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History by John Burnside (1955-)

Original Poetry

Translation

History by John Burnside (1955-)

Today

St Andrews: West Sands; September 2001

as we flew kites

Today

- the sand swirling in ribbons along the beach

as we flew the kites

and the gasoline smell from Leuchars blowing over

- the sand spinning off in ribbons along the beach

the golf course;

and that gasoline smell from Leuchars gusting across

with the tide far out

the golf links;

and grey in the distance;

the tide far out

people

and quail-grey in the distance;

jogging, or stopping to watch

people

as the war planes turned

jogging, or stopping to watch

in the morning light –

as the war planes cambered and turned

today

in the morning light –

- with the news on my mind, and the quiet fear

today

of what might come –

- with the news in my mind, and the muffled dread

I knelt down in the sand

of what may come –

with Lucas

I knelt down in the sand

collecting shells

with Lucas

and pebbles

gathering shells

finding signs of life in all this

and pebbles

driftwork:

finding evidence of life in all this

snail shells; pieces of razorfish;

driftwork:

marks of seaweed and flesh on worn stones.

snail shells; shreds of razorfish;

Sometimes I think what defines us

smudges of weed and flesh on tideworn stone.

is not family or our given roles

At times I think what makes us who we are

but something lost between the world we have

is neither kinship nor our given states

and what we dream of behind the names

but something lost between the world we own

on days like this

and what we dream about behind the names

our lines raised in the wind

on days like this

our bodies fixed to the shore

our lines raised in the wind

and though we are limited by ownership

our bodies fixed and anchored to the shore

what connects us to gravity and light

and though we are confined by property

is mostly about distance and the shapes

what tethers us to gravity and light

we find in water

has most to do with distance and the shapes

reading from the book

we find in water

of silt and tides:

reading from the book

the pink or blue

of silt and tides:

of jellyfish and sea anemone

the rose or petrol blue

mixing with a child's

of jellyfish and sea anemone

first nakedness.

combining with a child's

Sometimes I am overwhelmed with fear

first nakedness.

of losing everything - the sea, the sky,

Sometimes I am dizzy with the fear

all living things, forests, estuaries:

of losing everything - the sea, the sky,

we give up so much to understand the virtual

all living creatures, forests, estuaries:

we barely notice the drift and pull

we trade so much to know the virtual

of other bodies

we scarcely register the drift and tug

barely understand

of other bodies

the moment as it happens: changes of light

scarcely apprehend

and weather

the moment as it happens: shifts of light

and the quiet, local forms

and weather

of history: the fish caught in the tide

and the quiet, local forms

beyond the sands;

of history: the fish lodged in the tide

the long sleeplessness

beyond the sands;

of ornamental carp in public parks

the long insomnia

captive and bright

of ornamental carp in public parks

and hanging in their own

captive and bright

slow-burning

and hung in their own

transient gold;

slow-burning

jars of spawn

transitive gold;

and sticklebacks

jamjars of spawn

or goldfish taken home

and sticklebacks

from fairs

or goldfish carried home

to the sound of radio;

from fairgrounds

but this is the problem: how to be alive

to the hum of radio;

in all this observed and cherished world

but this is the problem: how to be alive

and do no harm

in all this gazed-upon and cherished world

a toddler on a beach

and do no harm

sorting wood and dried weed from the sand

a toddler on a beach

and puzzled by the pattern on a shell

sifting wood and dried weed from the sand

his parents on the dunes with a kite

and puzzled by the pattern on a shell

connected to the sky

his parents on the dune slacks with a kite

all nerve and line:

plugged into the sky

patient; afraid; but still, through everything

all nerve and line:

attentive to the irredeemable.

patient; afraid; but still, through everything

attentive to the irredeemable.

Explanation

John Burnside's poem 'History' explores the juxtaposition of a serene day at the beach with the underlying tension and fear following the September 11 attacks. The poem begins with a peaceful scene of flying kites on a beach in Scotland, but the tranquility is overshadowed by the 'muffled dread' of global events. Burnside reflects on the nature of identity, suggesting it is shaped not by familial ties or societal roles, but by the interplay between our tangible world and our dreams. The poem emphasizes the fragility of existence and the fear of losing the natural world to the virtual. Burnside uses vivid imagery to depict the beauty of nature, such as the 'rose or petrol blue of jellyfish and sea anemone,' contrasting it with the artificiality of human constructs. The poem concludes with a poignant image of a child on the beach, symbolizing innocence and the hope for a future attentive to the irredeemable aspects of life. Through this, Burnside questions how to live meaningfully and responsibly in a world marked by both beauty and destruction.

Word Dictionary15

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
cambered	curved	bent or arched	kam-bered
tideworn	eroded by tides	worn down by the movement of tides	tide-worn
driftwork	debris moved by water	materials carried and deposited by water currents	drift-work
transitive	changing	in the process of change	tran-si-tiv
irredeemable	cannot be saved	beyond saving or repair	ir-re-deem-a-bul
ornamental	decorative	used for decoration	or-na-men-tal
estuary	river mouth	where a river meets the sea	es-choo-ar-y
silt	fine sand	fine particles of earth or sand carried by water	silt
dune slacks	low areas between dunes	depressions between sand dunes	dune slacks
muffled	muted	softened or quieted	muf-fled
quail-grey	grey like a quail	a shade of grey resembling a quail's feathers	kwail-grey
tether	tie	to fasten or secure	teth-er
insomnia	sleeplessness	inability to sleep	in-som-ni-a
apprehend	understand	to grasp or comprehend	ap-pre-hend
scarcely	barely	hardly or not quite	skairce-ly

Poet & Context

PoetJohn Burnside

EraContemporary

John Burnside (1955-2024) was a Scottish writer known for his poetry and novels. He won the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Forward Poetry Prize for his book 'Black Cat Bone' in 2011. Burnside's work often explores themes of nature, memory, and the human condition.

View on Wikipedia

WhenSeptember 2001

WhyThe poem 'History' was written in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. It reflects on the impact of these events on personal and global scales, contrasting the innocence of a day at the beach with the broader implications of historical events.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

Nature vs. TechnologyFear and AnxietyInnocence and ExperienceIdentity and Existence

Literary devices

Imagery: Vivid descriptions of the beach and natural elements create a strong visual impact.Juxtaposition: Contrasts between the peaceful beach scene and the underlying fear of global events.Metaphor: The 'book of silt and tides' as a metaphor for understanding nature.Symbolism: The child on the beach symbolizes innocence and hope.Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds, e.g., 'slow-burning transitive gold.'