Poetry

My aim for this project is to invite people to reflect on what loss means to them. As the focus is on subjective interpretations, I felt that explaining the meaning of my images would be too restrictive. However, I also wanted to provide some direction to move the audience beyond simply viewing "pretty pictures". Therefore, I decided to assign a poem to each section, guiding the audience through the various "realms of loss" while allowing them to draw their own conclusions about the meaning and significance of each section. These poems are displayed in my zine and on my public-facing website.

Every poem I have chosen is in the public domain, as each respective author died more than 70 years ago (The National Archives, 2022). The only exception is "Don't Cry for the Horses", whose author is unknown and age undetermined. This poem is commonly shared in the equine community and has been attributed to various people, but its true origin remains unknown. However, if this poem is protected by copyright, I can use an extract for private study under the 'fair dealing' provision, as long as any potential financial impact on the copyright owner is insignificant (Intellectual Property Office, 2021).

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Home

They were ours as a gift

But never to keep

As they close their eyes

Forever to sleep

Unknown (n.d.)

Don’t Cry for the Horses (extract)

https://www.trailsendaz.com/blog

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A horse isn't just a pet, they are an enormous commitment and often become a member of the family. When they pass away, it can be completely devastating, and people often turn to poetry to express their grief. There are several grief-related poems about horses that are well-known in the equine community, such as "Just This Side of Heaven", "I'll Lend You for a Little While", and "If the Day Should Come When I'm in Pain". The one that struck a chord with me was "Don't Cry for the Horses" because this poem speaks about the horses' spirits being unbound rather than the pain they were living with. I don't want my lasting memories of Harley to be of his pain - I want to remember his free spirit and innate joy. The author of this poem is unclear - it has been attributed to many people over the years, but nobody truly knows when and where it originated. It is used worldwide by horse owners and equine vets.

I chose these lines specifically because Harley was an incredible gift. He almost died before I got him, and due to severe organ damage, I had no idea how long I would have with him. I committed to nursing him back to health and loving him for however long he had, whether it was a year or a decade. Every moment of his life was a gift. We went on to have 20 wonderful years together, and when he got sick, I held him as he went to sleep for the last time. My mum's horse, Fly, was his best friend. Fly was a frail old man, and we decided to let them go together. The loss of my precious boys was the catalyst for this project, so I felt it only right to include this small passage as a tribute to them.

Realms of Loss

I measure every Grief I meet

With narrow, probing, eyes –

I wonder if It weighs like Mine –

Or has an Easier size.

I wonder if They bore it long –

Or did it just begin –

I could not tell the Date of Mine –

It feels so old a pain –

I wonder if it hurts to live –

And if They have to try –

And whether – could They choose between –

It would not be – to die –

I note that Some – gone patient long –

At length, renew their smile –

An imitation of a Light

That has so little Oil –

I wonder if when Years have piled –

Some Thousands – on the Harm –

That hurt them early – such a lapse

Could give them any Balm –

Or would they go on aching still

Through Centuries of Nerve –

Enlightened to a larger Pain –

In Contrast with the Love –

The Grieved – are many – I am told –

There is the various Cause –

Death – is but one – and comes but once –

And only nails the eyes –

There's Grief of Want – and grief of Cold –

A sort they call "Despair" –

There's Banishment from native Eyes –

In sight of Native Air –

And though I may not guess the kind –

Correctly – yet to me

A piercing Comfort it affords

In passing Calvary –

To note the fashions – of the Cross –

And how they're mostly worn –

Still fascinated to presume

That Some – are like my own –

Emily Dickinson (1862)

I measure every Grief I meet

https://allpoetry.com/poem/14326789-I-Measure-Every-Grief-I-Meet--561--by-Emily-Dickinson

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"I Measure Every Grief I Meet" is a thought-provoking poem where the narrator reflects on the hidden grief in those around her. She acknowledges the different causes of sorrow, such as death, poverty, depression, and alienation, and wonders about the extent of others' pain. How do they cope? Does it get easier? The narrator finds solace in knowing that, despite the isolating nature of loss, she is not alone in her suffering.

This poem is a fitting introduction to the project, as it highlights the various forms of loss we may encounter and reassures us of the validity of our grief. Through this body of work, I aim to invite people to reflect on their personal experiences of loss, providing a space to process their emotions without fear of being judged. While each individual's experience is unique, we are connected by the shared reality of grief.

Loss of a Loved One

Pressed by the Moon, mute arbitress of tides,

While the loud equinox its power combines,

The sea no more its swelling surge confines,

But o’er the shrinking land sublimely rides.

The wild blast, rising from the western cave,

Drives the huge billows from their heaving bed;

Tears from their grassy tombs the village dead,

And breaks the silent sabbath of the grave!

With shells and sea-weed mingled, on the shore,

Lo! their bones whiten in the frequent wave;

But vain to them the winds and waters rave;

They hear the warring elements no more:

While I am doomed, by life’s long storm oppressed,

To gaze with envy on their gloomy rest.

Charlotte Turner Smith (1789)

Written in the Church Yard at Middleton in Sussex

https://interestingliterature.com/2020/12/charlotte-smith-sonnet-church-yard-middleton-sussex-analysis/

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"Written in the Church Yard at Middleton in Sussex" is an emotive poem about the turmoil of life and the peace found after death. It may not be an obvious choice for this section, given the countless poems about losing a loved one, but several elements of Smith's poem caught my attention. With 14 lines written in iambic pentameter and a regular rhyme scheme, it might be easy to assume this is a typical sonnet about romantic love. Instead, Smith's work is an outpouring of her anguish and envy of the peaceful state of the dead.

The narrator sits in a graveyard by the sea, much like Barnoon Cemetery, when a violent storm causes the waves to break through and disturb the resting place of the late villagers. The graves and bodies are torn apart by the wind, and their remains wash out onto the shore. However, the dead don't hear the storm; they are at peace. In contrast, the living are doomed to endure the storms of life. This poem highlights the bittersweet nature of a loved one resting in peace, as it is rarely peaceful for those left behind. It poignantly captures the essence of loss and the complex emotions it evokes.

Loss of Connection

Perhaps no man, until he dies,

Will understand them, what they say.

The evening makes the sky like clay.

The slow wind waits for night to rise.

The world is half content. But they

Still trouble all the trees with cries,

That know, and cannot put away,

The yearning to the soul that flies

From day to night, from night to day.

Charles Hamilton Sorley (1915)

Rooks

https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/rooks/

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The symbolism of the rook is multifaceted; they are feared as omens of death, admired for their intelligence, and respected as spiritual messengers. In "Rooks", these aspects are conveyed in just a few short lines. Rooks cry out, understanding the "yearning of the soul" and the sufferings of life, but they can only impart their profound wisdom to a person upon their death.

I chose this poem because it succinctly encapsulates the various ways rooks can represent loss. When readers look through my zine, they might not recognise the type of bird or its relevance to the theme of loss. This poem offers them some clues and encourages them to consider their own interpretation of the rooks' symbolism.

Loss of Freedom

I never saw a man who looked

With such a wistful eye

Upon that little tent of blue

Which prisoners call the sky,

And at every drifting cloud that went

With sails of silver by.

I walked, with other souls in pain,

Within another ring,

And was wondering if the man had done

A great or little thing,

When a voice behind me whispered low,

“That fellow’s got to swing.”

Dear Christ! the very prison walls

Suddenly seemed to reel,

And the sky above my head became

Like a casque of scorching steel;

And, though I was a soul in pain,

My pain I could not feel.

Oscar Wilde (1898)

Ballad of Reading Gaol – I (extract)

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45495/the-ballad-of-reading-gaol

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Consisting of 109 stanzas, each averaging 6 lines, Oscar Wilde's "Ballad of Reading Gaol" is a lengthy poetic work. After visiting Bodmin Jail, I read this poem and felt that this specific extract powerfully captures the theme of a loss of freedom.

The narrator, a prisoner, pities a new inmate as he watches his freedom being stripped away. The wistful gaze at the "little tent of blue" reminded me of the sombre views from the cell window at Bodmin, where one might only catch a glimpse of the sky through bars and over high walls. The realisation that the new inmate will soon be executed causes a profound emotional reaction in the narrator, making the prison walls feel even more oppressive and the prospect of freedom even further out of reach. This extract effectively conveys the loss of freedom in both a psychological and physical sense.

Loss of Livelihood

Wondrous is this masonry,

broken by the Fates;

the fortifications have given way,

the buildings raised by giants

are crumbling.

***

The owners and builders

are perished and gone,

held fast in the earth’s embrace,

the ruthless clutch of the grave,

while a hundred generations of

mankind have passed away.

Unknown (8th Century)

The Ruin (extract)

https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/fellows/learning-from-old-literature-a-reflection-on-the-ruin/

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"The Ruin" is an elegy thought to have originated in the 8th Century from an unknown author and was included in the Exeter Book during the 10th Century. Originally written in Old English, it has since been translated into Modern English numerous times, resulting in several variations of the poem available online. This excerpt from "The Ruin" depicts the decay of a once-grand structure, but it is unclear whether this refers to a specific place or a civilisation. However, the use of terms like "giants" to describe the builders and "wondrous" to describe the masonry suggests the narrator holds a great deal of respect and reverence for them. Yet, despite the grandeur of this place, it has succumbed to the inevitable destructive nature of time, with both its foundations and its people long since gone.

I was tempted to match this poem with "Loss of Heritage" due to its age, but when I read the lines about the builders being "held fast in the earth's embrace", I couldn't help but be reminded of the disasters at the engine houses across Cornwall. The wondrous, yet crumbling masonry of Botallack, combined with the devastating loss of life deep within the mine under the Crowns, resonates with the sentiments expressed in this elegy. Those who survived these accidents over 100 years ago still suffered the loss of their livelihood when the mines closed, and in that sense, are still "perished and gone". It struck me that the author, writing in the 8th Century, mourned the collapse of a civilisation over 1000 years before my own crumbling buildings were even constructed. However, our experiences of mourning lost ways of life remain parallel and timeless, illustrating the universal nature of such grief.

Loss of Heritage

O Thou, to whom in the olden times was raised

Yon ample Mound, not fashion’d to display

An artful structure, but with better skill

Piled massive, to endure through many an age,

How simple, how majestic is thy tomb!

When temples and when palaces shall fall,

And mighty cities moulder into dust,

When to their deep foundations Time shall shake

The strong-based pyramids, shall thine remain

Amid the general ruin unsubdued,

Uninjured as the everlasting hills,

And mock the feeble power of storms and Time.

William Crowe (1788)

Silbury Hill

https://megalithicpoems.blogspot.com/2012/06/silbury-hill.html

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William Crowe's "Silbury Hill" reflects on the enduring legacy of a simple and majestic tomb, contrasting it with the inevitable decay of mighty cities. Crowe celebrates the skilful construction of the enormous mound in Silbury, emphasising its resilience. It has endured through the ages and will stand tall for millennia to come, while other structures and civilisations crumble to dust. Like the Neolithic monuments featured in my work, the purpose of Silbury Hill is lost to the ages. This poem effectively conveys the wonder we feel at these ancient sites, reminding us of the wisdom of past civilisations and the connections to a community and heritage that have faded with time.

Loss of a Secure Future

Abodes of men irregularly massed

Like trees in forests,

- spread through spacious tracts.

O’er which the smoke of unremitting fires

Hangs permanent, and plentiful as wreaths

Of vapour glittering in the morning sun.

And, wheresoe’er the traveller turns his steps

He sees the barren wilderness erased,

Or disappearing

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I grieve, when on the darker side

Of this great change I look; and there behold

Such outrage done to nature as compels

The indignant power to justify herself;

Yea, to avenge her violated rights.

For England’s bane.

William Wordsworth (1814)

The Excursion (extract)

https://poemanalysis.com/william-wordsworth/the-excursion/

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This extract from Wordsworth's "The Excursion" reveals the darker side of industrialisation. While the narrator acknowledges the rapid progress of human achievement through this "great change", he is also distraught by the damage these advancements have inflicted on nature. Wordsworth compares cities to vast forests, but instead of being clean, the air hangs thick with pollution and smoke. He suggests that nature may be compelled to "avenge her violated rights", hinting at the destructive consequences of environmental exploitation.

This poem highlights the devastation that industrialisation has brought to the natural world in the name of progress and mirrors contemporary concerns about the climate crisis. The transformation of natural landscapes resonates with current fears about environmental degradation and the loss of a secure, stable future due to climate change. Even 200 years ago, Wordsworth wrote about the urgent need to address the destabilisation of our environment, and his words are more relevant now than ever.

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References

All Poetry (no date) I measure every grief I meet (561) by Emily Dickinson, by Emily Dickinson - Famous poems, famous poets. - All Poetry. Available at: https://allpoetry.com/poem/14326789-I-Measure-Every-Grief-I-Meet--561--by-Emily-Dickinson (Accessed: 01 May 2024).

Intellectual Property Office (2021) Exceptions to copyright, GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exceptions-to-copyright (Accessed: 03 May 2024).

Littlestone (2012) Silbury Hill. Available at: https://megalithicpoems.blogspot.com/2012/06/silbury-hill.html (Accessed: 03 May 2024).

Ordway, H. (2023) Learning from old literature: A reflection on ‘The ruin’ , Word on Fire. Available at: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/fellows/learning-from-old-literature-a-reflection-on-the-ruin/ (Accessed: 02 May 2024).

The National Archives (2022) Copyright and related rights, The National Archives. Available at: https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/copyright-related-rights.pdf (Accessed: 03 May 2024).

Sassoli, N. (2023) The excursion by William Wordsworth, Poem Analysis. Available at: https://poemanalysis.com/william-wordsworth/the-excursion/ (Accessed: 03 May 2024).

Scottish Poetry Library (2020) Rooks by Charles Hamilton Sorley, Scottish Poetry Library. Available at: https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/rooks/ (Accessed: 03 May 2024).

Tearle, O. (2024) A short analysis of Charlotte Smith’s ‘Sonnet written in the church yard at Middleton in Sussex’, Interesting Literature. Available at: https://interestingliterature.com/2020/12/charlotte-smith-sonnet-church-yard-middleton-sussex-analysis/ (Accessed: 02 May 2024).

Trail’s End (no date) Memorials, trailsendaz. Available at: https://www.trailsendaz.com/blog (Accessed: 01 May 2024).

Wilde, O. (no date) The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde, Poetry Foundation. Available at: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45495/the-ballad-of-reading-gaol (Accessed: 01 May 2024).