Why? It may sound romantic, but many visitors from abroad think of Britain as having a rich tradition of poetry, and some even travel here because of it. Apart from the odd blue plaque, though, those of us living here may not be able to easily point to the nearest 'poetry landmark'. The Poetry Society decided that given the theme of "Britain" for this year's National Poetry Day, the most important contribution it could make would be to collate and publish a contemporary and historical map of Britain's Poetry Landmarks.I thought it sounded very romantic and I was keen to send in a few nominations, until I realised the kind of places the Poetry Society people are thinking of:
A poetry landmark could include poetry publishers, venues which host poetry readings, poetry festivals, poetry-friendly organisations that promote poetry, poetry-active libraries and bookshops, schools, historical and contemporary poets of note, poetry as public art, and so on.Offices and civic buildings; how romantic!
They’re just looking for places to put more blue plaques. This is not “poetry as public art”, it’s architectural history; poetry reduced to a guided tour of tired old buildings. Where’s the romance in that? And where’s the imagination?
Anyway, here are the nominations I was thinking of: “Lines written in Kensington Gardens” and “Dover Beach” from Matthew Arnold, and the churchyard at Stoke Poges where Gray composed his elegy.
In all three works the poet seeks refuge from “the madding crowd” either in a city park, on a beach at night or in a country churchyard. And in each poem, it's the impressions these special places make upon the poet that draw him on to contemplate life’s larger questions. Visiting these places, even today, you can still be touched by the same impulse that compelled the poets’ words. Why, you can almost hear the Muse!
