Easter Monday (In Memoriam E.T.) – Eleanor Farjeon

In the last letter that I had from France
You thanked me for the silver Easter egg
Which I had hidden in the box of apples
You liked to munch beyond all other fruit.
You found the egg the Monday before Easter,
And said, 'I will praise Easter Monday now -
It was such a lovely morning'. Then you spoke
Of the coming battle and said, 'This is the eve.
Good-bye. And may I have a letter soon.'

That Easter Monday was a day for praise,
It was such a lovely morning. In our garden
We sowed our earliest seeds, and in the orchard
The apple-bud was ripe. It was the eve.
There are three letters that you will not get.

by Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965)

Eleanor Farjeon, who is probably best known for having written the words to the hymn Morning has Broken, wrote this poem shortly after she heard news of the death of her close friend the poet Edward Thomas (the E.T. in the title) who was killed in action at the Battle of Arras on Easter Monday, 9th April 1917.

#BattleOfArras #EdwardThomas #EleanorFarjeon #Poem #Poet #Poetry #WorldWar1

Watch: Welsh steam trains on a Summer’s Day http://dlvr.it/TFyvZk #Abergynolwyn #Aberystwyth #EdwardThomas #NantGwernol

It is enough
To smell, to crumble the dark earth,
While the robin sings over again
Sad songs of Autumn mirth.

#EdwardThomas (1914) #poetry #poem

Rain, midnight rain, nothing but the wild rain
On this bleak hut, and solitude, and me
Remembering again that I shall die
And neither hear the rain nor give it thanks
For washing me cleaner than I have been

#EdwardThomas (1917) #poetry #poem

I Never Saw that Landing Before

To the valley and the river small,
The cattle, the grass, the bare ash trees,
The chickens from the farmsteads, all
Elm-hidden, and the tributaries
Descending at equal interval;

#EdwardThomas #Poetry #AirplaneASongOrPoem
#HashTagGames

Whatever wind blows, while they and I have leaves
We cannot other than an aspen be
That ceaselessly, unreasonably grieves,
Or so men think who like a different tree.

#EdwardThomas (1916) #poetry #poem

“Larks sang high, and hedge-sparrows sang low” #edwardthomas @LittleToller #nonfictionnov

A number of books from indie publisher Little Toller have featured on the Ramblings in the past, and I've always found their books to be a real treat. Back in March, I picked up another of their titles though I can't for the life if me recall what prompted it! However, it's hung around on the TBR until it found the right time to be read - which was recently, after my experience…

https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2023/11/27/larks-sang-high-and-hedge-sparrows-sang-low-edwardthomas-littletoller-nonfictionnov/

"I have come to the borders of sleep,
The unfathomable deep
Forest where all must lose
Their way, however straight,
Or winding, soon or late;
They cannot choose."

#EdwardThomas (1917) #poetry #poem

The #EdwardThomas Fellowship is hosting a weekend in the name of the English #writer and #poetry author, in my hometown of Petersfield, UK. Looking forward to meandering around other poetry people on my doorstep in fine weather. Since their walking event is sold out I might head up to the Shoulder of Mutton hill in Steep, Thomas's stomping ground, to visit his memorial stone on the Saturday.

https://edward-thomas-fellowship.org.uk/edward-thomas-fellowship-study-days/

Nôl at y casgliad o feinyl #ClayPipe, a ffefryn arall, sef “Adlestrop” #GilroyMere (Pipe 025). Mae'r albym wedi'i seilio ar gerdd o'r un enw gan #EdwardThomas, a'r trac yma'n cynnwys y gerdd yn ei ghyfanrwydd.

https://youtu.be/AKpWMyQmoc0?si=fK03kE1iX7tS6MVp

#GwrandoNawr #feinyl

This week's poetry post presents "The Bridge" by the British poet, novelist and nature writer Edward Thomas (1878-1917).

Also featured are a couple of snapshots I took several years ago in a small coastal town in Croatia very dear to me.

To learn more about Thomas and read his thought-provoking poem, please visit https://grammaticus.blog/2023/03/08/the-bridge/

#Poem #Poetry #Bridge #EdwardThomas #EnglishLiterature #Photography #BlackAndWhitephotography #EnglishTeacher