Richard Burton reading two poems by the contemporary Welsh poet the Rev. RS Thomas.

The Rev. RS Thomas.

Priest and peasant
--------------------------

You are ill, Davies, ill in mind
An old canker, to your kind
Peculiar, has laid waste the brain's
Potential richness in delight
And beauty; and your body grows
Awry like an old thorn for lack
Of the soil's depth; and sickness there
Uncurls slowly its small tongues
Of fungus that shall, thickening, swell
And choke you, while your few leaves
Are green still.

And so you work
In the wet fields and suffer pain
And loneliness as a tree takes
The night's darkness, the day's rain
While I watch you, and pray for you,
And so increase my small store
Of credit in the bank of God,
Who sees you suffer and me pray
And touches you with the sun's ray,
That heals not, yet blinds my eyes
And seals my lips as Job's were sealed
Imperiously in the old days.



The lonely farmer
------------------------

Poor hill farmer astray in the grass:
There came a movement and he looked up, but
All that he saw was the wind pass.
There was a sound of voices on the air,
But where? Where? It was only the glib stream talking
Softly to itself. And once when he was walking
Along a lane in spring he was deceived
By a shrill whistle coming through the leaves:
Wait a minute, wait a minute - four swift notes;
He turned, and it was nothing, only a thrush
In the thorn bushes easing its throat.
He swore at himself for paying heed,
The poor hill farmer, so often again
Stopping, staring, listening, in vain,
His ear betrayed by the heart's need.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• English
• poetry
• RS
• Thompson
• two
• poems
• Richard
• Burton

[poetryanimations]

The author of these poems is actualy called RS Thomas.

Kind Regards

Jim Clark

[metrisch]

@poetryanimations

You are right of course. I confused him with Francis Thompson (The hound of heaven) whose name also appears on the sleeve of the record. Thank you for the correction. I shall amend my text accordingly.

[alexandrepolkov]

I likes this poet and i am reading words of a poet and poets for supper and also a poet called Paul Stubbs the Theological Museum. Studying at Norwich University. Painting and Poetry are my life.

[significantlycynical]

is it possible to get turned in by a voice?...I just have!

[misspepperpig]

Burton and Hopkins reading Dylan Thomas. How proud I am to be Welsh,

[brasilcork]

You are ill Davis...

[66Nico]

Thank you for these heart stoppingly beautiful poems