National Trust Poem by Tony Harrison
National Trust
Bottomless pits. There's on in Castleton,
and stout upholders of our law and order
one day thought its depth worth wagering on
and borrowed a convict hush-hush from his warder
and winched him down; and back, flayed, grey, mad, dumb.
Not even a good flogging made him holler!
O gentlemen, a better way to plumb
the depths of Britain's dangling a scholar,
say, here at the booming shaft at Towanroath,
now National Trust, a place where they got tin,
those gentlemen who silenced the men's oath
and killed the language that they swore it in.
The dumb go down in history and disappear
and not one gentleman's been brough to book:
Mes den hep tavas a-gollas y dyr
(Cornish-)
'the tongueless man gets his land took.'
In the first line, it looks like it should be one not on. As to the content of the poem, we learn one more time it wasn’t only Nazis who did deplorable and inhumane experiments on people and that the haves get away with crimes on the have-nots. Here in America, if it’s on or near the places of the poor, sure, let’s do our dumping there. But never get near the tended gardens or the houses of the rich. -GK
Amazing poem with compelling imagery and narration. Poem with powerful words created, the addition in cornish is sublimest
The poet captures the essence of these themes through vivid imagery and a compelling narrative. The poem draws attention to the consequences of disregarding history and the dire outcomes of suppressing voices.
Bottomless Pits' is a thought-provoking and evocative poem that delves into themes of power, oppression, and the loss of cultural heritage.
" The dumb go down in history and disappear and not one gentleman's been brought to book..." This is realistic and most beatifully expressed to match the theme line of the poem... loved it... Thanks
What a beautiful poem, I love it, thank you for sharing.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/23/2024 2:34:00 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Webmaster: check spelling in lines 1 and 14 please