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T. S. Eliot, Later Poems 1925-1935
I picked up a second impression (Nov. 1942) of this Faber &
Faber publication today. What makes it interesting is the inscription on the ffep: at Bletchley, morne plaine, of fevrier 1944 A curious mix of English and French. The words "morne plaine" come from a Victor Hugo poem. The line is: Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, morne plaine! The usual translation would be "dismal plain", but this has been written into a book of T. S. Eliot's poetry, so I think the inscriber intended us to read - in English - "waste land". Since this waste land of February, 1944, was viewed from Bletchley, we can infer that the inscriber was engaged in the code-breaking activities that went on there. That was the month, by the way, that the huge computer designed by Alan Turing (today is his 100th birthday) was turned on at Bletchley Park. The inscriber would be well-educated, likely either English or French, to appreciate the poetry of Victor Hugo as well as that of Eliot. But Bletchley was a large installation and I find that a review of the people who worked there yields too many possibilities for me to make any further deduction. -- Francis A. Miniter Mesure is Medicine þauh þou muche ȝeor[n]e. Al nis not good to þe gost þat þe bodi lykeþ, Ne lyflode to þe licam þat leof is to þe soule. William Langland, The Vision of Piers Plowman Passus I, lines 33 - 35 |
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T. S. Eliot, Later Poems 1925-1935
On 23/06/2012 18:04, Francis A. Miniter wrote:
I picked up a second impression (Nov. 1942) of this Faber & Faber publication today. The book is a bit of an oddity: it's a reprint (1941) of the second half of "Collected Poems" (1936). It presumably contains "Burnt Norton", but not "East Coker" which had been published separately in 1940. ("Burnt Norton" was also published separately in 1941, as was "Dry Salvages".) -- John Briggs |
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T. S. Eliot, Later Poems 1925-1935
On 6/23/2012 16:49 PM, John Briggs wrote:
On 23/06/2012 18:04, Francis A. Miniter wrote: I picked up a second impression (Nov. 1942) of this Faber & Faber publication today. The book is a bit of an oddity: it's a reprint (1941) of the second half of "Collected Poems" (1936). It presumably contains "Burnt Norton", but not "East Coker" which had been published separately in 1940. ("Burnt Norton" was also published separately in 1941, as was "Dry Salvages".) You are right. I note that The Four Quartets was not published until 1943, sometime after my Nov. 1942 printing. -- Francis A. Miniter Mesure is Medicine þauh þou muche ȝeor[n]e. Al nis not good to þe gost þat þe bodi lykeþ, Ne lyflode to þe licam þat leof is to þe soule. William Langland, The Vision of Piers Plowman Passus I, lines 33 - 35 |
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T. S. Eliot, Later Poems 1925-1935
On 24/06/2012 00:04, Francis A. Miniter wrote:
On 6/23/2012 16:49 PM, John Briggs wrote: On 23/06/2012 18:04, Francis A. Miniter wrote: I picked up a second impression (Nov. 1942) of this Faber & Faber publication today. The book is a bit of an oddity: it's a reprint (1941) of the second half of "Collected Poems" (1936). It presumably contains "Burnt Norton", but not "East Coker" which had been published separately in 1940. ("Burnt Norton" was also published separately in 1941, as was "Dry Salvages".) You are right. I note that The Four Quartets was not published until 1943, sometime after my Nov. 1942 printing. Yes - although "Little Gidding" had also been published separately by then. (It's "Four Quartets" *not* "The Four Quartets" - just as I should have written "The Dry Salvages" not "Dry Salvages".) -- John Briggs |
#5
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T. S. Eliot, Later Poems 1925-1935
On 23/06/2012 2:04 PM, Francis A. Miniter wrote:
I picked up a second impression (Nov. 1942) of this Faber & Faber publication today. What makes it interesting is the inscription on the ffep: at Bletchley, morne plaine, of fevrier 1944 A curious mix of English and French. The words "morne plaine" come from a Victor Hugo poem. The line is: Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, morne plaine! The usual translation would be "dismal plain", but this has been written into a book of T. S. Eliot's poetry, so I think the inscriber intended us to read - in English - "waste land". Since this waste land of February, 1944, was viewed from Bletchley, we can infer that the inscriber was engaged in the code-breaking activities that went on there. That was the month, by the way, that the huge computer designed by Alan Turing (today is his 100th birthday) was turned on at Bletchley Park. The inscriber would be well-educated, likely either English or French, to appreciate the poetry of Victor Hugo as well as that of Eliot. But Bletchley was a large installation and I find that a review of the people who worked there yields too many possibilities for me to make any further deduction. That's fascinating, Francis. To find something like that--it's an historical document! Catherine |
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