Poetry Analysis

History by John Burnside (1955-)

Original Poetry

Translation

History by John Burnside (1955-)

Today

as we flew kites

St Andrews: West Sands; September 2001

- the sand swirling in ribbons along the beach

and the gasoline smell from Leuchars blowing over

Today

the golf course;

as we flew the kites

with the tide far out

- the sand spinning off in ribbons along the beach

and grey in the distance;

and that gasoline smell from Leuchars gusting across

people

the golf links;

jogging, or stopping to watch

the tide far out

as the war planes turned

and quail-grey in the distance;

in the morning light –

people

jogging, or stopping to watch

today

as the war planes cambered and turned

- with the news on my mind, and the quiet fear

in the morning light –

of what might come –

I knelt down in the sand

today

with Lucas

- with the news in my mind, and the muffled dread

collecting shells

of what may come –

and pebbles

I knelt down in the sand

finding signs of life in all this

with Lucas

driftwork:

gathering shells

snail shells; pieces of razorfish;

and pebbles

marks of seaweed and flesh on worn stones.

finding evidence of life in all this

driftwork:

Sometimes I think what defines us

snail shells; shreds of razorfish;

is not family or our given roles

smudges of weed and flesh on tideworn stone.

but something lost between the world we have

and what we dream of behind the names

At times I think what makes us who we are

on days like this

is neither kinship nor our given states

our lines raised in the wind

but something lost between the world we own

our bodies fixed to the shore

and what we dream about behind the names

on days like this

and though we are limited by ownership

our lines raised in the wind

what connects us to gravity and light

our bodies fixed and anchored to the shore

is mostly about distance and the shapes

we find in water

and though we are confined by property

reading from the book

what tethers us to gravity and light

of silt and tides:

has most to do with distance and the shapes

the pink or blue

we find in water

of jellyfish and sea anemone

reading from the book

mixing with a child's

of silt and tides:

first nakedness.

the rose or petrol blue

of jellyfish and sea anemone

Sometimes I am overwhelmed with fear

combining with a child's

of losing everything - the sea, the sky,

first nakedness.

all living things, forests, estuaries:

we give up so much to understand the virtual

Sometimes I am dizzy with the fear

we barely notice the drift and pull

of losing everything - the sea, the sky,

of other bodies

all living creatures, forests, estuaries:

barely understand

we trade so much to know the virtual

the moment as it happens: changes of light

we scarcely register the drift and tug

and weather

of other bodies

and the quiet, local forms

scarcely apprehend

of history: the fish caught in the tide

the moment as it happens: shifts of light

beyond the sands;

and weather

the long sleeplessness

and the quiet, local forms

of ornamental carp in public parks

of history: the fish lodged in the tide

captive and bright

beyond the sands;

and hanging in their own

the long insomnia

slow-burning

of ornamental carp in public parks

transient gold;

captive and bright

jars of spawn

and hung in their own

and sticklebacks

slow-burning

or goldfish taken home

transitive gold;

from fairs

jamjars of spawn

to the sound of radio;

and sticklebacks

but this is the problem: how to be alive

or goldfish carried home

in all this observed and cherished world

from fairgrounds

and do no harm

to the hum of radio;

but this is the problem: how to be alive

a toddler on a beach

in all this gazed-upon and cherished world

sorting wood and dried weed from the sand

and do no harm

and puzzled by the pattern on a shell

a toddler on a beach

his parents on the dunes with a kite

sifting wood and dried weed from the sand

connected to the sky

and puzzled by the pattern on a shell

all nerve and line:

patient; afraid; but still, through everything

his parents on the dune slacks with a kite

attentive to the irredeemable.

plugged into the sky

all nerve and line:

patient; afraid; but still, through everything

attentive to the irredeemable.

Explanation

John Burnside's poem 'History' explores the juxtaposition of a serene day at the beach with the underlying tension and fear following the September 11 attacks. The poem begins with a peaceful scene of flying kites on a beach in Scotland, but the tranquility is overshadowed by the 'muffled dread' of global events. Burnside reflects on the nature of identity, suggesting it is shaped not by familial ties or societal roles, but by the interplay between our tangible world and our dreams. The poem emphasizes the fragility of existence and the fear of losing the natural world to the virtual. Burnside uses vivid imagery to depict the beauty of nature, such as the 'rose or petrol blue of jellyfish and sea anemone,' contrasting it with the artificiality of human constructs. The poem concludes with a poignant image of a child on the beach, symbolizing innocence and the hope for a future attentive to the irredeemable aspects of life. Through this, Burnside questions how to live meaningfully and responsibly in a world marked by both beauty and destruction.

Word Dictionary15

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
cambered	curved	bent or arched	kam-bered
tideworn	eroded by tides	worn down by the movement of tides	tide-worn
driftwork	debris moved by water	materials carried and deposited by water currents	drift-work
transitive	changing	in the process of change	tran-si-tiv
irredeemable	cannot be saved	beyond saving or repair	ir-re-deem-a-bul
ornamental	decorative	used for decoration	or-na-men-tal
estuary	river mouth	where a river meets the sea	es-choo-ar-y
silt	fine sand	fine particles of earth or sand carried by water	silt
dune slacks	low areas between dunes	depressions between sand dunes	dune slacks
muffled	muted	softened or quieted	muf-fled
quail-grey	grey like a quail	a shade of grey resembling a quail's feathers	kwail-grey
tether	tie	to fasten or secure	teth-er
insomnia	sleeplessness	inability to sleep	in-som-ni-a
apprehend	understand	to grasp or comprehend	ap-pre-hend
scarcely	barely	hardly or not quite	skairce-ly

Poet & Context

PoetJohn Burnside

EraContemporary

John Burnside (1955-2024) was a Scottish writer known for his poetry and novels. He won the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Forward Poetry Prize for his book 'Black Cat Bone' in 2011. Burnside's work often explores themes of nature, memory, and the human condition.

View on Wikipedia

WhenSeptember 2001

WhyThe poem 'History' was written in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. It reflects on the impact of these events on personal and global scales, contrasting the innocence of a day at the beach with the broader implications of historical events.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

Nature vs. TechnologyFear and AnxietyInnocence and ExperienceIdentity and Existence

Literary devices

Imagery: Vivid descriptions of the beach and natural elements create a strong visual impact.Juxtaposition: Contrasts between the peaceful beach scene and the underlying fear of global events.Metaphor: The 'book of silt and tides' as a metaphor for understanding nature.Symbolism: The child on the beach symbolizes innocence and hope.Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds, e.g., 'slow-burning transitive gold.'

Poetry Analysis

History by John Burnside (1955-)

Original Poetry

Translation

History by John Burnside (1955-)

Today

as we flew kites

St Andrews: West Sands; September 2001

- the sand swirling in ribbons along the beach

and the gasoline smell from Leuchars blowing over

Today

the golf course;

as we flew the kites

with the tide far out

- the sand spinning off in ribbons along the beach

and grey in the distance;

and that gasoline smell from Leuchars gusting across

people

the golf links;

jogging, or stopping to watch

the tide far out

as the war planes turned

and quail-grey in the distance;

in the morning light –

people

jogging, or stopping to watch

today

as the war planes cambered and turned

- with the news on my mind, and the quiet fear

in the morning light –

of what might come –

I knelt down in the sand

today

with Lucas

- with the news in my mind, and the muffled dread

collecting shells

of what may come –

and pebbles

I knelt down in the sand

finding signs of life in all this

with Lucas

driftwork:

gathering shells

snail shells; pieces of razorfish;

and pebbles

marks of seaweed and flesh on worn stones.

finding evidence of life in all this

driftwork:

Sometimes I think what defines us

snail shells; shreds of razorfish;

is not family or our given roles

smudges of weed and flesh on tideworn stone.

but something lost between the world we have

and what we dream of behind the names

At times I think what makes us who we are

on days like this

is neither kinship nor our given states

our lines raised in the wind

but something lost between the world we own

our bodies fixed to the shore

and what we dream about behind the names

on days like this

and though we are limited by ownership

our lines raised in the wind

what connects us to gravity and light

our bodies fixed and anchored to the shore

is mostly about distance and the shapes

we find in water

and though we are confined by property

reading from the book

what tethers us to gravity and light

of silt and tides:

has most to do with distance and the shapes

the pink or blue

we find in water

of jellyfish and sea anemone

reading from the book

mixing with a child's

of silt and tides:

first nakedness.

the rose or petrol blue

of jellyfish and sea anemone

Sometimes I am overwhelmed with fear

combining with a child's

of losing everything - the sea, the sky,

first nakedness.

all living things, forests, estuaries:

we give up so much to understand the virtual

Sometimes I am dizzy with the fear

we barely notice the drift and pull

of losing everything - the sea, the sky,

of other bodies

all living creatures, forests, estuaries:

barely understand

we trade so much to know the virtual

the moment as it happens: changes of light

we scarcely register the drift and tug

and weather

of other bodies

and the quiet, local forms

scarcely apprehend

of history: the fish caught in the tide

the moment as it happens: shifts of light

beyond the sands;

and weather

the long sleeplessness

and the quiet, local forms

of ornamental carp in public parks

of history: the fish lodged in the tide

captive and bright

beyond the sands;

and hanging in their own

the long insomnia

slow-burning

of ornamental carp in public parks

transient gold;

captive and bright

jars of spawn

and hung in their own

and sticklebacks

slow-burning

or goldfish taken home

transitive gold;

from fairs

jamjars of spawn

to the sound of radio;

and sticklebacks

but this is the problem: how to be alive

or goldfish carried home

in all this observed and cherished world

from fairgrounds

and do no harm

to the hum of radio;

but this is the problem: how to be alive

a toddler on a beach

in all this gazed-upon and cherished world

sorting wood and dried weed from the sand

and do no harm

and puzzled by the pattern on a shell

a toddler on a beach

his parents on the dunes with a kite

sifting wood and dried weed from the sand

connected to the sky

and puzzled by the pattern on a shell

all nerve and line:

patient; afraid; but still, through everything

his parents on the dune slacks with a kite

attentive to the irredeemable.

plugged into the sky

all nerve and line:

patient; afraid; but still, through everything

attentive to the irredeemable.

Explanation

Word Dictionary15

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
cambered	curved	bent or arched	kam-bered
tideworn	eroded by tides	worn down by the movement of tides	tide-worn
driftwork	debris moved by water	materials carried and deposited by water currents	drift-work
transitive	changing	in the process of change	tran-si-tiv
irredeemable	cannot be saved	beyond saving or repair	ir-re-deem-a-bul
ornamental	decorative	used for decoration	or-na-men-tal
estuary	river mouth	where a river meets the sea	es-choo-ar-y
silt	fine sand	fine particles of earth or sand carried by water	silt
dune slacks	low areas between dunes	depressions between sand dunes	dune slacks
muffled	muted	softened or quieted	muf-fled
quail-grey	grey like a quail	a shade of grey resembling a quail's feathers	kwail-grey
tether	tie	to fasten or secure	teth-er
insomnia	sleeplessness	inability to sleep	in-som-ni-a
apprehend	understand	to grasp or comprehend	ap-pre-hend
scarcely	barely	hardly or not quite	skairce-ly

Poet & Context

PoetJohn Burnside

EraContemporary

View on Wikipedia

WhenSeptember 2001

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

Nature vs. TechnologyFear and AnxietyInnocence and ExperienceIdentity and Existence

Literary devices