Dylan Thomas, Age 19
"...And playing, lovely and watery
Dylan Thomas in the Grass
And fire green as grass.
And nightly under the simple stars
As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,
All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the nightjars
Flying with the ricks, and the horses
Flashing into the dark."
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Those lines are from Dylan Thomas's's FERN HILL, one of the most beautiful poems ever written in the English language. Every time I read it, I want to pack my bags and head for Wales. Click here to read the whole poem.
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Julie -- I love this line, "As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away." Just gorgeous. Thanks for sharing such a calming image.
ReplyDeleteThere's a certain feel of almost nonsense in these lines, but it's beautifully garbled, as if in a dream. I'm going to have to run this one down.
ReplyDeleteHappy Poetry Friday~
Here are my favorite lines:
ReplyDelete"And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
In the sun that is young once only,
Time let me play and be
Golden in the mercy of his means..."
I love this poem. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLaura
I've always like Dylan Thomas. Thanks for this today!
ReplyDeleteOh, no! I was away from home using someone else's computer and I accidentally deleted comments instead of posting them! If you are reading this and don't see your comment, it's because I'm a dunderhead! Please re-post!
ReplyDeleteI agree: one of the most beautiful confusions of words ever, leading to perfect clarity of feeling. But do you think it's strange how, after all the hay and fields and barns, we end in the sea? Thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteThat's true, Heidi - though early in the poem he does tell us that the air is "watery" and that the streams are holy. That last stanza is where he addresses Time, and how it held him "green and dying" and how, despite the "song" of his youth, he felt chained. Or am I misreading it? It's a complicated poem, that's for sure - just one reason why it is wonderful, actually.
ReplyDeleteThose horses flashing into the dark make my heart stop...thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteSince you're a poetry lover, I'd like to invite you and your readers to join in on my poetry survey. I am looking for a list of your 10 favorite classic poems. Read more about it here.
ReplyDelete