Full Description
William Martin (1925-2010) was a poet of extraordinary vision and musicality. Thoroughly grounded in his native North-East England, its pit communities and industry, his song-like poems nevertheless traverse a vast geographical and historical landscape ranging from deep Celtic and Anglo-Saxon sources to the mythology and sacred sites of India, via a passionate political engagement that never limits song to mere rhetoric. He also drew on children's games, ballads and street songs in poems showing both political anger and a wider concern for a society losing its common ground, its rituals and rites of passage. Marratide: Selected Poems brings together poems from William Martin's four collections, Cracknrigg (1983) and Hinny Beata (1987) from Taxus Press; and Marra Familia (1993) and Lammas Alanna (2000), from Bloodaxe Books. Two comprehensive introductory essays by editors Peter Armstrong and Jake Morris-Campbell discuss the life and poetry of William Martin in this edition published to celebrate his centenary.
Contents
9 Peter Armstrong: William Martin: Gravity Lines
19 Jake Morris-Campbell: William Martin: Slipstreams
27 A note on the choice of poems
28 Acknowledgements
from CRACKNRIGG (1983)
30 When May Be Out
30 from Hen Meneu * The Old Bush
34 Crist Gwyn * The White Christ
37 The Even Ships
39 The Round Dance
41 The Bald Ship
44 from A19 Hymn
47 from Kildan Fragments
50 Marratide
from HINNY BEATA (1987)
54 from Malkuth
65 Wiramutha Helix
87 from Mothergate
89 from Anna Marra Missa
89 Moreneta
91 Song of the Cotia Lass
94 Song: 'We'll rise in the morning'
from MARRA FAMILIA (1993)
97 from Image Ark
106 Song: 'Will dayligone fash'
108 from Anna Navis
120 from Triptych
121 Slogan Bread
from LAMMAS ALANNA (2000)
124 Aforeword
128 Mort Tiamat
130 Psalm
131 Quest
134 from I Johnbird
137 Maytime
139 Scordie
143 Exile
144 The Seafarer
148 Bede's Going
149 Six Island Sunset
153 Midwinter Song
157 from In Easthope
160 from Images from Samuel Palmer
163 Bairnseed
166 from Song: 'We meet at the lamp'
168 Song: 'As aa was gannin through Chester-le-Street'
170 from His Bright Silver
174 Song: A Wearside version 'It's O but aa ken well'
176 from Durham Beatitude
179 Notes
