This weeks blog is a little
different being Easter.
One evening in the winter of 1971 I
was sitting at the dining room table doing some homework for my apprenticeship
ITB block release papers, the radio was on when a broadcast started with a
very rich voice reciting poetry. It gradually drew my attention away from what I
had been focused doing and slowly seemed to move my mind into another
world.
It was John Ebdon, Director of the
London Planetarium and he was reciting Shelley , Keats and other poets as he
spoke about his work and that of the Planetarium. In 1971 much of the world was
focused on the excitement of the Moon landings and where man may head next. The
oil crisis and slump in world trade of 1973 was yet to hit and Vietnam was a
world away to most. In my mid teens I had become conscience of many things,
the possibility of nuclear war, pollution -a new name on the block then, and
what to do with my life. With all the things we face at that time and too
immature and shy for girlfriends I remained happy in solitude getting up early
for rides into the Furness countryside on my bike, enjoying all the sounds and
smells to go with it. So the radio broadcast was inspiring, that life 's
great mysteries can create such wonderful thoughts , non clinical , non
threatening just beautiful voyages for the human mind by great writers. I began
reading more about the heavens, and journeyed into science fiction. It was with
sadness to hear the passing of Sir Arthur C.Clarke this week
whose talent and skills in both his many books and novels have changed our view
of the "us and them" post forties view of mans place in the universe for ever.
Here is one of those poems I recall
from John Ebdons programme, and I have added one of my early paintings of the
Moon and coastline, both still places anywhere on Earth that create
mystery.When read
on the radio Mahler's 5th symphony was playing gracing an even deeper feel to
these words.
NOLLINGTON DOWNS by JOHN
MASEFIELD.
I could not sleep for thinking of
the stars.
The unending sky with all its
millions suns which in turn their planets everlastingly in
nothing.
Where the fire head comet
runs.
If I could sail that nothing, I
should cross-silence, an emptiness of dark stars passing, and
then,
in the darkness see a point of gloss
burn into a glow and glare and keep a massing the rage into a sun with wandering
planets and drop behind:
And as I proceed to see his last
light on his last moons granites die to a dark that would be night
indeed,
Night where my soul might sail a
million years in nothing, not even death -not even tears.
How did the nothing
come?
How did these fires, these million
leagues of fire first toss their hair, licking the moons from heaven and their
eyes flinging them forth to wonder there.
What was the mind, was it a mind
that thought?-or chance , or law, or conscience law, or power , or a vast ballot
by vast clashes wrought, or time or trial with matter for an
hour?
Or is it all a body where the cells
are living things supporting something strange whose mighty heart the swinging
planets swells as it shoulders nothing in unending change.
Is this green Earth, of many peoples
pain, part of a life, cell within a brain.
It may be so, but let the unknown
be,
We on Earth are servants of the
Sun.
Out of the Sun comes all the quick
in thee,
His golden touch is life to
everyone.
His power it is that makes us spin
through space,
His youth is April-and his manhood
bred.
Beauty is but a looking on his face
,
He clears the mind, he makes the
roses red, What he may be who knows-but we are his.
We roll through nothing round him
year by year, with withering leaves upon a tree which is-
each with his greed, his little
power, his sphere,
What we may be who knows, But
everyone is dust upon dust,
Very nice Wallace. You certainly are a talented man.Your paintings and artwork are brilliant and your obvious love of poetry and grasp of English grammar are exemplary. Its very heartwarming to find that a small village like Roose can produce artists and artisans like yourself. John Large.
Lancashire Re-United offers for sale and exclusive to this website prints of original artwork of Municipal Bus fleets , Railway Locos,Barrow Built ships & Company wagons by WALLACE TRICKETT who has VERY KINDLY given me the selling rights to these prints.Simply click on LANCASHIRE PRINTS to purchase these stunning memories of Lancashire'sroad transport heritage at the AMAZING price of JUST £9.99--each plus P&P -
PLEASE NOTE -due to production costs -These prints will not be sold without MOUNTS OR FRAMES
The LRU prints are COPYRIGHT of LANCASHIRE RE-UNITED & Wallace Trickett any infingement WILL result in LEGAL ACTION being taken
