Hadrian's Wall Poem W H Auden

Dawn at Housesteads Fort. Early morning in Autumn 2006. Photo: Joan Thirlaway.

As a Hadrian's Wall poet, myself...since Tuesday gone, I'm delighted to be in the company of W H Auden who wrote 'Roman Wall Blues' and like me, mentioned the dodgy weather in bleak Northumberland.

Hadrian's Wall is the description most used all over the World to describe this edifice but I live near it and I can tell you that most folks round here call it the Roman Wall.

When I came across this poem by W H Auden who I thought was American I was surprised with the title...but I now know that Auden was born in York and in his formative years he attended a school in and around the Pennines.

Per Wikipedia "...his visits to the Pennine landscape and its declining lead-mining industry figure in many of his poems..." Rookhope is a former lead and fluorspar mining village in County Durham, in England. It first existed as a group of cattle farms in the 13th Century. It is situated in the Pennines to the north of Weardale and it is here that Auden realised he wanted to be a poet. So that nicely explains why his poem is entitled Roman Wall Blues and not Hadrian's Wall Blues

And speaking of 'Blues', a word he clearly likes, I know of Auden because of his "Funeral Blues" ("Stop all the clocks") which was read aloud in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral(1994). He also wrote Refugees Blues. It is likely that all these were originally written as blues song lyrics rather than poems per se

Anyway, here is the poem

Roman Wall Blues

Over the heather the wet wind blows,

I've lice in my tunic and a cold in my nose.

The rain comes pattering out of the sky,

I'm a Wall soldier, I don't know why.

The mist creeps over the hard grey stone,

My girl's in Tungria; I sleep alone.

Aulus goes hanging around her place,

I don't like his manners, I don't like his face.

Piso's a Christian, he worships a fish;

There'd be no kissing if he had his wish.

She gave me a ring but I diced it away;

I want my girl and I want my pay.

When I'm a veteran with only one eye

I shall do nothing but look at the sky.

W. H. Auden

©

This 'Hadrian's Wall Poem W H Auden' blog entry is copyright Jon Bratton 2009.This material is free to use for personal use but may not be lifted in whole or part by website publishers

History for Kids

My nephew has just started a website called, and about, History for Kids which he uses to showcase his growing collection of bedtime stories, written in rhyme, and about aspects of history from the birth of the moon to men on the moon. What a lovely idea. The kids love 'em and they don't even realise they're being educated. Having written them he's presenting them to the World as a free (for non commercial use) resource to Mums (Moms) (Mams) and Dads and teachers

The beauty of writing in rhyme is that it is fun, light hearted and memorable. Because, as you know, I'm a doggerel writer myself he invited me yesterday to make a contribution which was very opportune because I knew I'd have a few hours to kill while I hung around hospital waiting rooms as my 84 year old mother went through a series of checks which involved, and I'm speaking in medical jargon here, putting delicate instruments into delicate places

So I wrote a history for kids poem. Being a Geordie I wrote about our UNESCO World Heritage site, Hadrian's Wall, a bit of which is pictured. So here goes

In 43ADThat's a long, long time agoThe Romans invaded BritainWhich is awful...isn't that so?

They took over England and WalesThey didn't want Scotland at all

And to stop the Scots from stealing the sheepThey built a very big wall

It stretched from the Solway Firth in the westTo the River Tyne in the eastA 70 mile wall would need lots of stones40 million at least

History for kids Hadrian's Wall

The Emperor was in charge of the workHadrian was his nameHe probably built lots of thingsBut his wall gave him lasting fame

It took 6 years to build the wallThere were no fancy machines back thenThey needed hundreds of horses to pull the cartsAnd thousands of working men

And every mile they built forts and turretsThat were very tallSo the soldiers could see any ScotsmenTrying to climb the wall

History for Kids, Hadrian's Wall

The wall lasted throughout the Romans' stay400 years, altogetherI wonder why they stayed so longIt couldn't have been the weather

It was 40 years after the Romans left

That the Britons again had to fightBecause the Saxons came from GermanyBut that's a story for another night

That the wall was very strongWould be fair to sayIt was built nearly 2000 years agoAnd it still stands today

History for Kids, Hadrian's Wall

Indeed, from all around the World

Tourists make a call

To the north end of BritainTo see the famous Hadrian's Wall

As now as you go to sleepThink about this great wallAnd wonder if this was the placeWhere Humpty had his great fall

Jon Bratton 2009

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History for Kids

This History for Kids Hadrian's Wall poem and blog entry is copyright Jon Bratton 2009. Parents and teachers are welcome to use it for non commercial purposes and it may be used by www.history-for-kids.com who inspired its writing