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History by John Burnside (1955-)

Original Poetry

Translation

History by John Burnside (1955-)

Today

St Andrews: West Sands; September 2001

Today

as we flew the kites

while we flew kites

- the sand spinning off in ribbons along the beach

the sand spun off in ribbons along the beach

and that gasoline smell from Leuchars gusting across

and the smell of gasoline from Leuchars blew across

the golf links;

the golf course;

the tide far out

the tide was far out

and quail-grey in the distance;

and looked gray in the distance;

people

jogging, or stopping to watch

were jogging or stopping to watch

as the war planes cambered and turned

as the war planes curved and turned

in the morning light –

today

Today

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

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

of what may come –

of what might happen –

I knelt down in the sand

I knelt in the sand

with Lucas

gathering shells

picking up shells

and pebbles

and pebbles,

finding evidence of life in all this

finding signs of life in all this

driftwork:

debris:

snail shells; shreds of razorfish;

snail shells; bits of razorfish;

smudges of weed and flesh on tideworn stone.

smudges of seaweed and flesh on stones worn by the tide.

At times I think what makes us who we are

Sometimes I think what defines us isn't family

is neither kinship nor our given states

or our given roles,

but something lost between the world we own

but something lost between the world we have

and what we dream about behind the names

and what we dream of behind names

on days like this

on days like this,

our lines raised in the wind

our kite strings are raised in the wind,

our bodies fixed and anchored to the shore

our bodies steady and anchored to the shore

and though we are confined by property

and even though we're limited by ownership,

what tethers us to gravity and light

what connects us to gravity and light

has most to do with distance and the shapes

is mostly about distance and the shapes

we find in water

we see in water

reading from the book

of silt and tides:

of mud and tides:

the rose or petrol blue

the pink or blue

of jellyfish and sea anemone

of jellyfish and sea anemones

combining with a child's

mixing with a child's

first nakedness.

Sometimes I am dizzy with the fear

Sometimes I'm overwhelmed with the fear

of losing everything - the sea, the sky,

of losing everything—the sea, the sky,

all living creatures, forests, estuaries:

all living things, forests, river mouths:

we trade so much to know the virtual

we give up so much to understand the digital

we scarcely register the drift and tug

that we barely notice the pull and drift

of other bodies

of other bodies,

scarcely apprehend

barely notice

the moment as it happens: shifts of light

the moment as it happens: changes in light

and weather

and weather,

and the quiet, local forms

of history: the fish lodged in the tide

of history: the fish caught in the tide

beyond the sands;

the long insomnia

the long sleeplessness

of ornamental carp in public parks

of decorative carp in public parks,

captive and bright

trapped and bright,

and hung in their own

hanging in their own

slow-burning

slow-burning,

transitive gold;

temporary gold;

jamjars of spawn

jars of fish eggs

and sticklebacks

or goldfish carried home

or goldfish taken home

from fairgrounds

from fairs

to the hum of radio;

to the sound of the radio;

but this is the problem: how to be alive

but this is the challenge: how to be alive

in all this gazed-upon and cherished world

in this world we look at and cherish,

and do no harm

and do no harm.

a toddler on a beach

A toddler on a beach

sifting wood and dried weed from the sand

sifting wood and dried seaweed from the sand,

and puzzled by the pattern on a shell

puzzled by the pattern on a shell.

his parents on the dune slacks with a kite

His parents on the low dunes with a kite,

plugged into the sky

connected to the sky,

all nerve and line:

all nerves and strings:

patient; afraid; but still, through everything

patient, afraid, but still, through everything,

attentive to the irredeemable.

paying attention to what cannot be saved.

Explanation

John Burnside's poem 'History' is a reflective piece that juxtaposes the serene act of flying kites on a beach with the underlying tension of global events, specifically the September 11 attacks. The poem opens with a vivid description of a day at St Andrews beach, capturing the sensory details of the environment. The poet contrasts this peaceful scene with the ominous presence of warplanes and the 'muffled dread' of the news, symbolizing the intrusion of global events into personal spaces. As the speaker kneels in the sand with a child, collecting shells and pebbles, he meditates on the nature of identity and existence, suggesting that what defines us is not our relationships or societal roles, but the intangible dreams and aspirations we hold. The poem explores themes of connection and disconnection, both with the natural world and within human relationships. Burnside reflects on the fear of losing the natural world and the challenge of remaining present and attentive in a world increasingly dominated by virtual experiences. The imagery of marine life and the child's innocence underscores the fragility and beauty of life, while the poem's closing lines emphasize the importance of being attentive to the 'irredeemable' aspects of existence, urging a mindful engagement with the world.

Word Dictionary15

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
cambered	arched, curved	slightly curved or arched	cam-berd
tideworn	worn by the tide	shaped by the tide	tide-worn
driftwork	debris, remnants	debris left by the tide	drift-work
transitive	temporary, passing	temporary or changing	tran-si-tive
irredeemable	unable to be saved	cannot be saved or changed	ir-re-deem-a-ble
kinship	family relationship	family connection	kin-ship
estuary	river mouth	where river meets sea	es-tu-ar-y
ornamental	decorative	for decoration	or-na-men-tal
insomnia	sleeplessness	can't sleep	in-som-ni-a
silt	fine sand, mud	fine earth particles	silt
anemone	sea creature	sea animal with tentacles	a-nem-o-ne
tether	tie, bind	to tie or bind	teth-er
quail-grey	gray like a quail	gray like a quail	quail-grey
gazed-upon	looked at	looked at or observed	gazed-upon
dune slacks	low areas in dunes	low areas between dunes	dune slacks

Poet & Context

PoetJohn Burnside

EraContemporary

John Burnside was a Scottish writer known for his poetry and prose. 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.

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WhenSeptember 2001

WhyThe poem 'History' by John Burnside reflects on the events of September 11, 2001, and the impact of such historical moments on personal and collective consciousness. It explores themes of loss, fear, and the struggle to find meaning in a world marked by tragedy.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

NatureFearIdentityConnectionLoss

Literary devices

Imagery: Vivid descriptions of the beach and natural elements.Juxtaposition: Contrasting peaceful beach scenes with the tension of global events.Metaphor: Use of natural elements to symbolize human emotions and fears.Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds, e.g., 'slow-burning', 'transitive gold'.Symbolism: Kites and shells symbolizing innocence and the passage of time.