"Wivenhoe Park, Essex" by John Constable‘An English Ode’ and Other Odes by William Glyn-Jones The Society January 28, 2020 Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry An English Ode That famous field where nodding poppies sway In sunlit grass, where souls of all the good Spend sweet Eternity in dance and play And with the gods, take Beauty as their food __Upon the isle across the sea __That circles all the mortal world With misty waters like a castle moat – __How like must that famed meadow be __To these fair fields where late I’ve strolled These hills and lanes, these woods, this very spot! Was it vain pomp or blind naïveté That made the folk of ancient Egypt style Their image of divine Eternity Upon their earthly land astride the Nile? __Where they might hunt in starry creeks __Beside the starry waterway Or find in starry gardens sweet, cool shade? __Or likewise made the clan of Greeks __Use Grecian fields where grasses sway As models for their paradisal glade? But no, let neither supposition stand I say, that it was rather that they paid The greatest compliment to their dear land When seeing Beauty there, “Divine!” they said __And so to English Summer Time __Such compliment I wish to pay As will the praise of those old pagans match __The heaven forming in my mind __The isle to which I’ll cross one day Has village greens and homes with roofs of thatch. Ode on Returning Home I When work is done, thoughts turn to home’s warm glow Behind me has now closed the office gate Bright images shine forth that lift me so Familiar smiles of little ones who wait __And onward leaps my heart to say __To them that I’m well on my way And echo back the joyous, radiant cheer __Returning is a Treasured Thing __That makes my Soul and Spirit sing For they to me are infinitely dear. II This love must be the fire that warms the tale Of he who journeyed far on leaving Troy And neither towering wave nor raging gale The will to reach his loved ones could destroy __Nor could the lulling lotus flower __With all its hedonistic power Obliterate the thoughts of wife and child __Nor could the cyclops rude and strong __Nor sirens with their luring song Prevent him reaching his beloved isle. III Our old savannah tribes would send a band Of huntsmen, ranging far in search of prey By reading clues laid down by hoof in sand To guide them on for days upon their way __Until, at length, the prize attained, __They yearn to see those who remained In camp, awaiting that long hoped for sign: __When finally the camp they spy __Across the grassland wild and dry Their hearts explode for joy, and so does mine. Ode to a Car Key I O fine, faff-free and labour-saving key That lets me lock and unlock, with one press, The car remotely and most easily For you my heart now fills with thankfulness __Let’s say it’s raining and one stands ____With luggage in both hands It’s been a busy day and one is tired __How glad one feels to then recall __A single button press is all ____That is required! II Hephaestus for the gods with rarest skill Did many a shining bronze device design Some tool that leapt to action at their will Performing tasks befitting lives divine: __Their gold cars pulled by brazen steed ____Through air at such a speed As lighting that precedes the thunder’s rumble __We feel ourselves to be their kin __When gracefully we enter in ____Without a fumble III So unimpeded in the car I climb And like a king upon a throne I sit And cruise the country lanes in state sublime Like Bacchus in his magic vine-filled ship __And as my homeward way I wend ____I know at journey’s end There waits for me a happy circumstance: __I’ll loose the safety belt and out __I’ll get and walk away without ____A backwards glance. Currently working as a Creative in Marketing, William Glyn-Jones studied English and Media Studies at University and then did a Masters in the History of Art. A long time lover of the classical tradition, he lived in Greece for a time teaching English, but now lives in a cottage outside the city of Bath in the UK with his wife, two young daughters and a voracious guinea pig. He is fascinated by reports of how expressing and recording gratitude can have long term positive effects on mood, and to this aim generally now writes at least one ‘Gratitude Ode’ a week, and is pretty sure it’s working. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Trending now:
