A. E. Housman - Shropshire Lad, More Poems, &c.

[Bick]

I have a nice old HB of the collected poems of A. E. Housman. Anyone else read much Housman? He’s most famous for his 63-poem collection Shropshire Lad, which I’ve been enjoying.

I realise now that the lines “Clay lies still, but blood’s a rover” comes from the 5th poem in Shropshire Lad.

My impression is that he was much more popular 30 or 40 years ago (or more) than he is now. Anyone any reflections on this poet?

 

[HareBrain]

I struggle to read poetry for enjoyment, but A Shropshire Lad XL (the "blue remembered hills" one) gets me every time.

 

[Bick]

Yes the ‘blue remembered hills’ line is famous, and has been used a lot by other authors, I’m sure. It is a terrific poem; only two short verses, but very wistful. The land of lost content… makes me want to go home to the land of my own youth.

 

[HareBrain]

It's weird that a lot of wistful, nostalgic poetry and music came out of England in the few years before WWI.

 

[Bick]

Dennis Potter wrote a BBC teleplay called Blue Remembered Hills that was broadcast in 1979; Novelist Rosemary Sutcliffe used the line for her autobiography; these and other uses of the line shown below:

And presumably, Alastair Reynolds borrowed the phrase from Housman for this novel:

 

[HareBrain]

Dennis Potter wrote a BBC teleplay called Blue Remembered Hills that was broadcast in 1979

Yes, I saw that when it was repeated. Adult actors (including Colin Welland) playing schoolkids.

 

[Bick]

After that interesting chat, I may as well post the short poem here, to save others from having to look it up. It's subtly deep, I think:

Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?

That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.