Poetry of Northumberland...

Over the past months, I have published poetry from - and about - various parts of the British Isles, sometimes in a local dialect.  This time, we will look at a couple of poems, and poets, from the county of Northumberland.

We will start with Wilfrid Wilson Gibson.  Born in Hexham, Northumberland, Gibson became known as the "People's Poet".  Much of his earlier work concerned everyday life, particularly in his local area.  After moving to London, and signing up for the Army Service Corps (in a clerical position), Gibson published a number of War Poems.  Wilfrid Gibson died in a nursing home in Surrey in 1962.

Here is one of Gibson's most endearing efforts about his home county.

Northumberland

Heather land and bent land

Black land and white

God bring me to Northumberland

The land of my delight

Land of singing waters

And words from off the sea

God bring me to Northumberland

The land where I would be

Heather land and bent land

And valleys rich with corn

God bring me to Northumberland

The land where I was born

Rachel Melissa Robson is a young, modern-day poet.  Also hailing from Northumberland, she is a graduate of Creative Writing and English Literature from Leicester's De Montfort University.  Rachel does like to use the local dialect in her poems, and here is :

Tyne Bridge

Ya can see aal doon the Tyne

frem ere.

East te West,

Noarth te Sooth,

aad to new.

Tha Tyne carls aneath ya,

weshed away with tha claarts 'nd grime.

If ya luk doon ya feet wanny be weshed away,

look up

and ya varni got ya heed in the clouds

but tha steel keeps ya stanning,

arching rund ye,

green 'nd steady.

Aye tha Tyne haads ya steady,

leading ya hyem.



For more information on Rachel Melissa Robson and her poetry, please check out www.rachelmelissarobson.co.uk