Interesting theme proposed by Frank O'Shea - in Frank's words: How about a series on poems featured in movies. You already have "Code Poem for the French Resistance" [Poem #197]from the film "Carve Her Name With Pride". And "O Captain, My Captain!"[Poem #157] from "Dead Poets Society". And I seem to recall a film in which "Invictus"[Poem #221] was central - a teacher trying to get a student to tease out the meaning; what was the film? Here is another one, the first verse of which is read aloud from the old book of verse in the cave in one of the meetings of the Dead Poets Society. Whenever I recite it, I have to warn listeners not to make up their politically correct and sensitive minds until I have finished.
(Poem #1165) The Ballad Of William Bloat In a mean abode on the Shankill Road Lived a man named William Bloat; And he had a wife, the curse of his life, Who always got his goat. 'Til one day at dawn, with her nightdress on He slit her pretty throat. With a razor gash he settled her hash Oh never was crime so quick But the steady drip on the pillowslip Of her lifeblood made him sick. And the pool of gore on the bedroom floor Grew clotted and cold and thick. Now he was right glad he had done as he had As his wife lay there so still But a sudden awe of the mighty law Filled his heart with an icy chill. So to finish the fun so well begun He resolved himself to kill. He took the sheet from his wife's cold feet And twisted it into a rope And he hanged himself from the pantry shelf, 'Twas an easy end, let's hope. In the face of death with his latest breath He said "to hell with the Pope." Now the strangest turn in this whole concern Is only just beginning. He went to Hell, but his wife got well And is still alive and sinning. For the razor blade was Dublin made But the sheet was Belfast linen. |
The poem is variously attributed to that prolific creator of such verses, Anon. But I have also seen the name Raymond Calvert as author. I would be happy to know something about him. [I found several attributions to Calvert, so I've gone ahead and followed suit - martin] The Shankill Road is the centre of militant Protestantism (more accurately, anti-papistry) in Belfast and is rarely out of the news when it comes to "loyalist" paramilitary activity. I have also seen the last two lines written as For the razor blade was German made But the sheet was English linen. Presumably a leftover from one of the World Wars and possibly when it first appeared. Frank O'Shea [Martin adds] Curiously enough, apart from "Funeral Blues"[Poem #256], I can't think of any memorable poetry featured in a movie (Jackson's first "Lord of the Rings" movie disappointed me in that respect - I expected at least one poem as a voiceover.) Maybe I just don't watch enough of the right sort of movie. I'm looking forward to seeing what people come up with. (Afterthought: no, I lied - there was the very memorable, and heartily recommended, "Il Postino")
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`Back to School' has the poem `Do not go gentle into that dark night'.
Sitaram
If so, they misquoted it. It's 'good night', not 'dark
night'.
In the film "Out of Africa" Meryl Streep's character reads AE Houseman's
poem, "The day you won your town the race" over the grave of the Robert
Redford character.
Tim
Dear Martin,
I believe my daily dose of poetry...some serious, some not; some admirable,
some less so; all poetry...delivered here in the context of no
context...next to my spam and my business mail and my checking up on Dilbert
and Salon...is changing me in interesting ways. It is one thing to sit down
as on an evening in the chair with the light set just so to read this or
that. It is another to be constantly ambushed by poetry. One starts finding
it everywhere.
In today's New York Times, there is another review of WG Sebald's
meditations on the Allied bombings of German cities. It sits adjacent to a
discussion of the increased amount of trivial sex on network TV. The
overcivilized Germans becoming "the rat people" shares space with Joe
Millionaire. What do these things have in common? They are ink on paper and
paper is grass and all flesh is grass and in the midst of daily coffee we
are somewhere else. I think you bear some responsibility for this.
And by the way...you can probably do much better with quoted poetry in
theatre than in movies. However, bear in mind Kornheiser's first law of
dramatics: "Never quote Shaw or Shakespeare in your stageplay unless you can
write as well as Shaw or Shakespeare. Since you can't, don't." You'd be
amazed the number of playwrights who have not learned this.
Alan
ee cumming's 'somewhere i have never traveled' from 'hannah and her
sisters' comes to mind - one of the finest love poems ever written (in
my opinion, anyway).
and more recently, a snatch from rilke's 'fear of the inexplicable'
from the delightful 'kissing jessica stein'.
:v:
There is also Dutch Lullaby (Wynken, Blynken and Nod) by Eugene Field (no
967 in your list) which is featured in the 1990 film Denis the Menace
Frank
In a film biography of FDR the poem Invictus was read.
GVO
Raymond Calvert, a lifelong friend and colleague of my father's in Northern Ireland, wrote The Ballad of William Bloat in 1926, while a student at Queen's University in Belfast. The text given here is nearly correct - but not quite. The last two lines should read: "For the razor blade was foreign made,/But the sheet was Irish linen."
Mrs Gay Firth, London, UK
A favorite of mine is Robert Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay" read in the movie (though the book is better) The Outsiders.
While on the subject of poems in the movies.
* A poem by W. H. Auden (I think it is One evening) features in Richard
Linklater's Before Sunrise. I think Ethan Hawke recites it to Julie
Delpy. I remember the lines And Time will have its fancy/Tomorrow or
today - could someone post the whole poem here?
Regards
Ramsu
Should be "who continually got his goat"
In the face of death with his latest breath he solemnly cursed the Pope
and ending "the razor blade was foreign made
but the sheet was Irish linen!
It can never have been English linen - irish linen was the whole point of
the story - the pride Unster had in the perfection of its product -against the
foreign steel of the razor blade!!!
I am writing about the "poem", The Ballad of Wiliam Bloat. written
about 1930 by Raymond Calvert.
Raymond Calvert was my Uncle. He wrote it , in fun, when he was a
student at the Queen's University of Belfast. I think it was written
for an evening of the drama club or something like that.
I have an edition given to me by his widow Irene Calvert, now dead.
The well known singers, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy makem recorded
the it as a song, attributed to ANON. But they were worong
John Calwell
Coming from Belfast, I've heard this poem as a sort of folk-recited thing on
innumerable occasions and I was amazed to find it on Minstrels when I
googled for it. I wasn't aware it was known outside Belfast.
My understanding of the last two lines is that they were 'originally' "For
the razor blade was German made, but the shirt was Irish linen.", certainly
that was the form alleged to have been used at the time of the First World
War. After partition and particularly during the troubles, as Ulster
Protestants became less comfortable with Irishness, Irish drifted to Belfast
in the last line although not universally so. Dublin in the penultimate
line was a new one on me I have to say, but obviously the change comes from
the same political pressures.
Gerry Lynch
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about information and love learning more on this. If possible, as you gain expertise, It is extremely helpful for me. would you mind updating your blog with more information
My father used to recite the poem thus
"...For the razor blade was Carlow made
But the sheet was Belfast linen..."
Anonymous (Sept 20) - That version (Carlow) was the one my father used to recite too! Are you my brother? ;-)
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, but I am firmly convinced of this and love to learn more about the subject. If possible, acquire knowledge, would you update your blog with more information? It is very helpful to me
the art is the expression of the human soul, and as a part of art, this is one of the emotive expression, in my case I always thought that in every human, reside a within us a poet.
En esto algo es y es el pensamiento bueno. Es listo a apoyarle.
Excellent post.I want to thank you for this informative read, I really appreciate sharing this great post. Keep up your work.
In the early '60's I worked in stockbroking in Belfast.
The then Belfast Stock Exchange was in 12 Lombard St,(opposite to White's Tavern (The Monaco?), The lady supervisor in the S/E had previously worked for Taylor, Calvert & Co stockbrokers since stopped trading and claimed that it was she who typed "Wm Bloat" for a young Robert Calvert for inclusion to the QUB rag magazine "PTQ"
-Pro Tanto Quid, this would date it into the late '40s. Cannot verify. PS my vesion "with HIS night shirt on", "Razor blade, Dublin made"
Coming from Belfast, I've never heard the version about the razor blade being Dublin made - German, foreign and, more recently, American seem to be the dominant penultimate lines. The Linen is always either Irish or Belfast, and his wife continually got his goat.
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Raymond Calvert was My Uncle (My Mother's Brother) I grew up very Proud that he had Written that Poem..'The Ballad of William Bloat'
The Correct Version is Definitely...'The Razor Blade was German Made..But the Sheet was Irish Linen'...You see the sheet did the trick and finished her off...Malcolm Calvert McCoull....
really nice article, keep posting!
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