 years. "In Glad Thanks Giving", he gladly thanks the people, He saw the regime of queen Victoria till his youth (1878-1901), George II (1910-1936), Edward VIII (1936) who abdicated the throne George VI (1936-1952) and finally the reign of Queen Elizabeth II from 1952 to his death in 1967.

3- Cecil Day Tewis (27th April 1904 to 22nd May 1972)

Personality:

Cecil Day Levis was born in Ballintubbert, Strand balley Queen's Country known as County Laois, Ireland on 27th April 1904. His mother Kathleen died in 1906 when he was innocent child of 2 years. After the death of his mother he was brought up by his father Reverend Frank Cecil Day Lewis in London, with the help of an aunt. His father also died on 29th July 1937, when he was of 33 years. However, when Ireland, a British Colony got the status of Republic, in 1948, he chose British Citizenship, though he continued to consider himself as Anglo-Irish for the remainder of his life.

He was educated at Sherborne school and Wadham College Oxford. While in Oxford, he came in Contact with W.H.Auden (1907-1973), who believed in theories of socialism (communism) of Karl Marx. He helped W.H.Auden in editing Oxford poetry 1927. He married Constance Mary in 1928 the daughter of a Sherborne master (teacher) and worked as school master. But after three years of his married life he fell in long love with Rosamond Lehmann (1901-90) a novelist and short story writer, sister of Poet and Critic John Lehmann. His first marriage with Constance Mary was dissolved in 1951 at the age of 47 years and he married actress Jill Balcon in 1951, who lived with him till his death in 1972. From his first wife he had two children. Sean day Lewis (1931) and Nicholas Day Lewis (b 1934). From the second wife also he had two children Tamasin (b 1953) and Daniel (b. 1957) who was an Actor and Documentary Film maker.

Day Lewis was a member of the Communist Party from 1935-38 and he wrote early poems basically on social themes influenced by Marx and Auden. He edited "The Mind in chains" Socialism and the cultural Revolution. In 1930's Sir Stephan Spender in association with poets W.H. Auden and C.D. Lewis and Louise MacNeice formed an influential group of left wing writters. They advocated socialism and denounced capitalism which had lost its social and cultural values. He was of the view that Promethean fire of prosperity, progress welfare and enlightenment for the benefit of mankind was being used to stoke up the furnaces of private profit. But graduately he became disillusioned with socialist doctrine. He disliked 1956 Repression of Hungry and the ruthless strategies of U.S.S.R., a socialist Republic His "Buried day (1960)" denounced the communist ideology, but his story "The sad variety" contains a scathing portrayal of doctrine of Communism.

During the second world war (1939-45) he was engaged as Publication Editor in the Ministry of Information and "Word over all (1943)" reflects his poetic maturity, During this period he also wrote "Short is the time (1945)". Besides poetry this period also witnessed his Novels written in the name of Nicholas Blake as under:-

His novel "Minute for murder is set against his experience in world war-II in the ministry of Information.

After the end of war, Day-Lewis was appointed as a Lecturer at Cambridge University in 1947. He was a professor of Poetry at Oxford from 1951-56. Later 1962-63, he was Norton Professor at Harward University. He also decorated the prestigious positions in Literature as Chairman of Arts Council Literature Panel, Vice President of the Royal Society of Literature, an Honorable Member of the American Academy of Arts and letters, a Member of Irish Academy of letters and professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College. He also worked with publisher Chatto and Windaus as Director and senior Editor.

Appointment as Poet Laureate:

John Masefield the existing Poet Laureate died in 1967 In view of his seniority socialist ideology and enormous literary contributions particularly during the second world war Cecil Day Lewi's name was recommended by the Labour Prime Minister Wilson (1964-69) for Poet Laureateship and he was appointed under the hand and seal of Queen Elizabeth II. He remained on this post for 4 years. During this period he wrote only two books, "The Private wound (1968) a novel and "The whispering Roots and other poems (1970)

Deaths of Cecil Day Lewis-

Day-Lewis died of pancreatic cancer on 22nd May 1972 at the age of 68 years at the residence of Kingly Amis (1922-95) a novelist and poet associated with "angry young men" of the 1950's. At the tune of his death he and his wife Jill Balcon were staying there in Herefordshire. Day-Lewis was very fond of Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) a novelist and poet, writer of "Far from the Maddening Crowd (1874). Therefore, he had desire that he should be buried, close to Hardy's grave in Stanford churchyard and according to his wish he was buried there. The epitaph of Day-Lewis reads-

"Shall I be gone long?

Forever and a day

To whom there belong?

Ask the stone to say

Ask my song."

Performance

(Works Subject Matter and Style)

Works:

Poetical:

Apart from above poems he edited the following Anthologies and essays:-

Translations:

Novels written in pseudonym of Nicholas Blake include-

(or Death and Daisy Blond)

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Children's novels:

Subject Matter/Style-

Geil Day Lewis gave fullest and clearest expression of revolutionary doctrine of Marx. In his poem Magnetic Mountain he attacks the existing social system and makes a fervent appeal for a revolution which would bring just social system. He is a great Lover of the Beauty of Nature. He was an open air poet, above all a poet of wind and bird song of everything that Shared and inspired his nervous vitality (A.S. Collins)

In the poetical work. "From feather to Iron (1932)" C.D. Lewis presents a very colorful picture of Beauty, Truth and love. Lewis was married with Constance in 1928, and three years after marriage, he fell in long love with Rosamond Lehman 3 years senior to him in age. An extract from the book "Feather to iron" is given below-

Beauty's end is insight

Terminus where all feather's joys alight

Wings that flow lightly

Fold and are iron

We see their end of mortality.

Don't expect again a phoenix hear

The Triple towered Sky, the dove complaining

Sudden the rain of gold and heart's first ear

Tranced under trees by ederich light of sun-dying.

The theme seems to be taken from the poem "The phoenix and Turtle" where phoenix represents Beauty and Turtle or Dove the Truth. Shakespeare poem consists of 13 quotrons followed by 5 triplets (stanzas of 3 lines In shakespear's poem, phoenix represent, Beauty, and the Turtle Truth. They are united by love, after their death. Reason personified as the singer of the laments in Triplet declares that world has been deprived of real truth and real Beauty.

Truth may seem but cannot be

Beauty brag, but it is not she

Truth and Beauty buried be

Beauty and Truth, have, there, fore, no meaning separable from love.

The key words of the poem have been beautifully woven together into the rhymes. Insight, alight. Tightly, and "mortality" in the 1st stanza. The words "hear' and 'ear', 'complaining' and "sum-dying", thread the 2nd stanza completely to exhibit the unity of the Beauty of phoenix with "Truth of Dove' through the lovely Heart's trance.

Here, the poem reminds us of keat's Endymian where.

"A thing of Beauty is joy forever.

Its loveliness increases, it will never

Pass into nothingness"

It reminds us also of Keat's 'Grecian Urn' where "Beauty is Truth and Truth Beauty-that is all, ye know on earth, all ye need to know."

Cecil Day's doctrine of Beauty is that "Beauty's end is insight terminus where all feather's joys alight". And it is through love that Phoenix and Dove unite.

Joy or happiness of humanity is another name for Good or welfare oriented missions of modern Political governance German poet Hermann Hesse speaking about the relation of Beauty and good said-

"We don't doubt that cleavage between Beauty and Good is not an absolute fission, but only a self differentiation of a unitary living essence - both being the daughters of the same principle Truth"

Infact, the wholeness, harmony and Halo (radiance) of Beauty in unity with Truth beget "Good". The three are so intertwined that they are the three points of the equilateral triangle of universe. Anyone may be apex or base points of the triangle signifying the cosmic equilibrium.

The political concept of Day's Beauty's can be summed up by critic as under-

"Love is that fragrant flourishing flower

whose heavenly hue and omniscient odour

Pervade passionately every law and order.

with peace and proper prosperous shower.

O, God, never allow the Govt. of Beauty and Love.

To be caught in the quagmire of cunning craft.

The wholeness, harmony and halo to rob and rove.

Beguiled by glittering gifts, graces and grafts..

Globalization is lovelisation of the Gee.

No gravitation or possessiveness, she or me.

Venus, Goddess of Beauty and love be liberal

To make Earth and Heaven, more integral

The Truth of Beauty and love as such.

No Terror does dare ever to tease or touch.

2-Cecil Day as a political or National Poet of Time:

Political Invasion and Economic Recession are two crucial calamities, disaster or crises of political economy of any welfare oriented. Nation State where war like united effort of political Leaders of all parties, united effort of capitalist or socialist economists social and literary thinkers, Poets and writers are required. U.K. has a good traditions of this doctrine of war against political invasion or Economics Recession. In 1930's there was acute Economic recession in the country and National Govt. of all the parties. Labour, conservative and Liberal was formed under the Leadership of labour Leader Macdonald. (1931-35) Similarly National Govt. under Leadership of Conservative Leader Churchill was formed during IInd world war to tide over the crises of world war II and in both recession and invasion U.K. came out victorious. It may be recalled that in 1930's Sir Stephen Spender (1906-95), W.H. Auden (1907-1973) and C.D. Lewis and Louse Mac Niec formed on influential Group of writer's to combat the recession-

Day Lewis's asserted that poets had a prominent role to play in articulating the pressing. Challenges of economic recession and rising unemployment despite Britain finding itself in an economic mesh with clear parallels to the 1930's, no one is suggesting that successful candidate for poet laureateship will line up along side politicians meaning fully to address the recession.

Thus we see that subject matter, and theme of his poetry is Socio Politico Economic reformation of the Age, of the Masses, of the monarchs, of the Rulers and the Ruled. In this connection it is desirable to read his well known poem "The conflict" Which not only reflects dilemma of his individual loyalty in politics but also reveals how the sorrow of conflict, and strife, grief's and desires is ventilated through songs and how the pride finds poise through song.

Singing I was at peace.

Above the clouds, outside the ring"

For sorrow finds a swift release in song,

And pride its poise"

According to Cecil Day Levis Neutratisty is not safe when one is between two powerful warring Nations.

"Yet living here,

As one between two passing powers I live.

Whom neutrality cannot save

Nor occupation cheer.

None such shall be left alive.

The innocent wing is soon shot down

And private stars fade in the blood-red-dawn.

Where two worlds strive!

In 'Conflict' innocent wings are shot down and private stars go into oblivion in the bloody dawn.

The Poet in beautiful diction describes the March of war with pride, blood shed, ambition and grief:-

"The red advance of life

Contracts pride, calls out the common blood,

Beats song into a single blade

Makes a depth-charge of grief"

In the last quatrain, poet describes the deplorable condition of Land falling between two sides of war and conflict which is not worth human living.

Move, then with new desires

For where we used to build and love

Is no man's land, and only ghosts can live.

Between two fires.

In the first three quartons of the poem. "Conflict" Poet describes his vulnerable position on the tilting deck amid the nautical bluster, and the strong conflict.

I sang as one

Who on a tilting deck sings

To keep men's courage up, though the wave hangs.

that shall cut off their sun.

As storm cocks sing,

Flinging their natural answer in the wind's teeth

And care not if it is a waste of breath

or birth carol of spring.

As ocean flyer clings

To height, to the last drop of spirit driving on

while yet ahead is land to be won

And work for wings.

Commenting on his style of expression Albert Gelpi professor of American Literature of Stanford University rightly writes.

"The strenuous effort to force ambivalence into balance and direction is written into the combination of volatility and symmetry in the prosody. The eight quatrons are neatly halved between the speaker as political Activists,

Another important political poem; which denotes his inner conflict between political doctrines of communism and capitalism was "In me two worlds". This conflict continues till the second world war After the war cold war started between Capitalist Power (U.S.A.) and Socialist Power (U.S.S.R.) but dualism of mind dried, because he saw the practical face of socialism. He became more liberal and integral, and therefore in his later writing socialist enfluence reduces. "Pegasus and other Poems' (1957), "Whispering roots and other poems (1970) and most of the Novels written after 1950 till 1959 viz Dreadfull Hollow, Catch and kill, A tangled web, End of chapter, A penknife in my heart and widow's Cruise, show a declining trend of socialism. And in deed 'The Buried Day' written in 1960, is the last burial of socialism for Cecil Day. The Head of a Traveler" is a novel which he wrote in the last year of 1940's i.e. in 1949. The 'traveler' world being symbol of progressive dynamism appears in many of his poems right from 'Transitional poems' (1929), the Magnetic Mountain (1933) and the Lighted House", 'in World over all (1943). His traveller travells a long way, both on trodden and untrodden troubled ways from the womb to the tomb. In the "Departure in the Dark" the poet portrays a very pragmatic picture of the sojourn of the soul In. "Nothing so sharply reminds a man that he is mortal as leaving as leaving a place.

In winter morning's dark the air on his face

Unkind as touch of sweating metal;

Simple goodbyes to children and friends, become

A felon's numb.

Farewell and love that was a warm, a meeting place,

Love is the suicide's grave under the nettles.

Gloomed and clammed as if by an imminent ice age

Lies the dear world.

Of your street strolling, field-faring. The senses, curled

At the dead end of a shrinking pasage,

Care not if close the inveterate hunters creep

And memories sleep

Like mammoths in lost caves. Drear extinct is the world

And has no voice for consolation or presage.

There is always something at such times of the Passover

when the dazed heart,

Beats for it knows not what, whether you part.

From home or prision, acquaintance or lover.

Something wrong with the time-table, something unreal

In the scrambled meal

And the bag ready packed by the door as though the heart

Has gone a head, or is staying here for ever.

At this blind hour the heart is informed of nature

Ruling that man

Should be no where a more tenacious settler than

Among wry thorns and ruins, yet nurture

A seed of discontent in his ripest ease.

There is a kind of release.

And a kind of torment in every good bye for every man

And will be even to the last of his dark departure.

For Day Lewis's both content and the form, Truth & Technique are important, For him Form is essential to make the meaning.

In fact, he implores the regularities and irregularities predictabilities and unpredictabilityies of Meter and rhyme; lineation and punctuation to explor, the intellectual and emotional depth sleeping in the semantics of the Poem's matter. Let us first examine his technique adopted to trace the Truth of the poem There are 4 stanzas of eight lines cach with fixed rhyme pattern of a-b-b-a c. c b a. The Poem also follows fixed patern of stresses. As regards the lineation 1st line of each stanza contains 10 words and they approximately correspond in length also. Similarly the second line of each stanza contains 4 words except in 4th stanza and length of lines are also almost the same. Thus almost in all the eight lines, there is a lineation pattern.

The Poet begins with universal truth. Nothing so sharply reminds a man that he is mortal as leaving a place" Dynamics drives to death. The poet further qualifies this departure with Time and place, which if not suitable, becomes feelingless farewel even with formal goodbyes to children and friends. Love becomes suicidal grave dug below a stinging tree.

The second stanza also describes the despondency and deprestion of the Poet. He sees a gloom of ice-age hovering over his lovely world where he used to stroll the streets and fare the fields. The poet proceeds further along labyrinthine path and when he reaches dead end of the narrowing passage his senses cease to care for imminent dangers about him and his memories sleep and the world seams to be gloomy and dull without any voice of consolation for the past agonies or further challenges of life. In contrasts to the poet's glooms presented in the poem, Robert Bridge in his "Growth of Love" says that farewell is temperory phase of human life and sense may be deranged for short time.

"Farewel yet think not such a farewell's change

from tenderner though once to meet or part

But on Short absence so could sense derange

That tears have granted the greeting of the heart

They were proud drops and had my leave to fall

Not on their pity, but for my pain to call

Here the Poet is hopeful that even after departure he would make his life by the use of Art.

Now since to me, by thee refused

The world is left, I shall find pleasure still

The Art that most I have loved, but little used

will yield a world of fancied at my will.

The Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore (1913) in "Pangs of separation" from Gitanjali explains that this pang of separation is the cause of Poetic creation.

"It is this overspreading pain,

That deepens into loves and desire

Into suffering and joys in human homes

And it is that ever matter and flower.

In songs through my poet's heart"

Similarly contrary to C.D. Levis, the metaphysical poet. John Dane (1572-1631) challenges the Absence due to Departure and tells its advantages in the following words.

By absence this good means I gain

That I can catcher

Where none con catch her,

In some close corner of my brain

There I embrace and kiss her

And so I both enjoy and miss her

And in "Valediction forbidding mourning he expects expansion and not extinction of love on separation.

"Our two souls, therefore, which are one

Though I must go, endure not yet

A breach but an expansion.

Like Gold to every Thinness beat".

The third stanza refers to "Exodus" after the Jews Feast "Passover" It gives religious and mythological touch to the poem. The poet satirizes these occasion of valediction or Exodus by equating the dazzled heart's beating whether the departure is from home or Frision, ordinary quittance or from the lover. The feast and Departure are so formal or feeding Len that "packed bag of participants in the Feast is ready by the door, as of the mind heart of the guess has already gone ahead or the guest has gone already and the bag is waiting for all time to come. The poem, however, is silent on Moses's leadership of the people under God's Command through the desert. The poem, however, satiriser the ordinary and innocent Israelites who hesitate to differentiate between their Egyptian prism and rich and fertile homeland, between hardship already known and endured and unknown parade.

The fourth and Last stanza through laybrinthin sojourm of the Poem gathers momentum with aphoristic generalisation and natural laws, applicable to the blind alley of the hour when the heart is informed and mind is apprised of the Law of Nature that "the twisted thorms and ruins are the firmest places fit for the settlement of mankind." Poet pleads that a man is born to be on thorn. Error of Eros carries the Terror of Thantos. A man does breed the seed of dissatisfaction even when he is at his ripest and richest ease.

The last three lines of the last stanza express the essence of all human life where every departure is both a kind of release and formal salvation and sadness, in the entire sojourn of soul from womb to the Tomb of Dark cave.

Thus the royal poem of the Royal Poet, moves with royal pace in royal grace attended by Rhymes and Rhythms Allusions and Alliterations similes and Metaphor and the words proper. A keen observer and reader of the poem may rightly raise the questions viz Does the departure in the dark recall leaving London to visit his first wife Marry and their two sons? Leaving Brimdose, where Mary lived in Devon, to return to Rosumand Lehmann, his beloved and her children? Which home is prison, which prison home? "The place of departure is deliberately kept unspecified for general implication that "nothing so sharply reminds a man that he is mortal" and that every moment of Man is verture and opportunity, farewell and failure from bright beginning to the dark end. The radical apprehension of "Something wrong with the time-table. generated as well as frustrated desire to create discontent. The poem postalates the "Doctrine of Dissolution' in Bhagwat Gita (Chapter 3 canto 2, 63)

"Concentrating on objects and things

Man is attached to them, o Parth,

From Attachment, Desire springs,

And Frustrated Desire results in wrath

From wrath rises Infatuation,

That begets Memory Confusion

Which causes intellects' Ruin.

That Leads to Dark Destruction

/;k;rks fo"k;ku~ iaql%] lax% rs"kq mitk;rs

laxkr~ latk;rs dke% dkekr~ Øks/k% vfHktk;rs&62

Øks/kkr~ Hkofr lEeksg% lEeksgkr~ Le`fr foHkze%

Le`fr Hk`a'kkr~ cqf) uk'k% cqf) uk'kkr~ iz;f';fr&63

The same doctrine is reflected in the second stanza of the poem. "The senses, curled at the dead end of the shrinking passage, care not if close the inveterate hunters creep, and "lost caves."

In his next to none, notoriously popular book "Overtures to Death" his metaphysical powers are applied to a wide variety of personal and public topics in. The slick quatrons contain capsulated Truth-

With me my Lover makes

The clock assert its chime

But when she goes, she takes

The mainspring out of time.

See, how parts of a watch wonderfully vie with his love. He charmingly blunts, lucidly, imaginative inventories and celebrating conceptions. His poetic words. "Do'nt expect again a phoenix Love" for Beauty "Come out into the sun, for a man is born today", for celebration and "Take a whole holiday in honour of this?" for a cry of delight at birth is immortal

The Poet seems wary of Death. That is why despite his poetic composition "Overtures to Death, he wrote many novels on Death viz (1) Shell of Death (1936), The warm of Death (1961) and (o) the Marning after Death (1966), (4) Death and Daisy Blond.

Popularity

Popularity of Cecil Day Lewis can be measured by the popular recognition of the people, for the popular Govt. of the people and by the literary critics. As regards the people and their popular Govt. his appointment as Poet Laureate in 1968 proves his popularity.

But some literary Critios criticized his early works for its maturity and later works for lack of their intensity though Cecil Day Lewis shared the soual disenchantment of Auden, Spender and his other contemporary poets of 20th century. But it looks strange that Anthologists have also completely ignrol him. The critics also complain that his translation of Virgil is fastidionely fabricated and there seems to be a ceiling to his verbal awareness but his speeches during war time and sale of 1 lakhs copies of selected poems belie openly the observations of the critics.

The economic Depression Plauging the word of 21st century remembers C.D. Lewi's for his contributions to control the Depression of 1930's C. Day Lewis wrote a book, "Hope for Poetry in 1934. This book proved very useful in combating the Great Depression of the period. People remember him not only as literary poet but political poet of common people for the common good. The posthumous publication of his poems "The complete poems of C.D. Lewis" in 1992 proves his popularity even today.

The importance of poems of C.D. Lewis is now being realized, all over the world. Alfred Gelp an American writer wrote critical appreciation of his poems in his book. Living in Time the Poetry of C.D. Lewis" In 2007, Peter Stanford wrote. "C. Day, Lewis: a life." The present awakening in the world, about C.D. Lewis. justifies his poetic popularity in establishing the doctrine that Art is not for Art's sake, rather it is for the Truth, Good and Beauty of the world, for welfare and Happiness of common man.

4- John Betjemann

(28th Aug. 1906 - 19th May 1984)

Personality

Poet and Architect John Betjemann was born on 28th August 1906 at Parliament Holl Mansions in the Lissenden Gardens in Highgat North London. He was the son of a manufacturer of luxurious house hold garments, a background that provided him with a comfortable childhood. But he felt specially insecure because of belonging to a Business (trading) family in an era of more rigid class distinction.

His forefather had come from Netherlands more than a century earlier, setting up their home and business in Islington, London, Betjemann was baptisad at St. Arme's church High gate Rise, a 19th Century church situated just at the foot of High gate west Hill.

In 1909 when Betjemann was hardly 3 years of age , his parents shifted from parliament Hill Manson in a more opulent High Gate. He got the early education at the Byron House and Highgate School where he was taught by the Poet T.S. Iliot (1888-1965). Thereafter he boarded Dragon Preparatory school in North Oxford and Marlborough college, a public school in Wiltshire. In his penultimate year he joined the secret "Society of Amics' in which he was a contemporary of Louis Mac Neice (1907-1963) who later became a prominent Poet of detachment, melonchaly, and comic, Iromy and joined left wing writters. While at school, his exposure to the works of Aurther Machon won him over to High Church Anglicanism Which brought a important a change to his later writings and conception of Art.

After schooling Betjeman entered the Magdalene college affiliated with Oxford university with considerable difficulty, because he file the mathematics portion of the University's matriculation exam "Responsions". He was, however, admitted as a commoner (non Scholarship student) and entered the newly created school of English Language and literature. At Oxford he failed to eploit the Academic opportunities. His Tutor, a young C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a poet, novelist and writer on religion, considered him as an idle prig and he in turn considered Lewis as unfriendly, demanding and uninspired as a teacher. Betjeman particularly disliked the Coursework's emphasis on Linguistics. He dedicated most of his time to cultivating social life and threw himself a party going style. He showed his interest English Ecclesiastical Architecture. During his time at Oxford, he developed friendship with Mauriac Dean of Wadhan and he got a poem published in 1927 at the age of 21 years in a University magazine. 'Isis' He became editor of the student. News paper 'Cherwell' n 1927. His first book of Poems was privately printed with the help of a fellow student Edward James. But, he failed to pass the compulsory Holy Scripture Exam. known as Divinity. In Hillary Term 1928 he failed again in Divinity. He was then asked to retake the exam in Trinity Term. He then approched the Secretary of the Tutorial Board at Magdalen O.C. Lee to enter the Pass School a set of examination taken by undergraduates deemed unable to get Honours degree Permission was, how-ever granted to sit the Pass school exam as a special case. But he failed the Pass School exam too. However, he appeared thirds time the Divinity test and passed it but sent down after failing the Pass School. His academic failure at Oxford pained him for the rest of his life and he was never reconciled with his tutor C.S. Lewis. His mental wounds, however, healed when later, Oxford University Conferred" Doctorate of letter' in 1974 at the age of 68 years.

Betjemann left the University without degree but he maintained enduring love of Oxford and his contact with learned men including Louis Mac Niece and W.H. Auden who helped him great. After university he worked as Private Secretary, School teacher and film critic for the "Evening standard' He was employed in the ''Architectural Review" in 1930. Which he left in 1933 to become a freelance journalist.

Marriage:

While in the employment of "Architectural Review" Betjeman married Hon-Penelope Chetwode, the daughter of Field Marshal Lord Chetwode on 29th July 1933 at the age of 27 years. Both lived in Berkshire. A son was born to them in 1937, who was named as Paul. After 5 years of Paul's birth a daughter was borne in 1942, who was named as Candida Lyatt Green.

World War-II

The word war II broke out in 1939 and he offered for active service in the war, but he was rejected then he found war work with filmdivision of the Ministry of Information. In 1941 (during the war II - 1939-45) he became British Press Attache in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, which though granted Independence in 1922 had not become Republic (till 1948). Ireland at that time was a neutral country not participating in was. There he was doubted to have gathering intelligence information and was selected for assassination by I.R.A (Irish Revolutionary Association), but the order was cancelled on the intervention of an unnamed old IRA man who was very much impressed by Betjeman's works. He wrote a number of poems based on his experiences in "Emergency" world war II Ireland: During his stay at Dublin he established friendly contacts with leading figures in the Dublin Literary field He published "New bats in old Belfries" in 1945.

After the Second World War (1946-1984)

In 1948, his wife Penelope became a Roman Catholic and they were separated. After 3 years of seperation in 1951 he met Lady Elizabeth Cavendish and developed friendship till 1984. By 1948, he had published more than Dozen books mostly the verse collections, Apart from poetic works he continued to compose works on Architecture during during 1960's and 1970's and started Broad Casting. He was also a founder Member of the victorian. Society (1958). He was also closely asociated with the culture and spirit of Metroland, as outer reaches of Metropolitan Railways were known before the war.

Death: For the last decade of his life (ie 1974-84) he suffered increasingly from Parkinson's disease. He died at his home in Trebethrick Cornwall on 19th May 1984 at the age of 77 years. He was buried half a mile away for his home in the churchyard at St. Endoc's Church. It is surprising to note that Betjeman was fond of the ghost stories of M.R. James, and supplied an introduction to Peter Haining's book. M.R. Jones Book of the Supernatural. He was susceptible to super-nature. There is Story told by Diana Medford in 1920's that Betjeman was staying with her at her Coventry home, "Biddesden House' and he had a terrifying dream in which he was handed a card with wide black edges and on it his name was engraved with a date and he knew this date to be date of his death.

Betjeman as Poet Laureate in 1972-

Before 12 years of his death, Betjeman, conservative in theme and form was appointed as Poet Laureate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Heath (1970-74) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1972. He was the first Knight Bachelor 1949 to be appointed as Poet Laureate of England. He, in this capacity as well as in the capacity television performer, ensured that his poetry reached an enormous audience. Similar to Tennyson who was a poet Laureate for 42 years he appealed to a wide public and managed to voice the thoughts and aspirations of many ordinary people while retaining the respect of his fellow poets within comparatively short period of 12 years. This was possible due to his simple metrical structures and rhymes. The recorded career of four albums on Christmas Records which induded "Banana Blush" 1973 and "Late flowering Love" 1974, where his poetry reading is let to music with overdubbing by leading musicians of the time. In 1973 he was made Honorary Member of American Academy of Arts and Letters. "A Nip in the time of Air" was the last Poetry collection published in 1974, after his appointment as poet Laureate.

Performance

(Works, Subject Matter and Style)

Poetic works:

His main Poetic works include-

Architectural-works

The "Shell Guides" were developed by Betjeman and Jack Belington who was Publicity Manager with Architectural Company shell Max. The series aimed to guide growing number of tourists around the counties of Britain and their historical sites. They were published by the Architectural Press and financed by Shell Max. Thirteen such Guides were published by the start of second world war 1939. Cornvall (1934) and Devon (1936) were written by Betjeman himself. A third "Shropshire" was written and designed with assistance of his friend. He had a fondness for Victorian Architecture. He wrote "London's Historic Railway Stations" in 1972 where in he defended the beauty of 12 London's railway stations. He led the campaign to save Holy Trinity, Sloane street in London when it was threatened with demolition in the early 1970's. He fought but failed to save the Propylaem known as Euston Arch London. He was commemorated when it re-opened as an International Domestic Terminus in Nov. 2007. He called the plan to demolish the station St. Paneras as a "Criminal folly'. About the station itself he wrote.

"What [the Londoner] sees in his mind's eye is that cluster of towers and pinnacles seen from Pentovile Hill and outlined against a foggy sunset, and the great are of Barlow's train shed gaping to devour incoming engines, and the sudden burst of exceburant Gothic of the hotel from gloomy Judd Street."

On the re-opening of St. Pancras in 2007, a statue of Betjemann by Martin Jennings was created in the station at plateform level. Infact, "Betjemann responded to Architecture as visible manifestation of Society's spiritual life as well as its political and economic structure. He attacked speculators and bureaucrats for their rapacity. In the preface of his collection of Architectural Essays "First and Last Loves" he says-

"We accept the collapse of the fabrics of over our churches the thieving of lead and objects from them the commandeering and butcheriing of our scenery by the services, the despoiling of landscaped parks and the abondonement to a fate worse than the workhouse of our corentry houses, because we are convinced we must save money."

He also praised the Architecture of Leeds Town Hall. In 1969 he contributed the' foreword to Derek Linstrum's "Historic Architecture of leeds"

Subject Matter and Style: (Poetry)

The Poetry of Sir John Betjeman seeks Eternal in common manifestations of the cosmos, with keen observations. He exploits his bumbling image in expressing his thoughts in humorous, satiric and parodiac style. His poetry is redolent of time and place. His poems contain the constant and constitent evocations of worthless stuff and noise of worldly life with enlightenment and entertainment. He does not write about obstract things. He prefers real places and faces. His subjects are not metaphysical. They relate with overbuilding of middlesex.

Betjeman was a practicing Anglican and his religious beliefs find expression in some of his poems, though with nagging negativity about the truth of christianity. But unike Thomas Hardy who did not believe in the truth of Christianity, he affirms his belief in christianity with fear of falsehood. For example, in his best known religious poem, "Christmas", the last three stanzas proclaiming the wonder of christ's birth proceed with question mark "and is it true"? The poem" The conversion of St. Paul" expresses his belief in christionity as under:-

"But most of us turn slow to see.

The figure hanging on a tree

And stumble on and blindly grope

Upheld by intermittent hope

God grant before we die, we all

May see the light asdid St. Paul".

1- Mount Zion (1932) is his first collection of Poems. Milton in "Invocation" to Paradise Lost while praying the Heavenly muse writes.

"If Sion (Zion) hill, delight thee more, an Siloa's brook that flowed fast by the oracle of God; I thence invoke thy aid to my adventurous song". Sion is pronounced as Zion in Jerusalem, birth place of God and Siloa is a spring on Mount Zion.

While Milton invokes heavily muse to alight from Mout Zion or aid him from there in writting the great Epic of English Literature (Paradise Lost), Betjemann in lighter vein, climbs the top of Zion to leap from there for salvation.

Climbing Mt. Zion

Looking for salvation

Wishing when the Lord finds me

I will meet his expectation

Hoping when I reach the top

My soul be pure.

And when I take a jump

That my troubles are no more

So I stand on Mt. Zion

Ready to leap."

Further if we compare this poem with poem" Meru" written by W.B. yeats (1865-1939), we find the echo of same theme. The salvation i.e. Nirvas of the soul, abondonment of everything materlalistic Yeats ends his poem "Meru" with.

"Know that day brings the night, that before Dawn His glory and monuments are gone".

While Betjeman climbs the mountain for salvation so that his troubles be no more "Escapism and nostalgia is transparent in both the poems. The difference is only in style and tequnique of expression. Yeats is serous and Betjemann is in satiric tone and lighter vein.

2-Continual Dew (1937) is his second important poetic collection published in 1937 just two years before the break of second world war. Socialism of Marx was on Zenith of Mount Zion under Lenin and Stalin, Germany was under dictatorship of Hitler (1933-1945), Mussoline had already his Fascist dictarship in 1922 in Itly. Emperor of Japan had become Imperialist and expansionist Despite establishment of league of Nation after First world war in 1920, world still was divided between two parts - on one side the axis powers Germany, Japan and Italy, and other side England France, U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. Germany was apprehended to attach with Bombs and infact attacked on 1st Sept. 1939 England Poland, and Frame, Conflict of ideologies. Militaralism mounted on failure of Disarmament. The Poet's sensitive mind presaged the bomb attack, but he prays."

Come, friendly Bomb, and fall on slough!

It is not fit for human now.

There is not grass to graze a cow

Swarm over, death"

In another poem "The Arrest of Oscar wild" at the cadogan Hotel" appearing in "Continual Dew" Poet mocks the Poet, Dramatist Novelist Oscarwild (1854-1900) and those Aestheticians who had become callous to society's cause for their ephemeral and erotic pleasures and errors. The poet satires their sexual and homosexual pleasures at the price of piety and mocks their aesthetic way of life:

He sipped at a weak hock and seitzer

As he gazed at the London skies.

Through the Nottingham lace of the Curtain

or was it his bees winged eyes?

The historical background of the poem is that in 1895, by a libel action against the Marquis of Queenberry, Oscar wilde exposed himself in countercharge of immoral homosexual conduct and was imprisoned for two years. The poem depicts the notorious nature of the Poets who sipped German Sodawater "Hock and seitzer" while enjoying the London sky unconscious of German's threatening of venomous war sitting in a luxurious Hotel. Betjeman tells the Truth of the Time, the Real Artist cannot and should not be immune from imminent crisis hanging over the Nation. The theme is sublime and symbolic in simple words rhymed "London Skies" and "Bees-winged eyes" which gaze at the former through the Nottingham lace of curtain.

3- was written after one year of the outbreak of second world war. When Germany after defeating France was bombing London and other big cities of England in night. The poet standing in the precincts of Church -Westminoster Abey prays Gracious God to bomb the Germans but spare their innocent women in his famous Poem. In Westminster Abbey" appearing in "Old Lights for New chancels"

"Gracious Lord, oh bomb the Germans

Spare their women for Thy Sake,

And if that is not too easy

We will pardon Thy Mistake

But gracious Lord, whatever shall be

Don't let anyone bomb me"

Unlike Thomas Gray standing in Country Churchyard who moaned the Martyrs in the grave, the poet fervently appeals to God to bomb the enemy. The poet is fully conscious that in war innocent woman and civilians should not be killed but he is aware of the reality that it is difficult to protect. Civilians in such war, and therefore it is pardonable error. It may be recalled that during the second world war 170 Lacks of civilians including women were killed.

Though on the outbreak of war in 1939. Betjeman offered for a active service in the war but he was rejected. He therefor, became an unarmed common civilian, ofcourse, lashed with power of pen, and he used this sword in composing this poem of prayer which is the only weapon of the weak to combat the terror as a poet in his ode to Jupiter prays:

"As you know, writers do not go

To the Residence of Gods and Rulers

Built on Mount or ocean below

To seek favour, power or pleasure

I invoke thee now and hence

To come from Olympia at once

To take the charge of violent war

To punish the pride and madness mar

Further, in his poem "On a Portrait of a Deafman' appearing in the same valume" Old lights for new chancels" the poet, expressing the voice of his heart, prays to God-

"He would have liked to say Goodbye,

Shake hands with many friends

In Highgate now his finger-bones

Stick through his finger-ends

You, God, who treat him thus and thus,

Say, "Save his soul and pray"

You ask me to believe you and

I only see decay"

Betjemann was born in High Gate North London He could not participate in war. He can only write and pray. He can only use his finger ends with pen. Here the poet expressos his disbellief about the existence of God, to see the terrors of Thanto's in decay and Death of the masses. God is Death victor, and if he fails to bless the human breath from the bond of Death, who will believe in the Existance of God. Here the poet challenges the very existence of God. Therefore like bewildered Eagle, he flutters and in paragon prayer utters-

"O Death Victor of Trinity

Truth, Good and Beauty

Ambition wisdom Activity

I urge to let me immerse

In the Ocean of Ambrosia

That I may soon emerge

With Eternal bliss of utopia

For sky, sea and the Earth

With perfume of Mirth"

4-New Bats in old Belfries was composed in the year 1945 when the war ended and peace was restored. His poem appearing in this volume "A Subalter's Love Song" is at his rollicking best, amorous and satirical in which he pokes fun at himself and upper middle classes to which he belonged. He celebrates this poem with straightforward pleasure. To illustrate his humour and satire, read the following stanza-

"Miss J. Hunter Dunn, Miss J. Hunter Dunn

Furnished and burnished by Aldershot Sun

What strenuous singles we played after tea.

We in the tournament, You against me.

But in last stanza-

"We sat in the car park till twenty to one

And now I am engaged to Miss Joan Hunter Dunn."

It is satire on Love and Marriage, This was the Middle dass morality. In the same volume, there is another poem "In Ireland with Emily" which contains the following stanza-

Stony seaboard, far and foreign

Story Hills poured over space

Stony outerop of the Barren

Stones in every fertile place.

It shows a new culture developing in the upper Middle class society of London. Poems are cosy and comic commensurate with new social values emerging after war.

5- A few Late Chrysanthemums was published in 1954. The Poems contained in this volume depict the breaking social relation and apathy of the people, lack of love at the back of licentiousness. A few illustrations are given:

"Devonshire street shows a timid wife, the X-ray of whose husband gives a confirmed message that there is no hope for his survival, but his brick-built house, lofty, calm and silent and its chimneys shall survive against water washed sky.

"No hope. And the X-ray photographs under his arm

Confirm the massage. His wife stands timidly by,

The opposite brick built house looks lofty and calm.

Its chimney steady against the mackerel sky.

The rhyme scheme of the poem a, b, a, b, reflectors the universal Truth and wonder of the world that man departs to dark death leaving every possession behind him and the wonder that he desires to live more.

In the poem "Business Girls" appearing in the same volume, the poet portrays the plight of whores and harlots in the following lines-

And behind their frail partitions

Business women lie and soak,

Seeing through the draughty sky light

Flying clouds and railway smoke

Rest you there poor unbeloved ones

Lap your lonelines in heat,

All too soon the tiny breakfast

Trolley bus and windy street

The poem is sensuous pathos, which does penetrate so deeply and intensly as William Blake's poem "London" published in 1794 in the following words-

"But most through midnight street I hear

How the youthful harlot's curse

Blasts the newborne infant's tear

And blights with plagues the marriage hearse

Here the Marriage hearse" -fusion of the joys of wedding and sorrows of funeral refer not only to disease but commercial relationship which poision love and confine it to prostitution or the prision of marriage. Here "The poor unloved ones" or the Business girls" invite sympathy without emotional surcharge. The words 'soek" 'lap your lonliness in heat" inflame the sensuous feelings and make the poem erotic.

The poem "The Licorica Fields at Pontefrad" taken from the same valume presents a sensums picture of a girl in love:

"In the licorica fields at Pontefrad

My love and I did meet

And many a burdened Licorice bush

was blooming round our feet;

Red hair she had and golden skin

Her sulky lips were shaped for sin

Her skirdy legs were flannel-slacked

The strongest legs in Pontefrad.

This sensuous description of Poet's beloved reminds us of Aeracia in Fairy Queen of Spenser-

"Upon a bed of Roses, she was laid

As faint through heat or dight to pleasant sin

And was arrayed or rather disarrayed

All in veil of silk and silver thin

That hid no white her alabaster skin

Her snowy breast was bare to readily spoil

of Hungry eyes, which not therewith be filled.

The sensuous description in both the cases is languid and lingering, in keeping with the luxurious and sensual situation of the place and persons. The Rhyme pattern in both the poems meet the requirement of Rhythmic Romance.

6.High and Low: was published in 1966. It contains poems on variety of subjects and themes expressed in aphoristic style. For example. The poem "The Hon. See" appearing in this volume postulates the pragmatic doctrine of human experience in words.

It is strange that those we miss the most.

Are those we take for granted"

7.A Nip in the air: is his last volume of poems published in 1974. As the name goes it dwells on modern subjects of modern England in comic tone. For example in his poem "Executive" he writes:

"I am executive. No cuffs than mine are cleaner.

I have a slim line brief case and I use the firm's Cortina

It shows the affectation of Commercial age where "Clean cuff" and "slim line brief case" and not ability to dispose of the problems make an Executive. It is the paradox that an Executive responsible for the execution of job is defined as under.

"A Good Executive is one who never does any thing that he can get anybody else to do for him". Thus we see that Betjeman was a poet of Time, place and Face.

3- Popularity

Betjeman was popular during his life and is popular even after his death in 1984. He continues to retain his "National Treasure" status even after 28 years of his death. Infact his enduring popularity is due to his gifted talent for comic, ironic, satiric and humoures writing, his dazzling technical talent and the congenial combination of eccentricity keen observation and pragmatic approach to the problems of life and above all due to his Englishness. Although his conservatism in theme and Form have tried and tended to tarnish his image and popularity as a serious poet of the Age, but among his contemporaries he had best rating ranks in the book "Choice of Betjemonn's verse" edited in 1947 by a prominent poet W.H.Auden" Further sale of 1 Lakh of "Collected poems" in 1958 is proof of his popularity during his life time.

His Art of Archeology, his sweet songs of Zion. His Anglican traditionalism, his new faith, His new love with bonus of Laughter have immortilised his popularity for Ages to come. The search for his Talent continues even in 21st century as would be evident from the books (1) 'Betjemann and the Anglican Tradition (2) Betjemann on Faith published in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

5- Ted Hughes

(17th August 1980 - 28th Oct. 1998)

Personality

Poet, play Wright and writer Ted Hughes was born on 17th August 1930 at 1 Aspinall street, My tholmrod, Yorkshire, England. His father William Hugh, a Carpenter who joined the Lancashire Fusiliers and fought at Ypres. During Battle he narrowly escaped a bullet. He was one of 17 men out of 30000 of his regiment who returned from Dardanalls compaign (1915-16) during first world war (1914-18). His mother Edith Hughes belonged to the family of William de Ferries who came to England with the William the Conqueror who established the Anglo-Norman Kingdom during 1066-1087 as William I. Her own father had founded the religious community of Little Giddings. Hughes was brought up and raised among the local farms of Calder Valley and on the Pennine moorland. The stories of Flanders Fields filled his childhood imagination He noted that his first six years shaped everything in his life.

School and College life: He was first admitted to local Burney Road School, but when he was seven his parents moved to Max borough South Yorkshire. There he was admitted to Sheffield street Junior, School. His parents there, ran a News agent and tobacconist's shop. He acted as retriever when his elder brother gamekeeper shot magpies and owls. There he grew up in the atmosphere of harsh realities of working farms in the valleys and on the moors. He explored Manor Farm which he thought better than any place on Earth. His friend John Wholly too Joined him to the Crook hill estate where the boys spent great on grass. Hughes learnt a lot about wildlife from his brother & father.

Thereafter, Hughes was admitted to Mexborough Grammar School. The teachers of the school encouraged him to write and develop interest in poetry . Hughes was also mentored by his sister Olayn who was well vorsed in Poetry. At the age of 16 yesrs (1946) he was sure to become a poet and in the year 1946 he won an open exhibition in English at Pembroke college. Cambridge. But for two years (1946-51) he joined National Service, Thereafter he was posted as a wireless mechanic in the RAF in east Yorkshire. During this time he read the Shakespear and learned many of his plays and W.B. Yeat's poems.

In 1951 (age 21 years) Hughes studied in first year English at Pem broke College and wrote no more poetry In his third year he switched over to Anthropelogy and Archaeology, which influenced his poetry later.

Employment and Marriage:

After Completing his University education, he lived in London and Combridge. There he worked as Rose. Gardener, a Night Waterman and a Reader for British Film Company and in a Local Zoo. There, Hughes and his friends held a party on 26th Feb. 1956 to launch. "St Botolph's Review" a periodical . At the party he met the American Poetess Sylvia Plath, who was Studying at Cambridge. Both were attracted to each other at first sight. She met him again when she was on way to Paris through London. After four months of the First Meeting they were married on 16th June 1956. Plath's mother was the only wedding guest and she accompanied them on their honeymoon to Benidorm on the Spanish coast. After honeymoon they returned to Cambridge and lived at 55 Eltisley Avenue. In 1960 a daughter Frieda Rebecca was born to them In 1961, they bought the house "Court Green in North Tawtoo, Devon. In 1962 a son Nicholas was borne to them and in the summer of the same year (1962), Hughes began an affair with Assia. And in the autumn of 1962 Hughes and Plath were separated and she began to live in a new flat with the children. But within a year of separation, Plath committed suicide on 11th Feb. 1963. Some feminists were of the view that Hughes drove her to death. A daughter named Alexandra Tatiana. (nicknamed shura) was born on 3rd March 1965 to Hughes and Assia. However on 25 March 1969 Assia also committed suicide in the same way as six years before Plath had committed. Assia also killed her 4 year daughter.

In August 1970 after one year of the suicide of Assia, Hughes married Carol orchard, a nurse and they remained together till the end of Hughes's life 1998. He purchased the house Lumb Bank near Debden Bridge, West Yorkshire and maintained the property at Court Green. He started cultivation of a small farm near Moor Town.

Appointment as a Poet Laureate:

After the death of Poet Laureale. John Betjeman in 1984, Philip Larkin (1922-1984) was offered the post of Poet Laureate ship by P.M. Margaret Thatcher, but he refused the offer because of ill health, Thereafter, the choice fell on Ted Hughes and he was appointed as Poet Laureate in 1984. Hughes served in the position for 14 years the period from 1984-1998. He was also awarded order of Merit in 1998 by. Queen Elizabeth II.

Death : He continued to live at the house in Devon, until he suffered a fatal my cocardic infraction on 28th Oct. 1998 causing his death, while he was undergoing hospital treatment for colon cancer in Southwark London Her funaral was held on 3 Nov. 1998 at North Tawton Church. Speaking at the funeral, fellow poet Seamus Heancy said-

"No death outside my immediate family has left one feeling me bereft. He was a tower of tenderness and strength a great arc under which the least of poetry's children could enter and feel secured. His creative power, is, still crescent. By his death the veil of Poetry is rent and the walls of learning broken".

2- Performance

Works : The works of Teg Hughes mainly include his poetic collections, plays, Prose, Books of children before his posting as poet Laureate in 1984.

Poetic Collections:

10-

Plays:

10-

11-

12-

13-

14-

15-

Prose : Include-

Book of Children:

Translations include

Anthologies include:

'A'

4-White Goddess" 1992

Books for children

Short Story Collections

Hughes did not write any play during this period Apart from above composition, be dedicated himself to Arvan Foundation which promoted writing education and residential writing courses at Hugh's home at Lumb Bank, West Yorkshir. In 1993 he made a rare television appeorance for Channel 4

Subject Matter and Style

German Poet Goethe said who wants to understand the poem, must go to the land of poetry who wishes to understand the poet must go the poet's land. Hughes was born, raised and reared among the local farms of the Calder valley, and on the Rannine Moorland. The stories of Flanders field filled his childhood caves of imagination. He loved hunting, fishing, swimming and picnicking. He was fascinated by animals. He found his Manor Farm better than any place on earth. His exposure to farm and forest life in childhood was augmented later by her study of Anthropology and Archaeology in his third year of Degree course. His practical experience as an Employee in a Zoo further intensified his experience of Animal life. His first collection of Poems "Hawk in the Rain" was published in 1957 after his marriage with Sylvia Plath in June 1956. Plath typed its Manu script and the poem after publication won a poetry competition run by the Poetry Centre of the Young Men's women's Hebrew Association of New York. After Book's release in Sept. 1957, it won the Somerset Maugham award. This poem is rooted in nature and innocent savagery of animal. It is the happiest blend of Beauty and violence in the natural world, where animals serve as a metaphor for his vision on life and live out a struggle for the survival as the men try for ascendancy in the progressive evolution. This can be seen in "The Hawk roosting", "Thought fox" and wind. The poems - Thistles, Thrushes, The owl, The crow's nerve fails and The crow's Fall.

In "The Hawk Roosting" the poet symbolizes the Hawk as blind, Inactive, hooked, king of Birds with skills in the kill and eat. operation, holding the entire world of bird in his feet. He has a birth right to kill a bird he likes without hearing or argument, with cruelty without showing any sophistication of manner. This he does because of perching on the top of trees with airs buoyancy and the Sun's ray. The Duty of the Death has been assigned to him and he fulfils his Duty by the Direct Action without observing an Rule and Law. In the last stanza, this practice of his continues from the time memorial and so would follow the tradition without any change. The Poem is given below for your appreciation.

"I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed

Inaction, no falsifying dream

Between my hooked head and hooked feet

or in sleep, rehearse perfect kill and eat.

The convenience of the high trees

The air's buoyancy and the suns ray

Are of advantage to me;

An the Earth's face upward for my inspection

My feet are looked upon the rough bark

It took the whole of creation.

To produce my foot, my each feather

Now I hold creation in my foot.

Or flyup, and revolve it all slowly

I kill where I please because it is all mines

There is no sophistry in my body

My manners are tearing off heads.

The allotment of Death

For the one path of my flight is direct

Through the bones of the living.

No arguments assert my right.

The sun is behind me.

Nothing has changed since I began.

My eye has permitted no change

I am going to keep things like this.

This is the brutal world of the bird perching on the top of Tree with favourable position of Air and Sun, where, might is right, sophistication is sin, where "Capture kill and consume operation" is assigned by Thontos.

Wind: Winds and waves are the symbol of voilent revolution for the change through destruction of what is stable viz houses, hills fields and forests. Unlike P.B. Shelly's 'West wind' which vividly deserves its dreadful action on the land, in the sky and on the sea, it deserves it destructive actions in the Night, in the morning and at noon-

This house has been far out at sea all night

The woods crashing through darkness the booming hight

Winds stampeding the fields under the window

Floundering black artrid and blinding wet

Till day rose, then under an orange sky

The had new places and wind wielded to

Blade-light, luminous black and emerald,

Flexing like the lens of a mad eye

At noon I scaled along the house side as faras.

The coal house door. Once I looked up

Through the brunt wind that dented the balls of my eyes

The tent of hiils drummed and stained its gunrope

The fields quivering, the skyline a grimace,

At any time to bang and vanish with a flap;

The wind flung a mag pie away and a black

Back gull bent like an iron bar slowly the house.

Rang like some fine green goblet in the note

That any scrums would shatter it. Now deep

In chains, in front of the great fire, we grip

Our hearts and cannot entertain book, Thought

Or each other, We watch the fire blazing.

And feel the roots of the house move, but sit on

Seeing the window tremble to come in

Hearing the stones cry out under the horizon.

It is entirely a reflective poem in which there is not time for proper rhyme. It is the proper punctuation in the scheme of Lineation that clears the semantics. Wind blows away all thoughts. The similie "Emerald flexing like the lens of mad eye." The blackgull bends like an iron bar'. "The house rang like some fine green goblet embelish the observation of the poet reflect clear and clean observation.

It is evident that Hawk and Wind both being voilent and revolutionary are the perpetual features of the Creator Nature and the creature cosmic. Y.B.Yeats in his "Hawk" says and expresses an unbridled cosmos-

"I will not be clapped in a hood

Nor a cage nor alight upon a wrist

Now I have learnt to be proud

Hovering over the wood.

In the broken mist

Or tumbling cloud".

The Thought - Fox: In this poem, poet visualizes that thoughts in loneliness of midnight moments come like a fox and enter the dark hole of head. The metaphoric imagery is excellent and rare to express how thoughts arise and immortalized on paper.

"Across cleanings an eye

A widening deepening greeness

Brilliantly concentrated

Coming about its own business.

Till, with sudden sharp hot stink of fox

it onters the dark hole of the head

The window is starless still, the clock ticks

The page is printed".

Thrushes: "Thrushes" is another poem from the wild world of Bird, where a singing small bird, with its stratagem of "Start, Bound stab" operation, suddenly starts the gorilla war to satisfy its hunger. The poet describes their terrorist momentary actions, moods and movements in the following words:-

Terrifying are the attent sleek thrushes on the Lawn

More coiled steel than living a poised

Dark deadly eye, those delicate legs

Triggered to strings beyond sense

With a start, a bounce a stab

overtake the instant and drag out some writhing thing

No indolent procrastination and no yawning states

No sighs or head scratching

Nothing but bounce and stab and a ravening second.

The poet further streamlines the strategic efficiency of the bird bereft of any doubt or obstruction in achieving its mission: The poet presumes this Bullet and Automatic Action attributable to single mineded aim, trained body and genius in the following lines.

Is it their single mind sized skills or a trained

Body or Genious, or a nestful of brats

Gives their days this Bullet and Automatic

Purpose Mozart's brain had it, and the shark's mouth

That hunger down the blood smell even to a leak of its own

Side and devouring of itself, efficiency which

Strikes too streamlined for any doubt to pluck at it.

2- Beauty of Nature: Hughes was a multipolar personality. While he strove with violence of Natural life, Beauty of Nature did not escape his imagination. His complete concept of Natural Beauty finds expression in his poem "Pied Beauty" mentioned below-

"Glory to God for dappled things

For skies of couple colour as a branded cow

For rose moles all in stipple upon trout that swim

Fresh Fire coal chestnut-falls, finches wings

Landscape plotted and pieced fold, fallow, and plow,

And all trades, their gear and tackle and Trim.

All things counter original spare, strange

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow, sweat, sour, a dazzle, dim.

He fathers forth whose Beauty is past change

Praise him.

For Hughes variety is the Beauty, change, change is Beauty

Spenser wrote in "Fairy Queen"

"Age cannot fade, nor custom destroy

The Infinite variety of the Beauty.

{k.kks {k.ks ;UuorkeqiSfr

rnSo :ia je.kh;rk%

"The beauty is Newness of every momen's Freshness is beauty.

In God's Grandeur: Poet writes-

There lives the dearest freshmess deep down things;

And though the last lights off the Black west went

Oh, Morning at the brown brink Eastword springs-

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent.

World broods with warm breast and with Oh! bright wings.

Here the Poet in the rhymed lines with pattern of a, b, a, b, a, tells the natural Rythm of human life. From darkness emerged the light our sweetest songs are those that sing of our saddest thoughts, It reminds us of P.B. Shelly's lines in "West wind.

"The trumpet of prophesy O wind.

If winter comes, can spring be far behind"

Spring and Fall To a Young Child:

The poet speaks of the ups and downs of life, the spring and fall as infallible Law of life. As a blight man is born for this, there is no question of lamentation or mourn. Golden Groves unleave, leaving you to grive for "Wanwood Leafmeal" See how the poet expresses it in couplets:

Margaret!are you greiving

Over Golden grove unleaving?

Leaves, like the things of men, you

With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?

Ah! as the heart grows older.

It will come to such sights colder,

By and By, nor spare a sigh

Though the worlds of wane wood leafmeal lie.

Now no matter, child, the name

Serrow's springs are the same.

Nor mouth had, nor no mind expressed

What heard of, Ghost guessed.

It is the blight man was born for

It is Margaret you mourn for.

The Poet gives a message that things that are envitable to happen should not be grieved for. It is the same message which Lord Krishna gave to young Arjun in the battle field to remove his sorrows (Bhagwat Gita Chapt-II)

tkrL; fg /kzqoks e`R;% /kqzoa tUe e`rL; pA

rLekr~ vifjgk;Z vFksZ] u Roa 'kksfprqe vgZflAA

"Certain is the death of Born

And certain is the birth of Gone

Therefore, for, inevitable Event

You need not lament or repent"

In "The Harvest Moors" the Gold fields of stuff wheat are ready to be reaped and the flame red moon, rolls along the hills gently, and "Earth replies all night" So people cannot sleep' because harvest moon has come blooming swiftly through the heaven to help them in harvesting. The poet in "verselibre" without bothering for lineation streamlines the semantics with the help of punctuation and rhythmic in the following lines-

The Flame-red moon, the harvest moon.

Rolls along the hills, gently bouncing

A vast balloon

Till it takes off, and sinks upward

To lie on the bottom of sky, like a gold doubloom

The harvestmoon has come,

Booming softly through heaven, like a bassoon.

And the Earth replies all night, like a deep drum.

So people can't sleep,

So they go out where elms and oak trees keep

A kneeling vigil, in a religious hush

The Harvest Moon has come!

And all the moonlight cows and all the sheep

Stare at her petrified who she swells

Filling heaven, as if red hot, and sailing

closure and closer like the end of the world.

Till the gold fields of stiff wheat

Cry "we are ripe reap us" and the rivers

Sweet from the melting hills.

In "The warm and the cold" the poet puts a panorama of 'Freezing Dusk' with plethora of similes from the celestial and mundane world in the following lines:-

Freezing dusk is closing

Like a slow trap of steel

On trees and roads and hills and all

that can no longer feel.

But the carp is in its depth

Like a planet in its heaven

And the badger in its bedding

Like a loaf in the oven.

And the butterfly in its mummy

Like a viol in its case

And owl is in its feather

Like a doll in its lace.

Freezing dusk has tightened

Like a nut screwed tight

On the starry aero plane

Of the soaring night

But the trout is in its hole

Like a chuckle in a sleeper

The hare strays down the high way

Like a root going deeper.

The snail is dry in the out house

Like a seed in a sunflower

The owl is pale on the gate post

Like a clock on its Tower

Moonlight freezes the Shaggy world

Like a mammoth of ice.

The Past and feature

Are the Jaws of a steel vice

But the God is in the tide-rip

Like a key in the purse

The deer are on the bare blown hill

Like smiles on a nurse

The flies are behind the plaster

Like the lost score of a jig

Sparrows are in the ivy climb

Like money in a pig.

Thus we see that despite the fact that the period was dominated by Movement Poetry of Philip Larkin, Kingley Amin, Donald Davis, Elizabeth Zenith who believed in restrained and disillusioned poetry Ted Hughes laid down the foundation of "New Poetry" where natural world was minutely penetrated and put under pen and print.

3- Poetry of Love - Sex and women:

Teds Hughes seems to be deeply onflened by D.H. Lawrence writter of Sons and Lovers (1885-1930) an advocate of profane love.

In "Love - Song" Unlike T.S. Iliot's Love song of Prupuck" his lovers are too bold and open as will be seen from the poem:

He loved her and she loved him.

His kisses sucked out her whole past and feature tried to

He had no other appetite.

She bit him she gnawed him she sucked

She wanted him complete in side her

Safe and sure forever and ever

Their little cries fluttered into the curtains

Her eyes wanted nothing to get away

Her looks nailed down his hands his wrists his elbows

He gripped her hard so that life

Should not drag her from that moment

He wanted all future to cease.

He wanted to topple with his arms round her

or everlasting or whatever there was

Her embrace was an immense press

To print him into her bones.

His smiles were the garrets of a fairy place

Where the real world would never come.

Her smiles were spider bies

So he would lie still till she felt hungry

His words were occupying armies

Her laughs were an assasin's attempts

His looks were bullets draggers of revenge

Her glances were ghosts in the corner with horrible secrets

His whispers were whips and jackboots

Her kisses were lawyers steadily writing

It is caresses were the last hooks of a castaway.

Her love-tricks were the grinding of locks.

And their deep cries crawled over the floors.

Like an animal dragging a great trap

His promises were the seargeons gag.

Her promises took the top off his skill.

She would get a brooch made of it

His vows pulled out all her sinews

He showed her how to make a love knot

At the back of her secret drawer.

Their screams stuck in the wall

Their heads fell apart into sleep like the two halves

of a lopped melon but love is hard to stop

In their dreams their brains took each other hostage

In their entwined sleep they exchanged arms and legs

In the morning they wore each ethers falls.

The metaphors used in the expense of love and process of orgasm closing in sleep for the kisses, cries, looks, embraces, smiles, laughs glances whispers caressed love-trick, promises, vows, screams, are taken from the mundane life to express the profanity of Love.

IN HIS POEM "SEPTEMBER" HUGHES writes:-

"When kisses are repeated and the arms hold

There is no telling where time is"

"No clock now needs

Tell we have only what we remember

Minutes approaching with our heads.

Like an unfortunate king's and his queen's

When the senseless mob rules,

And quitely the trees casting their crowns

Into the pools

The poet asserts the universal Truth that "Man is memory" and it is the memory that asserts our existence. He mocks modern Democracy ruled by senseless mobs.

In "Bride and groom lie Hidden for three days" The poet depicts how the Bride and groom perfect their existence. She gives his eyes, He gives her her skill "she has found his hands for him and fitted them freshly at the wrists and they go feeling all over her' "He has assembled her spine and sets them in perfect order and he has fashioned her new hips" and so on Thus the bride and groom within three days of their honey moon night fashion and shape their organs of the body and the mind for future life denovo and

"So gasping with joy, with cries of wonderment

Like two gods of mud

Sprawling in the dint, but with infinite care

They bring each other to perfection"

This is modern poetry with modern metaphors and modern marriage of 20th century.

In "A woman Unconscious" Ted Hughes, in an atmosphere of No Trust and threats encircling the cold war world depicts the deplorable position of a woman who sinks her head to death lying on a white Hospital bed in the following lines:

Russia and America circle each other,

Threats nudge an act that were without doubt

A melting of the mould in the mother

Stones melting about the root.

Shies from the world concelling black

of its playing shadow it has learned

That there is no trusting (trusting to luck)

Dates when the world is due to be burned.

That the future is no calamitous change

But a malingering of now

Histories towns faces not no

Malice or accident much derange.

And Though bomb be matched against bomb

Though all mankind wince out and nothing endure

Earth gone in an instant flare

Did a lesser Death come

Unto the white hospital bed

Where one, numb beyond her last of sense

closed her eyes on the world's evidence

And into pillows sunk her head.

In "Examination at the womb-door"

Poet openly reiterates the cosmic Truth that Death owns all creation and man's mortal march is from Womb to Tomb. Death owns the little feet, briskly scorched looking face, still working lungs, utility coat of muscles brains, blood, eyes, occaisional wakefulness. The whole space and the Hope and all are owned by Death which is stronger than life and love. But in the last stanza poet says.

"But who is stronger than Death?

Me evidently,

Pass, Crow.

"Crow" is very important metaphor of modern world, Crow does not die unless in killed.

4-poet very well depicts the ambitious mind of crow; who gathers courage to attack the sun but the Sun brightens and the white crow returns charred black-

"When Crow was white, he decided the sun was too white.

He decided it glared much too whitely

He decided to attack it and defeat it

He got his strength up flush and in full glitter

He clawed and fluffed his rage up

He aimed his beak direct at the sun's centre

He laughed himself to the centre of himself.

And attacked

At his battle cry trees grew suddenly old

Shadows flattened.

But the sun brightened

It brightened, and Crow returned charred black

"Up there" he managed

"Where white is black and Black is white, I won"

In "Old Age Gets up" W.B. Yeats (in "Sailing to Byzantium) says

"An aged man is but a paltry thing

A tattered coat upon a stick unless

Soul claps its hands and louder sing

For every tatter in its mortal dress".

But Ted Hughes's describes the dynamism of old Age which stirs its ashes and embers, its burnt sticks and searches for defense, pulls the pieces to gether and loosely tucks in its shirt:-

"Stirs its ashes and embes its burnt sticks

An eye pondered over, half melted and solid again

Ponder

Ideas that collapse

At the first touch of attention

The light of the window, so square and so same

So full strong as ever, the window frame

A scaffold in space for eyes to lean on

Supporting the body shaped to its old work

Making small movements in gray air

Numbed from the blurred accident

Of having lived the fatal real injury

Under the Amnesia.

Something tries to save itself-searches

For defence but words evade

Like flies with their own notions

Old Age slowly gets dressed

Heavily dosed with Death's night

Sits on the bed's edge

Pull its pieces together

Loosely tucks in its shirt"

In "How to paint a water Lily": The poet beautifully paints the dualism of water Lily in couplets, Water lily is protective roof of the Pond and also a shelter of furious flies, winged monsters. There are battle shouts and death cries but we do not hear and we simply praise the colours of these dragon flies.

A green level of lily leaves

Roofs the pond's chamber and paves

The Flie's furious arena : Study

These, the two minds of this lady.

First observe the air's dragon fly

That eats meat that bullets by

Or stands in space to take aim,

others as dangerous comb the hum.

Under the trees. There are battle shouts

And death cries every where hereabouts

But inaudible, so the eyes praise

To see the colours of these flies

Rainbow their arcs spark or settle.

Cooling like beads of molten metal.

Through the spectrum. Think what worse

Is the Pond bed's matter of course.

Pre-historic bedragoned times

Crawl that darkness with Latin names;

Have evolved no improvements there

Jaws for head, the set store

Ignorant of Age as of hour

Now paint the long necked Lily flower

Which deep in both worlds can be still

As a painting trembling hardly at all

Though the dragonfly alight

Whatever horror nudge her root.

Ted's "Theology" mocks the truth of biblical mythology in which the Satan in the shape of serpant seduces Eve to taste the forbidden fruit in against of God's order and Eve makes Adam to taste the same. The result was that both were ousted from the heavenly garden to bear the woes and miseries of the mundene world. Ted Hughes denies this mythology and says:

No, the serpent did not

Seduce Eve to the apple.

All that is simply

Corruption of the facts.

Adam ate the apple

Eve ate Adam

The Serpent ate Eve

This is the dark intestine.

The serpent, meanwhile

Sleeps his meat off in Paradise

Smiling to hear

God's querulous calling"

"The Minotour" seems to be a remembrance of suicide committed by his wife Sylvia Plath leaving behind the living children. Minotaur' is a monster in the shape of half man and half bull. The "skein" is silken thread symbolising the Marriage. The poet says.

"The bloody end of the skein

That unravelled your marriage

left your children echoing

like tunnels in a lay brinth"

The poem ridhly written in Simile tells the truth of human life.

Other works and subject Matter:

In addition to his own Poetry. Ted composed a number of translations of European plays particularly classical. His Tales from ovid (1997) contains a selection of "free verse' translations from oride's Metamorphosis. He also wrote Poetry and prose for children. He wrote. "Iron man" to console his children after Sylvia Plath's suicide. This book formed the blue print of animated film "The Iron Giant'. In 1998, the book "Iron Man" won the White Head British Book of the year prize. His last collection "Birth Day letter" describes the aspects of his relations with Sylvia plath. A poem "Last letter discovered in 2010 describes the happenings of the preceding three days leading to Plath's suicide. The present Poet Laureate. Carol Anne Diffy told channel 4 News that the poem was "darkest poem he has ever written".

In 2011, several of his unpublished letter swere published in the literary review. Arete. Their subject matter relates to the process of editing his monuanental work" Shakes pear and the Goddess of complete Being." His poem "Cost" is aimed at preventing the people from further attack on the subject of Sylvia plath.

Thus we see that his works embrace the Animal life, Nature myth esoteric Practices written as shamanism, Buddhism and alchemy using Trochee (a foot of two syllables in which the first is long and the second is short) and spondees (A metrical fool of two long syllabl with exorbitant Metaphor simile and personification. The animals, and birds serve as a metaphor for his view on social, economic religious and political life of the Modern world. Animals and birds struggle for the survival of the fittest in the same way as humans strive for ascendancy and success. There is stamp of tradition and talent in his poetry. His "New Poetry" is completely in consonance with concepts of L.P.G. (Liberalisation, Privitation-Globalisation) Lassaiz faire reflects in Literature and Love too with mundane profanity.

3- Popularity

1- During Life Time : Popularity:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Popularity after Death:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

So we found the end of our journey

So we stood alive in the river of light

Among the creatures of light

Creatures of light.

(5)

(6)

(7)

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