Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE NEWS, by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: The buzzer boomed, and instantly the clang Last Line: They parted, with their news as yet untold. | ||||||||
The buzzer boomed, and instantly the clang Of hammers dropt, just as the fendered bow Bumped with soft splash against the wharf, -- though now Again within the Yard a hammer rang -- A solitary hammer striking steel Somewhere aloft -- and strangely, stridently Echoed as though it struck the steely sky The low, cold, steely sky. She seemed to feel That hammer in her heart -- blow after blow In a strange clanging hollow seemed to strike Monotonous, unrelenting, cruel-like -- Her heart that such a little while ago Had been so full, so happy with its news Scarce uttered even to itself. It stopt, That dreadful hammer. And the silence dropt Again a moment. Then a clatter of shoes And murmur of voices as the men trooped out: And as each wife with basket and hot can Hurried towards the gate to meet her man, She too ran forward, and then stood in doubt Because among them all she could not see The face that usually was first of all To meet her eyes. Against the grimy wall That towered black above her to the sky, With trembling knuckles to the cold stone pressed Till the grit seemed to eat into the bone, And her stretched arm to shake the solid stone, She stood, and strove to calm her troubled breast -- Her breast, whose trouble of strange happiness So sweet and so miraculous, as she Had stood among the chattering company Upon the ferry-boat, to strange distress Was changed. An unknown terror seemed to lie For her, behind that wall, so cold and hard And black above her, in the unseen Yard, Dreadfully quiet now. Then with a sigh Of glad relief she ran towards the gate As he came slowly out, the last of all. The terror of the hammer and the wall Fell from her as, a woman to her mate, She moved with happy heart and smile of greeting -- A young and happy wife whose only thought Was whether he would like the food she'd brought -- Whose one desire, to watch her husband eating. With a grave smile he took his bait from her, And then without a word they moved away To where some grimy baulks of timber lay Beside the river, and 'twas quieter Than in the crowd of munching, squatting men And chattering wives and children. As he eat With absent eyes upon the river set, She chattered, too, a little now and then Of household happenings: and then silently They sat and watched the grimy-flowing stream, Dazed by the stunning din of hissing steam Escaping from an anchored boat hard-by, Each busy with their own thoughts, who till now Had shared each thought, each feeling, speaking out Easily, eagerly, without a doubt, As happy innocent children, anyhow, The innermost secrets of their wedded life. So as the dinner hour went swiftly by They sat there for the first time, troubled, shy -- A silent husband and a silent wife. But she was only troubled by excess Of happiness; and as she watched the stream, She looked upon her life as in a dream, Recalling all its tale of happiness Unbroken and unshadowed since she'd met Her man the first time, eighteen months ago... A keen blue day with sudden flaws of snow And sudden sunshine, when she first had set Her wondering eyes upon him -- gaily clad For football in a jersey green and red, Knees bare beneath white shorts, his curly head Wind-blown and wet, -- and knew him for her lad. He strode towards her down the windy street -- The wet grey pavements flashing sudden gold, And gold the unending coils of smoke that rolled Unceasingly overhead, fired by a fleet Wild glint of glancing sunlight. On he came Beside her brother -- still a raw uncouth Young hobbledehoy -- a strapping mettled youth In the first pride of manhood, that wild flame Touching his hair to fire, his cheeks aglow With the sharp stinging wind, his arms aswing: And as she watched, she felt the tingling sting Of flying flakes, and in a whirl of snow A moment he was hidden from her sight. It passed, and then before she was aware, With white flakes powdering his ruddy hair He stood before her, laughing in the light, In all his bravery of red and green Snow-sprinkled; and she laughed, too. In the sun They laughed: and in that laughter they were one. Now as with kindled eyes on the unseen Grey river she sat gazing, she again Lived through that moment in a golden dream... And then quite suddenly she saw the stream Distinct in its cold grimy flowing; then The present with its deeper happiness Thrilled her afresh -- this wonder strange and new -- This dream in her young body coming true, Incredible, yet certain none-the-less -- This news, scarce broken to herself, that she Must break to him. She longed to see his eyes Kindle to hear it, happy with surprise When she should break it to him presently. But she must wait a while yet. Still too strange, Too wonderful for words, she could not share Even with him her secret. He sat there So quietly, little dreaming of the change That had come over her -- but when he knew! For he was always one for bairns, was John, And this would be his own, their own. There shone A strange new light on all since this was true, All, all seemed strange, the river and the shore, The barges and the wharves with timber piled, And all her world familiar from a child, Was as a world she'd never seen before. And he, too, sat with eyes upon the stream Remembering that day when first the light Of her young eyes with laughter sparkling bright Kindled to his; and as he caught the gleam The life within him quickened suddenly To fire, and in a world of golden laughter They stood alone together: and then after, When he was playing with his mates and he Hurtled headlong towards the goal, he knew Her eyes were on him; and for her alone, Who had the merriest eyes he'd ever known, He played that afternoon. Though until then He'd only played to please himself, somehow She seemed to have a hold upon him, now. No longer a boy, a man among grown men, He'd never have a thought apart from her, From her, his mate... And then that golden night When in a whirl of melody and light, Her merry brown eyes flashing merrier, They rode together in a gilded car That seemed to roll for ever round and round In a blind blaze of light and blare of sound, For ever and for ever, till afar It seemed to bear them from the surging throng Of lads and lasses happy in release From the week's work in yards and factories -- For ever through a land of light and song While they sat, rapt in silence, hand in hand, And looked into each other's merry eyes, They two, together, whirled through Paradise, A golden glittering, unearthly land, A land where light and melody were one, And melody and light, a golden fire That ran through their young bodies, and desire, A golden music streaming from the sun, Filling their veins with golden melody And singing fire... And then when quiet fell, And they together, with so much to tell, So much to tell each other instantly, Left the hot throng and roar and glare behind, Seeking the darker streets, and stood at last In a dark lane where footsteps seldom passed, Lit by a far lamp and one glowing blind That seemed to make the darkness yet more dark Between the cliffs of houses, black and high, That soared above them to the starry sky, A deep blue sky where spark on fiery spark The stars for them were kindled, as they raised Their eyes in new-born wonder to the night: And in a solitude of cold starlight They stood alone together, hushed, and gazed Into each other's eyes until speech came: And underneath the stars they talked and talked... Then he remembered how they two had walked Along a beach that was one golden flame Of yellow sand beside a flame-blue sea The day they wedded, that strange day of dream, One flame of blue and gold... The murky stream Flowed once again before his eyes, and he Dropt back into the present; and he knew That he must break the news that suddenly Had come to him last night as drowsily He lay beside her -- startling, stern and true Out of the darkness flashing. He must tell How, as he lay beside her in the night His heart had told him he must go and fight, Must throw up everything he loved so well To go and fight in lands across the sea Beside the other lads -- must throw up all, His work, his home... The shadow of the wall Fell on her once again, and stridently That hammer struck her heart, as from the stream She raised her eyes to his, and saw their flame. -- Then back into her heart her glad news came As John smiled on her; and her golden dream Once more was all about her as she thought Of home, the new home that the future held For them -- they three together. Fear was quelled By this new happiness that all unsought Had sprung from the old happiness... And he Watching her, thought of home, too. When he stept With her across the threshold first, and slept That first night in her arms so quietly, For the first time in all his life he'd known All that home meant, or nearly all -- for yet Each night brought him new knowledge as she met Him, smiling on the clean white threshold-stone When he returned from labour in the Yard... And she'd be waiting for him soon, while he Was fighting with his fellows oversea -- She would be waiting for him... It was hard For him that he must go, as go he must, But harder far for her: things always fell Harder upon the women. It was well She didn't dream yet ... He could only trust She, too, would feel that he had got to go, Then 'twould not be so hard to go, and yet... Dreaming, he saw the lamplit table, set With silver pot and cups and plates aglow For tea in their own kitchen bright and snug, With her behind the tea-pot -- saw it all, The coloured calendars upon the wall, The bright fire-irons, and the gay hearthrug She'd made herself from gaudy rags; his place Awaiting him, with something hot-and-hot -- His favourite sausages as like as not, Between two plates for him -- as, with clean face Glowing from washing in the scullery, And such a hunger on him, he would sink Content into his chair... 'Twas strange to think All this was over, and so suddenly, -- 'Twas strange, and hard... Still gazing on the stream, Her thoughts, too, were at home. She heard the patter Of tiny feet beside her, and the chatter Of little tongues... Then loudly through their dream The buzzer boomed: and all about them rose The men and women: soon the wives were on The ferry-boat, now puffing to be gone: The husbands hurrying, ere the gates should close, Back to the Yard... She, in her dream of gold, And he, in his new desolation, stood; Then soberly, as wife and husband should, They parted, with their news as yet untold. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...BETWEEN THE LINES by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON BREAKFAST by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON FLANNAN ISLE by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON FOR G. by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON GERANIUMS by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON LAMENT by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON RETREAT by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON RUPERT BROOKE by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON THE GORSE by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON THE ICE by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON |
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