Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Mercian Hymns: 7," Geoffrey Hill continues to explore themes of childhood, violence, and the haunting presence of history through vivid and evocative imagery. The poem juxtaposes the pastoral and industrial landscapes of England with the darker aspects of human nature, particularly the cruelty and violence of childhood.

"Gasholders, russet among fields. Milldams, marlpools that lay unstirring." These opening lines set the scene with a contrast between the industrial ("gasholders") and the natural world ("fields," "milldams," "marlpools"). The imagery of the gasholders, structures used to store gas, rusting in the fields suggests a landscape marked by human intervention and the passage of time. The milldams and marlpools, which are bodies of water used in agriculture and industry, lay "unstirring," indicating a sense of stillness and abandonment.

"Eel-swarms. Coagulations of frogs: once, with branches and half-bricks, he battered a ditchful; then sidled away from the stillness and silence." The focus shifts to a more intimate and unsettling scene of a young boy engaging in casual violence against wildlife. The description of "eel-swarms" and "coagulations of frogs" emphasizes the abundance of life in the ditch, which the boy disrupts with his brutal actions. His subsequent retreat from the "stillness and silence" suggests an awareness of the wrongness of his actions and a desire to escape the consequences.

"Ceolred was his friend and remained so, even after the day of the lost fighter: a biplane, already obsolete and irreplaceable, two inches of heavy snub silver. Ceolred let it spin through a hole in the classroom-floorboards, softly, into the rat-droppings and coins." The narrative introduces Ceolred, the speaker's friend, who participates in a symbolic act of loss and obsolescence. The "lost fighter" refers to a model biplane, a relic of a bygone era of aviation, which Ceolred deliberately drops through a hole in the classroom floor. This act of letting the biplane fall into the debris beneath the floorboards symbolizes the abandonment of something once valuable and cherished.

"After school he lured Ceolred, who was sniggering with fright, down to the old quarries, and flayed him." The tone darkens as the speaker recounts a more sinister event. He lures Ceolred to the old quarries, a place associated with danger and abandonment, and physically assaults him. The use of "flayed" evokes extreme violence, suggesting that the speaker inflicted severe harm on his friend. Ceolred's "sniggering with fright" underscores the fear and betrayal inherent in this act of cruelty.

"Then, leaving Ceolred, he journeyed for hours, calm and alone, in his private derelict sandlorry named Albion." The poem concludes with the speaker's solitary journey in a derelict sandlorry, symbolically named Albion, an ancient name for Britain. This vehicle represents a private refuge and a means of escape from the consequences of his actions. The contrast between the violent act and the subsequent calmness of the journey highlights the speaker's detachment and the complexities of his inner world.

Through "Mercian Hymns: 7," Hill captures the interplay between the innocence and brutality of childhood, the lingering effects of history, and the search for personal meaning in a landscape marked by decay and abandonment. The poem's rich imagery and stark contrasts invite readers to reflect on the darker aspects of human nature and the ways in which the past continues to shape the present.

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