From: stephenjones
Category: Other
Date: 8/4/99
Time: 5:44:54 AM
Remote Name: 130.159.248.36
Following on from my rant about 'Literary Imperialism' here's W.N Herbert's poem on the same theme "Mappamundi". As this is in a Scot's dialect, and at the risk of appearing patronising, I've included a translation for the unfamiliar and the plain lazy. Incidentally I think Herbert's use of this dialect stands comparison to Amis' use of a mid-atlantic dialect in "What Happened To Me On Holiday" from "Heavy Water", in that both use an unfamiliar dialect (in written form) to accentuate their content. Herbert however is also making a political statement about language.
MAPPAMUNDI
I've wirkit oot a poetic map o thi world.
Vast tracts o land ur penntit reid tae shaw / England kens naethin aboot um. Ireland's / bin shuftit tae London, whaur / oaffices o thi Poetry Sock occupeh fehv / squerr mile. Seamus Heaney Occupehs three / o thon. Th' anerly ithir bits in Britain / ur Oaxfurd an Hull. Thi Pool, Scoatlan, / an Bisley, Stroud, ur cut ti cuttiblanes in / America, which issa grecht big burdcage wi / a tartan rug owre it tae shaw / Roabirt Lowell. Chile disnae exist. / Argentina's bin beat. Hungary and Russia / haena visas. Africa's edited doon ti / a Column in *Poetry Verruca*, / whaur Okigbo's gote thi ghaist / o Roy Campbill hingin owre um. Thi Faur East's / faan aff - aa bit China: thon's renemmed / Ezra Poond an pit in thi croncit cage. / France disnae get a luke-in: / accordin tae Geoffrey Hill, plucky wee / Charles Peguy is wrasslin wi thi this big deid parrot caad 'Surrealism' fur / thi throne o Absinthe Sorbet.
In this scenario Eh'm a bittern stoarm aff Ulm.
TRANSLATION:
I've worked out a poetic map of the world.
Vast tracts of land are painted red to show / England knows nothing about them. Ireland's / been shifted to London, where / offices of the Poetry Society occupy five / square mile. Seamus Heaney Occupies three / of them. The only other bits in Britain / are Oxford and Hull. The Pool, Scotland, / and Bisley, Stroud, are cut to pieces in / America, which is a great big birdcage with / a tartan rug over it to show / Robert Lowell. Chile doesn't exist. / Argentina's been beat. Hungary and Russia / haven't visas. Africa's edited down to / a Column in *Poetry Verruca*, / where Okigbo's got the ghost / of Roy Campbell hanging over him. The Far East's / fallen off - all but China: that's renamed / Ezra Pound and put in the croncit* cage. / France doesn't get a look-in: / according to Geoffrey Hill, plucky little / Charles Peguy is wrestling with this big dead parrot called 'Surrealism' for / the throne of Absinthe Sorbet.
In this scenario I'm a bitter storm off Ulm.
*I think this means concrete but I'm not sure and our of five Scots dictionaries I checked it was in none of them.
Herbert's poem can be found in Hulse, Kennedy and Morley's "The New Poetry", (Bloodaxe, 1993). This a particularly good anthology of "the new British and Irish poets of the 80s and 90s". other highlights include Ian McMillan's "Ted Hughes is Elvis Presley", Linton Kwesi Johnson's "Inglan is a Bitch", Simon Armitage's "You May Turn Over and Begin" and a bunch of stuff by John Ash and Carol Ann Duffy (who, if Labour were truly 'new', would be Poet Laureate instead of Andrew "show-me-e" Motion).
All time Favourite Tim : Burton <<http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/4403/burton.html>> Favourite sit-com Tim: Timothy from BBC TVs "Sorry" Worlds worst Tim: Mallet