Delay -- Elizabeth Jennings

Guest poem sent in by Vikram Doctor
(Poem #249) Delay
 The radiance of the star that leans on me
 Was shining years ago. The light that now
 Glitters up there my eyes may never see,
 And so the time lag teases me with how

 Love that loves now may not reach me until
 Its first desire is spent. The star's impulse
 Must wait for eyes to claim it beautiful
 And love arrived may find us somewhere else.
-- Elizabeth Jennings
Nothing much to add to the simplicity of this poem except to say, sadly,
that I have found it to be true.

Its from the Poems On The Underground anthology, which is a really nice one.
The Poems On The Underground scheme aims to put short poems in public
places. It has worked brilliantly in London, and got very positive
responses. Maybe one day they'll get around to doing something like this in
the Bombay suburban trains...

I don't have any biographical details on Elizabeth Jennings, except that she
was born in 1926 and has lived most of her life in Oxford. Writes nice
literate balanced poetry.

[Check out <[broken link] http://www.rcc.ait.ac.th/staff/suman/ElizabethJennings.html> for
a brief biography and assessment - m.]

26 comments:

  1. My son is studying Elizabeth Jennings@ poetry for A Level English.
    There does not seem to be very much written about her or her work.
    Any suggestions as to where we can locate any info>

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  2. What is the dramatic situation of Elizabeth Jenning's peom Delay?
    Who is speaking? To Whom? What is the tone? How do you know?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I heard a poem --"Friendship" by Elizabeth Jennings--on Radio 4---I would love a copy of the words.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Roley

    I don't know how long ago you posted your request for the words to Friendship by Elizabeth Jennings, but in the unlikely event that you don't have them already, here they are .....

    Friendship
    Such love I cannot analyse;
    It does not rest in lips or eyes,
    Neither in kisses nor caress.
    Partly, I know, it's gentleness

    And understanding in one word
    Or in brief letters. It's preserved
    By trust and by respect and awe.
    These are the words I'm feeling for.

    Two people, yes, two lasting friends.
    The giving comes, the taking ends.
    There is no measure for such things.
    For this all Nature slows and sings.

    Cheers

    Andy

    ReplyDelete
  5. its not easy to understand like the other

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  6. does annyone know when the poem was published?

    ReplyDelete
  7. in this case, the enchantment of the night. (This takes a page
    from Jacques Derrida's postmodernist playbook.) And yet we keep trying,
    as the poem so wonderfully points out.

    ReplyDelete
  8. in this case, the enchantment of the night. (This takes a page
    from Jacques Derrida's postmodernist playbook.) And yet we keep trying,
    as the poem so wonderfully points out.

    ReplyDelete
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