A forgotten gem from John Betjeman
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- čas přidán 16. 12. 2020
- In this episode I read a poem by John Betjeman ‘St. Saviours Aberdeen Park’ and make the case for it as an example of ‘Heaven in Ordinary’
Here's the poem:
St. Saviour's, Aberdeen Park, Highbury, London, N
by Sir John Betjeman
Highbury, London, N.
With oh such peculiar branching and overreaching of wire
Trolley-bus standards pick their threads from the London sky
Diminishing up the perspective, Highbury-bound retire
Threads and buses and standards with plane trees volleying by
And, more peculiar still, that ever-increasing spire
Bulges over the housetops, polychromatic and high.
Stop the trolley-bus, stop! And here, where the roads unite
Of weariest worn-out London - no cigarettes, no beer,
No repairs undertaken, nothing in stock - alight;
For over the waste of willow-herb, look at her, sailing clear,
A great Victorian church, tall, unbroken and bright
In a sun that's setting in Willesden and saturating us here.
These were the streets my parents knew when they loved and won -
The brougham that crunched the gravel, the laurel-girt paths that wind,
Geranium-beds for the lawn, Venetian blinds for the sun,
A separate tradesman's entrance, straw in the mews behind,
Just in the four-mile radius where hackney carriages run,
Solid Italianate houses for the solid commercial mind.
These were the streets they knew; and I, by descent, belong
To these tall neglected houses divided into flats.
Only the church remains, where carriages used to throng
And my mother stepped out in flounces and my father stepped out in spats
To shadowy stained-glass matins or gas-lit evensong
And back in a country quiet with doffing of chimney hats.
Great red church of my parents, cruciform crossing they knew -
Over these same encaustics they and their parents trod
Bound through a red-brick transept for a once familiar pew
Where the organ set them singing and the sermon let them nod
And up this coloured brickwork the same long shadows grew
As these in the stencilled chancel where I kneel in the presence of God.
Wonder beyond Time's wonders, that Bread so white and small
Veiled in golden curtains, too mighty for men to see,
Is the Power that sends the shadows up this polychrome wall,
Is God who created the present, the chain-smoking millions and me;
Beyond the throb of the engines is the throbbing heart of all -
Christ, at this Highbury altar, I offer myself to Thee.
If you would like on occasion to drop round and buy me a coffee you can do so from this page:
www.buymeacoffee.com/malcolmg...
I remember as a boy watching his programmes on BBC on sundays with my dad, eating crumpets and cheese and biscuits with celery sticks.
A devotional poem to be sure. And wistful and a little gritty at the edges. ATB, today and everyday.
Thank you for the video. I’m an ardent fan of Betjeman. He is sadly almost unknown and unread in the U.S.
Sorry to hear that. Those who discover him as you have are in for a treat!
I love to see your collection of books. I'm one of the 'rarer' folks, these days, who doesn't have a Kindle but prefer proper books; more tactile than an electric gadget!
I read all sorts, from Chuck Palahniuk (favourite fiction author) to books on the American old west cowboys (childhood fascination!!) and right now am on about my 10th book in a row on WW2 atrocities- it's VERY important to learn what our ancestors went through to ensure the freedom we live in today, even if a bit turbulent to read.
Always a pleasure to share a few moments in your library, with you!
Steve :)
i love John Betjemen poems as did my Dad.
5:29 my favourite part obviously 😂 ..
I 'bet you man'.. Betjeman would be very grateful .. great video 👍 thanks for sharing
I just knew you would have an appreciation for the great John Betjeman.
After reading his biography by A.N.Wilson I think he was a good poet and a great performer,essentially a humorous performer.
Betjeman is one of those poets I have not heard of. Thank you for what you read. It was beautiful!
Thanks for listening. next up will be his lovely Christmas poem!
A rare treat, thank you for sharing 🙂
Good evening Malcolm,
Thanks for the poem. Apart from his poetry Betjemen is a hero to many lovers of architecture. I especially admired his stance on ugly office blocks. Juliet Smith, who wrote the Shell Guide to Northamptonshire and the Soke of Peterborough, was right in criticising the ghastly Norwich Union Building, which was erected in Cathedral Square, Peterborough, in c.1964, a matter of a few yards from the beautiful Mediaeval St John the Baptist Church. Shell, who sponsored the guides, were not happy by this assault on big business, but Betjemen as editor of the Shell Guides, supported Smith.
Thankfully, the building in question, approved by the planners at the time, is now no more. Ironically, but not surprisingly, it housed the City's planning department in the 1980s.
God bless.
now there is an irony!
Well done, very thoughtful
Thank you for the poam.
You’re welcome 😊
Beautiful, and not a poem known to me, though I love JB. And the peek inside your cosy library is a privilege, as was the look at the Folio Society edition. I'm subscribing. Thank you.
thanks for the encouragement, welcome aboard!
Enjoyed watching this very much. Love your book-filled study. I can almost smell the cigar smoke, the dusty books... My favourite poem by Betjeman is "On a Portrait on a Deaf Man". It makes me cry every time I read it. Do you love it too?
yes
Thank you! I love Betjeman's poems and have many of his books and yet, somehow, this marvellous piece of writing had slipped under my radar! It goes well with "Christmas." Many thanks for introducing me to it.
You're very welcome!
No idea which one but i know I'm getting one of your books I haven't read yet for Christmas! Can't wait!
Hope you enjoy it!
I love the programmes he did, but they hardly ever show them! Which is a travesty!😢
Malcolm! I noticed awhile back the Orthodox cross behind you on your right when you are seated at your regular perch. Whats the story there??? Love your videos!
Te orthodox cross was a gift to me from a Romanian student whom I had helped over the years
@@MalcolmGuitespell Lovely!! I treasure the time I had in England over a decade ago... London for the Mt Sinai Icon exhibit...out to St Johns in Essex (St Sophrony's), a Sunday in Oxford (where I still point to spots when watching Morse, Lewis, or Endeavor), and then out to Bath...where I proposed to my wife in a field just beyond Bath... again, love your videos and treasure your talks and essays...