Sir John Betjeman reads his poem "Christmas" (1954).
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- čas přidán 9. 12. 2017
- A Merry Christmas to one and all!
Read by the author - former Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom. Here Sir John Betjeman invites us to share his wit and his deeply Christian sentiment. Recorded in 1980.
Thersites, of figures-of-speech.com writes:
"How pleasant, then, to turn to John Betjeman, poet and human being. Human beings are never more needed than at Christmas - poets, too, if you think about it. His poem 'Christmas', from his book A Few Late Chrysanthemums (1954), is everything a Christmas poem should be: cheerful, amusing, light-hearted, profound and deeply Christian. It is immediately accessible: it delivers meaning immediately and on further reflection much deeper meaning.
Read this at a carol service and the members of the congregation are not hunched down in the pews, pondering conundrums of misery and doubt; they are smiling, filled with light and Christmas beatitude. At the time of those school carol services Betjeman's book had only been published a handful of years and smelt too much of freshness and modernity".
Full article here: figures-of-speech.com/2016/12/...
The Poem
The bells of waiting Advent ring,
The Tortoise stove is lit again
And lamp-oil light across the night
Has caught the streaks of winter rain
In many a stained-glass window sheen
From Crimson Lake to Hookers Green.
The holly in the windy hedge
And round the Manor House the yew
Will soon be stripped to deck the ledge,
The altar, font and arch and pew,
So that the villagers can say
'The church looks nice' on Christmas Day.
Provincial Public Houses blaze,
Corporation tramcars clang,
On lighted tenements I gaze,
Where paper decorations hang,
And bunting in the red Town Hall
Says 'Merry Christmas to you all'.
And London shops on Christmas Eve
Are strung with silver bells and flowers
As hurrying clerks the City leave
To pigeon-haunted classic towers,
And marbled clouds go scudding by
The many-steepled London sky.
And girls in slacks remember Dad,
And oafish louts remember Mum,
And sleepless children's hearts are glad.
And Christmas-morning bells say 'Come!'
Even to shining ones who dwell
Safe in the Dorchester Hotel.
And is it true,
This most tremendous tale of all,
Seen in a stained-glass window's hue,
A Baby in an ox's stall ?
The Maker of the stars and sea
Become a Child on earth for me ?
And is it true? For if it is,
No loving fingers tying strings
Around those tissued fripperies,
The sweet and silly Christmas things,
Bath salts and inexpensive scent
And hideous tie so kindly meant,
No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with this single Truth compare -
That God was man in Palestine
And lives today in Bread and Wine.
Images
TBA
Recording
Album: Sir John Betjeman's Varsity Rag
Music: Jim Parker
℗ 1981 Virgin Records - Hudba
How very lovely Anthony ......The Church looks nice this Christmas day ,simple words with a meaningful message.... thank you this Christmas tide 2017 x
I thought you'd like it Maureen! Thank you.
Looking forward to Christmas again Maureen. You always made it special!
It's gorgeous, both the poem and his voice. But unfortunately the background music is just a touch too loud. These days there is the technology to fade it slightly while he's speaking.
Nice to hear ‘good old’ JB recite his poems again. He was ‘a man of vision’ who recognised the value of what we had around us when others were keen to cast it all aside in the name of progress.
Very true Evan. I miss him.
JB is still popular, I think, because he refers to an England of the past, but still in many people's memories and consciousness. Also he has a rare gift in that he can be accessible to many people without dumbing down.
And hated everyone north of Trent.
@@kelman727 - Unless it had a railway viaduct
And sleep with someone else’s wife while there.
My late wife’s favourite poem and Betjeman her Favourite poet.
God bless Mrs. Green and Mr Betjeman, and God bless you.
I love the line:- "and marbled clouds go by the many steepled London sky" - it's almost a poem in itself.
And marbled clouds go scudding by....
So much depth and love in this man's work
I wish I could hear his voice without being overwhelmed by that music. Thanks anyway for posting.
It's Jim Parker. He did a couple of albums with JB in the 70's/80's. I bought both in my time and have to agree that his settings are mostly intrusive and, metaphorically, stone deaf to the subject of the verse in my opinion.
I felt the opposite. The music amalgamated beautifully with the words of the master Laureate. I felt moved by both. Incidentally, the music is part of the 1981 release of this as a 7" record.
I totally agree.
God was man in Palestine and lives today in bread and wine. Wow
Think about it. The internet is amazing. Beautiful stuff like this. Otherwise lost forever.
"A baby in an ox's stall. The maker of the stars and sea, Become a child on Earth for me." Simply wonderful.
Wonderful.
I just sent this poem to my dutch colleagues. I'm an English teacher working in Holland. It's lost on the students but my fellow teachers love it. Thanks.
i wonder why it's lost on the students. Idiom? Thank you at any rate :)
@@AntPDC I teach students studying hotel and tourist management so they really don't give a f. But the language teachers really liked it.
Sir John's words say all that is needed. The racket posing as music ruins it. Beauty marred by a beast.
Glad it’s not just me. And I’m a composer myself.
My dear wife’s favourite poet
I am literally in tears Past and gone
Pure bliss......many thanks.
It tell us why we celebrate Christmas.
Lovely poem, the first i've heard of his , nothing quite like a rural English parish church in the snow. Great imagery
the music takes away so much
Betjeman was my Grandads favorite poet. I've never been much interested in poetry, but his words have an impact and immediacy that I've never heard in anybody else's poetry. It's really lovely stuff.
Betjemans rhymes are subtle and add to the meaning of the poem.They are not just meant for sound.His repetition of Is it true does that suggest doubt on his part?Im not sure.
Try Larkin, who Betjeman admired (and vice versa).
Thanks for this! I am going to use it with my GCSE English class' Christmas lesson
Wonderful! Very moving. Thank you for all the lovely things you post. Your Finzi posts are my favourite and I return to them again and again.
Thank you Gill, and a Merry Christmas to you.
I love Finsi. I must check this out.
The music is fine, and JB was happy with it too.
Got to disagree - it mostly grates on me, with A Shropshire Lad being a rare exception. It's all just opinion of course, and this is mine.
I love it. It's adds depth ans space to the poem.
What a beautiful Christmas poem
Betjeman is such a wonderful wordsmith
- if I could be half as good as him...., please.....?!
Aaaahhh - thinking of Christmas poetry writing now.... it’s only July..... aaaahhhh
I keep watching this video. I really enjoy it.
Glad to hear that Lora, thank you.
Classic! Christmas as it should be. Thank you, Ant.
Alison
Merry Christmas Alison! Lots of snow here - very seasonal!
AntPDC And a very happy Christmas to you too from snowy Cambridge 😀❄
I love Cambridge. King's must look like a painting!
Oh yes! If you even happen to be up this way... do let me know ;)
Oh I shall Alison :)
Thank you for sharing this wonderful 👍👍
:)
Why the intrusive music to blur the lovely poetry?
This was a collaboration between Sir John and Jim Parker, the composer. More than that I cannot say.
@@AntPDC Thank you. I didn't know. I do now. I am sure the collaboration delighted many. The poetry stands on its own and is not complemented by the music, but the poet and the composer must have put much love into the recordings.
I had the same thought..
Thank you so much for this
That was fast Tarquin! How did you do that?
I'm not sure! But it is one of my favourite Betjeman poems, thanks again.
Mine too. And it's a pleasure.
See, I really enjoyed listening to that. And then reading the comments I am reminded as to why I hesitate to engage with 'traditional' English poets..it is always so easily associated with a bigoted idea of what Britain is or was or should be. Let us enjoy a man remembering his past without immediately forming the new UKIP party
Nice. Old is gold.
Pity about the distracting background music 😞
Girls in slacks remember Dad and oafish lads like me remember Mum. God was man in Palestine and lives today in bread and wine. Xxx
Oafish Louts .
I came across this YT video (uploaded in two parts) called 'Branch Line' made by J Betjeman for the BBC in 1963 and thought his commentary so 'prophetic', every word captures his concerns for the way we were going then. And I ask myself why did no one realise it and take notice at the time? It's well worth taking a glimpse. Anthony, I thought you'd appreciate it. czcams.com/video/dDrQkg8lOGc/video.html I
Thank you evan. As you probably guessed, I've seen the "Branch Line" videos on YT and treasure them. I was re-watching them only the other day in fact, and as you say, gosh - they were prophetic. Clearly JB saw what was to come, not only with the railways, but with architecture too. I'd like to think lessons have been learned from his early advocacy of an infrastructure built on a human scale, which real people can enjoy and cherish.
And girls in slacks remember dad. And oafish lads remember mum. I remember this from my o level English Literature from 1979.
A better writer than performer😊
John Betjeman's Advent poem is one of the loveliest readings leading into Christmas. Such a pity it is spoiled here by insensitive music that disrupts the reading and the beauty of the the language.
I rather agree - but this was a collaboration between the musicians and the poet himself, so who am I to argue?
You DO realise he was consulted on the music on the various music/poetry albums released of his work??? I think Sir John knew best.........
I think Jim Parkers music adds to the reading and makes it stand out. I accept its not for everyone but his four albums putting music to Betjemans poetry with the full cooperation of Betjeman were best sellers for the Charisma label back in the 1970s and what brought me to appreciate his poetry.
@@AntPDCit wasn’t a collaboration, Jim Parker’s music came later. JB was not, by his own admission, very musical, but probably was just a nice, kind bloke.
Merry Christmas to everyone who cherishes freedom and patriotism for their country and its sovereign people . 🇬🇧🇮🇪
Way to spoil the season of goodwill.
There was never an ounce of politics in JB's work. Not an ounce. Only observation and emotive reflection. Betjeman is not the flag carrier of right wing politics.
@@droge192it depends what you mean by ‘right-wing, doesn’t it…..
Ride the tiger
Lose the daft music and this would be perfect.
I rather agree - but this was a collaboration between the musicians and the poet himself, so who are we to argue?
You DO realise he was consulted on the music on the various music/poetry albums released of his work??? I think Sir John knew best.........
I think it's partly because the music is mixed too loud compared to John's voice. It competes with John's voice.
Such a shame he has to compete with the unnecessary music.
I agree, but this was a collaboration. Who are we to question the poet himself?
The music makes it even better IMHO.
@@MakinMovies7 it depends how old you are, and how good your hearing. Just a little softer would have been great.
Lovely poem, shame about the unnecessary music. Yes, I know that JB (on his own admission, incidentally, ‘not very musical’) approved. It’s still saccharine rubbish.
Idiotic insertion of music. No respect for the poetry.
I see your point Philip, but this is all of a piece, as recorded by the poet himself in a collaboration with the composer. Personally, I slightly agree with you: it's not particularly good music, but that's more than compensated for here by JB's own voice.
Philip Nikolayev please lighten up!!!
You DO realise he was consulted on the music on the various music/poetry albums released of his work??? I think Sir John knew best.........
The music brought it to the masses.. I have all the albums and think they are beautifully done.
@@AntPDCfair and generous comment.
The music goes with the poem, bloody dreadful.
Spoilt by dreadful music.😫
Ludicrous translation spoilt the reading.
translation? from what? I wasn't aware John Betjeman was a Serbo-Croat Poet.
this is sooooooo boring
When you've grown up, it won't be. Wishing you a Merry Christmas.