Publisher Description

Land of Three Rivers is a celebration of North-East England in poetry, featuring its places and people, culture, history, language and stories in poems and songs with both rural and urban settings. Taking its bearings from the Tyne, Wear and Tees of the title (from Vin Garbutt's song 'John North'), the book maps the region in poems relating to past and present, depicting life from Roman times through medieval Northumbria and the industrial era of mining and shipbuilding up to the present-day. The anthology has modern perspectives on historical subjects, such as W.H. Auden's 'Roman Wall Blues' and Alistair Elliot on the aftermath of the Battle of Heavenfield in the 7th century, as well as poets from past ages, starting with Caedmon, the first English poet, writing in the 8th century. There are classic North-East songs from the oral tradition of balladeers and pitmen poets alongside the work of literary chroniclers like Mark Akenside from the 18th century, followed by evocations of Northumberland by decadent gentry poet Algernon Charles Swinburne contrasting with grim tales of life down the pit by Tommy Armstrong, Joseph Skipsey and Thomas Wilson in the 19th century. The region's favourite tipple is championed by 18th-century poet John Cunningham in his eulogy 'Newcastle Beer', while 200 years later, Tony Harrison's defences are 'broken down / on nine or ten Newcastle Brown' in his 'Newcastle Is Peru' (1969). Durham is celebrated in a 12th-century priest's poem but is a trinity of 'University, Cathedral, Gaol' for Tony Harrison. The River Tyne flows through poems by Wilfrid Gibson, James Kirkup, Michael Roberts, Francis Scarfe from early to mid-20th century, while the region's dialects (from Northumbrian to Geordie and Pitmatic) are heard in poems by Basil Bunting, William Martin, Tom Pickard, Katrina Porteous and Fred Reed. Other modern and contemporary poets and songwriters featured include Gillian Allnutt, Peter Armstrong, Peter Bennet, Robyn Bolam, George Charlton, Julia Darling, Richard Dawson, the Elliotts of Birtley, W.N. Herbert, Alan Hull, James Kirkup, Mark Knopfler, Barry MacSweeney, Sean O'Brien, Rodney Pybus, Kathleen Raine, Jon Silkin and Anne Stevenson, as well as poets who've spent time in the North-East, such as Fleur Adcock, David Constantine, Fred D'Aguiar, Frances Horovitz, Philip Larkin, Michael Longley and Carol Rumens, writing highly memorable poems in response to the place, its people and their stories. The book's introduction is in two parts, with Rodney Pybus covering the historical background and Neil Astley the last 50 years. This emphasises the importance of the oral tradition during the centuries when little written poetry of note was produced in the region. There are also fascinating commentaries on key historical figures by the late Alan Myers.

Notes

A celebration of North-East England in poetry and throughout the ages.

Author Biography

Neil Astley is editor of Bloodaxe Books, which he founded in 1978. His books include novels, poetry collections and anthologies, most notably those in Bloodaxe's Staying Alive anthology series: Staying Alive (2002), Being Alive (2004), Being Human (2011), and Staying Human (2020), a Poetry Book Society Special Commendation; and three collaborations with Pamela Robertson-Pearce, Soul Food: nourishing poems for starved minds (2008), and the DVD-books In Person: 30 Poets (2008) and In Person: World Poets (2017). He has published two novels, The End of My Tether (2002), which was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award, and The Sheep Who Changed the World (2005). He received an Eric Gregory Award for his poetry, was given a D.Litt from Newcastle University for his work with Bloodaxe Books, and in 2018 was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He also guest-edited a transatlantic all-poetry issue of the American literary journal Ploughshares, the first such issue in its 43-year history. He lives in the Tarset Valley of Northumberland, England.

Table of Contents

Vin Garbutt 14 John NorthNeil Astley 15 Land of Three Rivers: 1Rodney Pybus 18 The Poetry of North-East England (1966)Andy Croft 30 Writing on Teesside: 1 (2010)Neil Astley 33 Land of Three Rivers: 2Basil Bunting 38 What the Chairman Told TomAndy Croft 40 Writing on Teesside: 2 (2010)LAND OF THREE RIVERSW.H. Auden 45 from New Year LetterLilian Bowes Lyon 47 The Glittering NorthMark Akenside 47 from The Pleasures of the ImaginationA.C. Swinburne 49 NorthumberlandBasil Bunting 52 from BriggattsFred Reed 62 SpringanHADRIAN'S WALLW.H. Auden 64 Roman Wall BluesRudyard Kipling 65 The Roman Centurion's SongWilfrid Gibson 66 On Cawelds CragWilfrid Gibson 67 ChesterholmWilfrid Gibson 67 The Watch on the WallFrances Horovitz 69 Poem found at Chester's Museum, Hadrian's WallFrances Horovitz 70 Rain – BirdoswaldFrances Horovitz 71 Vindolanda – JanuaryFrances Horovitz 72 Brigomaglos, a Christian speaks…Frances Horovitz 73 The Crooked GlenRoger Gartt 74 The Hooded GodsGareth Reeves 75 Stone Relief HousesteadsEsther Jansma 76 AD 128Katrina Porteous 77 This Far and No FurtherAlistair Elliot 89 After HeaveneldPeter Armstrong 89 Between Greenhead and SewingshieldsJARROWBede 91 On CaedmonU.A. Fanthorpe 93 Caedmon's SongNorman Nicholson 94 CaedmonKathleen Raine 95 Northumbrian SequenceAnne Stevenson 104 JarrowCarol Rumens 105 JarrowAlistair Elliot 106 Talking to BedeW.N. Herbert 111 Bede's WorldJake Campbell 113 On Not Finding BedeTom Kelly 114 MonumentTom Kelly 115 The Time Ofce, 1965Tom Kelly 116 The Wrong JarrowBORDERERSTraditional 117 The Battle of OtterbourneFleur Adcock 121 HotspurPeter Armstrong 127 BorderersPippa Little 128 from Foray: Border Reiver Women 1500-1600129 The Cheviots129 Alicia Unthank's Ark130 The Robsons Gone131 Truce DayLinda France 132 The Spur in the DishRobyn Bolam 132 Raiding the BordersKatrina Porteous 134 BorderersFred Reed 138 Northumborland (2)A.C. Swinburne 138 A Reiver's Neck-VerseA.C. Swinburne 139 A Jacobite's Exile (1764)NORTH TO SOUTH NORTHUMBERLANDTraditional 142 Old Border RhymeWilfrid Gibson 142 The CheviotTraditional 143 Dunnie's SongJohn Mackay Wilson 143 The Tweed Near BerwickKatrina Porteous 145 from TweedVincenza Holland 147 The Harbourmaster's DaughterAnne Ryland 148 Midsummer Night, BerwickPeter Bennet 149 Duddo StonesRodney Pybus 149 Routing Linn, NorthumberlandLinda France 151 Acknowledged LandPaul Summers 158 acknowledged landTony Harrison 159 Stately HomeSir Walter Scott 159 from MarmionWilfrid Gibson 162 LindisfarneKatrina Porteous 163 Holy Island ArchMatthew Hollis 164 CausewayCynthia Fuller 164 St Cuthbert on Inner FarneAndrew Waterhouse 165 Making the BookKatrina Porteous 167 A Short History of BamburghFred Reed 168 Bamburgh WindA.C. Swinburne 169 Grace DarlingMichael Longley 172 Grace DarlingKatrina Porteous 172 Charlie DouglasKatrina Porteous 174 The Marks t' Gan ByKatrina Porteous 175 StinkyWilfrid Gibson 176 DunstanboroughKatrina Porteous 177 from DunstanburghAlistair Elliot 181 DepositionKatrina Porteous 182 AlnmouthGillian Allnutt 184 At the Friary in AlnmouthR.V. Bailey 184 Druridge BayTraditional 185 Felton LonnenBasil Bunting 185 The Complaint of the Morpethshire FarmerPaul Batchelor 187 ButterwellFred Reed 188 The Pit HeapPippa Little 190 SeacoalingTony Harrison 191 The Earthen LotTraditional 192 The Blackleg MinerJames Henry 193 'Two hundred men and eighteen killed…'Joseph Skipsey 195 The Hartley CalamityJoseph Skipsey 198 The Collier LadJoseph Skipsey 200 Get Up!NORTH TYNE, REDESDALE, COQUETDALERobert Roxby 202 from The Lay of the Reedwater MinstrelBilly Bell 205 Winter on the Carter FellJames Armstrong 207 Wild Hills O' WannysTom Pickard 209 The RawRobert Hunter 212 Epitaph for Ned AllanFred Reed 212 Northumborland (1)Basil Bunting 213 'Stones trip Coquetburn'Colin Simms 214 from Hen Harrier PoemsColin Simms 214 'There are, were, four couples south of Cheviot…'Colin Simms 214 'Formerly on traditionally-managed haughland…'Colin Simms 215 Katharine Macgregor – of The Sneep, TarsetColin Simms 215 'The cadence of a Strathspey, played slow…'Peter Armstrong 216 Between Lord's Shaw and Pit HousesWilfrid Gibson 217 SundaysightWilfrid Gibson 218 HareshawWilfrid Gibson 218 Hareshaw LinnPeter Bennet 219 Hareshaw LinnBilly Bell 220 An Old Shepherd's Adventure at BellinghamPhilip Larkin 223 Show SaturdayPeter Armstrong 226 BellinghamJames Armstrong 227 The Kielder HuntChristy Ducker 228 How Mackie Did the Drowning, PlashettsColin Simms 229 'Out, Northumberland, Out!'Traditional 230 The Water of TyneTYNEDALE, SOUTH TYNE, NORTH PENNINESWilfrid Gibson 231 In Hexham AbbeyWilfrid Gibson 232 The Abbey TowerWilfrid Gibson 233 DevilswaterWilfrid Gibson 234 Mother and MaidTerry Conway 235 Fareweel RegalityWilfrid Gibson 236 Falloweld FellLauris Edmond 236 At BywellLilian Bowes Lyon 237 Allendale DogW.H. Auden 238 AllendaleLilian Bowes Lyon 239 A Rough Walk HomeW.H. Auden 241 The Old Lead-mineW.H. Auden 242 Rookhope (Weardale, Summer 1922)W.H. Auden 242 The Pumping Engine, CashwellW.H. Auden 242 The Engine HouseW.H. Auden 243 Lead's the BestW.H. Auden 245 The WatershedJon Silkin 247 Killhope Wheel, 1860, Co. DurhamJon Silkin 248 StrikeJon Silkin 249 SpadePru Kitching 250 KillhopePru Kitching 251 What's It Like Up There?Dorothy Long 252 RoadBarry MacSweeney 253 No Buses to DamascusBarry MacSweeney 253 Cushy NumberColin Simms 254 High Fells, April 2011Colin Simms 255 Where Rise Watters of Tyne, Tees, WearNEWCASTLEJohn Cleveland 256 News from NewcastleTony Harrison 260 Newcastle Is PeruBrendan Cleary 265 Newcastle Is BenidormEllen Phethean 266 BacchantesJulia Darling 266 Newcastle Is LesbosW.N. Herbert 268 The Entry of Don Quixote into Newcastle upon TyneW.N. Herbert 270 Song of the Longboat BoysJohn Cunningham 271 Newcastle BeerRodney Pybus 273 'Our Friends in the North'George Charlton 275 A Return to NewcastleRobyn Bolam 275 HyemRobyn Bolam 276 Moving OnJulia Darling 277 SatsumasJulia Darling 278 A Short Manifesto to My CityJulia Darling 278 Old JezzyAnna Adams 279 The Wild Life on Newcastle Town MoorMichael Roberts 280 Temperance Festival, Town Moor, NewcastleW.H. Auden 281 from Twelve SongsRichard Kell 281 TraditionsW.N. Herbert 284 The HoppingsTony Harrison 284 DivisionsFred Reed 286 Brazen FacesKathleen Kenny 286 Grainger MarketJohn Challis 288 Gift of the GabFleur Adcock 289 Street SongAnonymous 290 A riddle on the steeple of St Nicholas's Cathedral, NewcastlePeter Hebden 290 Thin RiddleJoan Johnston 292 On Falling Up Dog Leap StairsRodney Pybus 292 SalvagingRodney Pybus 294 The SideMark Knoper 294 Down to the WaterlineBernardette McAloon 295 Mistress of the CrownTraditional 296 The Keel RowTraditional 297 Do-li-aAlan Hull 297 Fog on the TyneJimmy Nail 298 Big RiverJames Kirkup 300 Tyneside, 1936Rodney Pybus 301 Bridging LoansRodney Pybus 307 Passed ByRodney Pybus 308 Down the TownRobyn Bolam 309 Where Home StartedTom Pickard 310 The Devil's Destroying Angel ExplodedBarry MacSweeney 312 I Looked Down on a Child TodayKayo Chingonyi 314 Baltic MillJen Campbell 314 Treading WaterEllen Phethean 315 The West EndStevie Ronnie 316 Rebuilding the WestEdward Chicken 317 from The Collier's WeddingGillian Allnutt 322 About BenwellGillian Allnutt 323 After the Blaydon RacesGeordie Ridley 324 The Blaydon RacesW.N. Herbert 325 The Blazing Grater, or, The Olympic Torch Passes Through TynesideAndy Croft 326 from Great NorthRichard Kell 328 Cutty Sark Race, 1986W.N. Herbert 330 Zamyatin in HeatonSean O'Brien 331 Fantasia on a Theme of James WrightGATESHEADThomas Wilson 332 from The Pitman's PayJoe Wilson 335 Maw Bonny Gyetside LassTom Pickard 336 GatesheadGeorge Charlton 337 Gateshead GrammarMark Robinson 338 Angel of the NorthJen Campbell 339 The AngelJen Campbell 340 Angel MetalNORTH TYNESIDEMichael Roberts 341 H.M.S. HeroJames Kirkup 341 Tyne Ferry: NightFrancis Scarfe 342 Night FishingFrancis Scarfe 343 TrawlersWilliam Watson 343 When the Boat Comes InSting 344 Island of SoulsA.C. Swinburne 346 The Tyneside WidowTraditional 348 Bobby ShaftoWilliam Lisle Bowles 349 Written at Tynemouth, Northumberland…Wilfrid Gibson 349 The Coast-WatchJames Kirkup 350 Balloons in SunriseJames Kirkup 351 The Harbour: TynemouthMichael Blackburn 352 The North Sea at TynemouthHelen Tookey 352 At TynemouthPeter Mortimer 353 ViewMike Wilkin 354 CullercoatsFred D'Aguiar 355 Whitley Bay SonnetsU.A. Fanthorpe 359 Tyneside in WinterR.V. Bailey 360 Whitley BayMark Knoper 361 Tunnel of LoveSOUTH SHIELDSJames Kirkup 363 The Town Where I Was BornJames Kirkup 364 View from the North EastFrancis Scarfe 365 MinersFrancis Scarfe 366 Tyne DockFrancis Scarfe 367 Tyne Dock RevisitedFrancis Scarfe 368 In MemoriamFrancis Scarfe 369 The grottoJames Kirkup 370 Marsden RockFrancis Scarfe 372 The Knocker-upJames Kirkup 372 The Knocker-upJames Kirkup 373 View from the Town Hall, South ShieldsJames Kirkup 374 Spring in the Public GardensJames Kirkup 375 The Old Clothes Stall, South Shields MarketJames Kirkup 376 South Shields Town Hall in SnowJames Kirkup 378 The Old Library, Ocean Road, South ShieldsJen Campbell 379 Cross-hatchWEARSIDETraditional 380 The Lambton WormLewis Carroll 382 The Walrus and the CarpenterWilliam Martin 386 His Bright SilverWilliam Martin 389 Song of the Cotia LassWilliam Martin 391 Wiramutha HelixWilliam Martin 407 SongJames Kirkup 408 Penshaw PastoralJohnny Handle 409 Jack CrawfordRon Knowles 411 Where in This WindTom Pickard 411 Ship 1431Tom Pickard 412 What Maks MakemsWilliam Martin 414 A19 HymnJake Campbell 418 A184 HymnDURHAMAnonymous 419 DurhamGillian Allnutt 420 Arvo Pärt in Concert, Durham Cathedral, November 1998William Martin 422 Durham BeatitudeTony Harrison 423 DurhamJames Kirkup 425 Durham Seen from the TrainKatrina Porteous 426 Durham CathedralMark Robinson 426 Durham CathedralS.J. Litherland 428 Durham in FebruaryHeidi Williamson 428 River Wear, DurhamDavid Constantine 429 'But with a history of ECT'David Constantine 430 The Pitman's GardenCO. DURHAMTraditional 431 Rap 'Er te BankTommy Armstrong 432 The South Medomsley StrikeTommy Armstrong 433 The Durham Lock-outWilfrid Gibson 435 The PoniesJohn Seed 436 from Brandon PithouseAnne Stevenson 443 Forgotten of the FootAnne Stevenson 445 Salter's GateDora Greenwell 446 To a Remembered Stream, and a Never-Forgotten FriendDora Greenwell 447 LiliesJ.C. Grant 449 A Camp in Chopwell WoodsJames Kirkup 451 Chester-le-Street from the TrainJames Kirkup 451 View of FerryhillRichard Dawson 451 The Ghost of a TreePeter Armstrong 453 A695 HymnPeter Armstrong 454 Among the VillagesGillian Allnutt 454 The Singing PylonsCynthia Fuller 455 Esh WinningCynthia Fuller 456 Lost LandscapeCynthia Fuller 457 Deerness ValleyJ.S. Cunningham 458 NorthGeorge Charlton 460 Sea CoalBill Grifths 461 The Box-EggsBill Grifths 463 The StrikeAnna Woodford 464 Two Up Two DownMark Robinson 465 Dalton Park/MurtonJock Purdon 466 The Easington ExplosionKatrina Porteous 467 The Pigeon MenEddie Gibbons 468 Early Morning, West Hartlepool, 1963TEESDALESir Walter Scott 469 from RokebyThomas Babington Macaulay 474 A Jacobite's EpigraphRichard Watson 475 from My Journey to WorkW.H. Auden 479 The Engine HouseAndrew Young 479 In TeesdaleLindsay Balderson 480 High Force to Low ForceAnne Hine 481 Low ForcePat Maycroft 481 Cockeld Fell in WinterPauline Plummer 482 Whorlton LidoAnonymous 483 A Darlington rhymeJohn Horsley 483 Darlington Fifty Years AgoMarilyn Longstaff 485 DarlingtonGordon Hodgeon 486 North Tees EpiphanyMark Robinson 487 Teesdale, ThornabyMIDDLESBROUGHAngus Macpherson 489 from Cleveland Thoughts; or, The Poetry of ToilA.E. Tomlinson 492 FurnacesWilfrid Gibson 493 Cleveland NightWilfrid Gibson 494 FireAndy Croft 495 Sunlight and HeatAndy Willoughby 500 The Cold SteelKeith Porritt 500 SmelterMaureen Almond 503 The WorksMark Robinson 504 Dockside Road, South BankMark Robinson 505 Teesport, RedcarJo Colley 506 Peg PowlerBob Beagrie 506 Cook, The Bridge and the Big ManBob Beagrie 507 Occasion for Keeping ShtumAngela Readman 508 Acklam RainbowAngela Readman 509 Easterside '59Angela Readman 509 Easterside '89Maureen Almond 510 Boro BabeJo Colley 511 Boro GirlCLEVELANDAndy Willoughby 512 from Between StationsPauline Plummer 513 On the Gare at NightAndy Croft 514 Redcar SandsGordon Hodgeon 514 Potato Sellers – ClevelandPauline Plummer 515 SaltburnFAREWELLSean O'Brien 516 from Never Can Say GoodbyeTraditional 517 Bonny at Morn518 Acknowledgements523 Index of writers525 Index of places

Promotional

Land of Three Rivers will be launched by Magnetic North East at an evening of poetry and song featuring leading musicians at Sage Gateshead on 10 November.

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