The photo was taken along our valley this morning. Wish I had a non-copyright picture of Edward Thomas, but sadly, no . . .
This is one of my favourite poems by Edward Thomas. I turned Radio 4 on today as I was preparing the vegetables for tea and was delighted to catch "Adventures in Poetry" . I fear we had some rather shabbily-peeled potatoes as my full attention was on the programme! HERE
is a link to listen to it in the next seven days.
Here, out of pure self-indulgence for me, is this beautiful poem again:
ADLESTROP
Yes. I remember Adlestrop -
The name, because one afternoon
Of heat the express-train drew up there
Unwontedly. It was late June.
The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat.
No one left and no one came
On the bare platform. What I saw
Was Adlestrop. Only the name.
And willows, willow-herb and grass,
And meadowsweet, and hay-cocks dry,
No whit less still and lonely fair
Than the high cloudlets in the sky.
And for that minute a blackbird sang
Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds
Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.
And HERE is a link to poets of the Great War, which seems very appropriate on today, Remembrance Sunday.
