Sober Poet Posted June 2, 2017 Report Share Posted June 2, 2017 This is the second in a series that looks at war poems. I welcome any comments or analysis. British Poet Henry Reed (1914-1986) I like Henry Reed for a few reasons. His wit is tremendous and he demonstrates real poetic skill. He was also a polyglot, like myself, speaking three or four languages. He served as a Japanese translator during World War 2. It is said that he hated the Japanese language, and that he intended to “devote every day for the rest of his life to forgetting another word of Japanese.” Reed's most famous poetry is in Lessons of the War, a collection of three poems that are witty parodies of British army basic training during World War II, where they suffered from a lack of basic equipment at that time. “Naming of Parts” is taken from that collection. NAMING OF PARTS To-day we have naming of parts. Yesterday,We had daily cleaning. And to-morrow morning,We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,To-day we have naming of parts. JaponicaGlistens like coral in all of the neighboring gardens, And to-day we have naming of parts. This is the lower sling swivel. And thisIs the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,Which in your case you have not got. The branchesHold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures, Which in our case we have not got. This is the safety-catch, which is always releasedWith an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let meSee anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easyIf you have any strength in your thumb. The blossomsAre fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see Any of them using their finger. And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of thisIs to open the breech, as you see. We can slide itRapidly backwards and forwards: we call thisEasing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwardsThe early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers: They call it easing the Spring. They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easyIf you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance,Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossomSilent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards, For to-day we have naming of parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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