ProemCards from Newfoundland
By Endre Farkas
Jul 3, 2008, 15:56
This the first poem written in North America.
The Pleasant Life in Newfoundland
Robert Hayman 1628
The Aire in Newfoundland-land is wholesome, good;
The Fire, as sweet as anymade of wood;
The Waters, very rich, both salt and fresh;
The Earth more rich, you know it is no lesse.
Where all are good, Fire Water, Earth, and Aire,
What man made of these foure would not live there?
Sweet Creatures did you truly understand
The pleasant life you’d live in Newfound-land
You would with teares desire to be brought thither
I wish you, when you goe, faire wind, faire weather:
For if you with the passage can dispence,
When you are there, I know you’ll ne’er come thence.
You say that you would live in Newfound-land,
Did not this one thing your conceit withstand;
You feare the Winters cold, sharp, piercing ayre.
They love it best, that have once wintered there.
Winter is there, short, wholesome, shuffling, as ‘tis here.
Although in clothes, company, building faire,
With England, New-found-land cannot compare;
Did some know what contentment I found there,
Alwayes enough, most times somewhat to spare,
With little paines, less toile, and lesser care,
Exempt from taxings, il newes, Lawing, feare,
If cleane, and warme, no matter what you weare,
Healthy, and wealthy, if men carefull are,
With much—much more, then I will now declare,
(I say) if some wise men knew what this were,
(I doe believe) they’d live no other where.
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| names of newfoundland |
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| newfoundland saying |
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These place names and sayings were written upon the walls of The Battery Hotel where the AGM was held. It was appropriate for a League of poets meeting. It also was an appropriate prologue to the panel on Newfoundland phrasings, rhythms and the attempt by the good old church and upper class to "teach out" these "incorrect" habits was interesting and sounded familiar. Not as vicious as what was done to First Nations people, nonetheless, it was further proof of what harm can be done when those in power attempt to "purify" the language, the world. Thank goodness that the people of NOSE COVE, BLOW ME DOWN, DILDO, WEST SAINT MODEST, HEART'S DELIGHT, TOO GOOD ARM and others who "WORK HARDER THAN A ONE LEGGED MAN IN AN ASS KICKING CONTEST" and "WHO CAN TALK THE LEGS OFF A TABLE," had the ability to resist. We are all the richer for their resistance.
Land
Land first appears as a mirage
Something hoped for, for so long
So absent that the vision is not to be trusted
Even when shouted from the crow’s nest.
Land crops from the sea
As the shoots of prayers I have planted
In the liquid soil which we
Have ploughed these past weeks
Land emerges from the sea
Like the green tongue of the monster
On whose stormy back for nigh
Forever we've been tossed.
Land swims out to meet us
As a firm handshake
To welcome and draw us
Into its rocky-firm bosom.
Land! I am in my natural element.
And though it is an alien place
I am sure of my steps again
And have a settled stomach.
Land, not unlike my own beloved Isle,
Which the sun first blesses, which the heavens
Keep watch over, and which the sea embraces
Like a shimmering diamond necklace.
Land, that upon first sight
Blankets me in memories and longing,
At night becomes the battlefield of the Borealis
Upon which gods’ blades spark these brilliant flames.
God I give thanks for deliverance
And ask Thee to bide with me
In my new endless wilderness
In this New found land.
Endre Farkas
From In The Worshipful Company of Skinners
--------St. Johns 2008--------
The League of Canadian Poets
Annual General Meeting
St. Johns
A city that is a town. A town that smells of the ocean, feels like it will be towed away any minute by the ships anchored to it.
Foggy first couple of days, a gray cat curled about the town. Woke in the middle of the night and stared at the cats’ eyes looking over the harbour. Felt the moist mist.
The last province to join the country, the last province I had not visited. Only the Yukon and The Territories are left. Of course all the visits are just promecards of bits of the places. I’ll have to comeback for another lifetime (still wouldn’t be enough) to really get to know this huge country. We are still, or could be, explorers of this place.
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| houses of colour |
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| man of many hats |
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| sign of the times |
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| kitchen party |
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| alley oops |
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| seat of power |
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Hidden in wonder and snow, or sudden with summer,
This land stares at the sun in a huge silence
Endlessly repeating something we cannot hear
Inarticulate, arctic,
Not written on by history, empty as paper,
It leans away from the world with songs in its lakes
Older than love, and lost in the miles.
F. R. Scott
From Laurentian Shield.
--------Cape Spear--------
Most eastern point in North America. First view of the sun, first view of daylight in North America.
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| cape spear |
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| the old lighthouse aint what she used to be |
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| look east, easter, easternist point of canada |
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| on guard for thee WWII |
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--------MISTAKEN POINT--------
Don McKay gave a talk about geopoetics in which mentioned Mistaken Point as the home of 520 million years old (oldest known in the world) fossils. So off to see the fossils.
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| geopoetics for Don McKay |
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--------Renews--------
Knowing I live in a dark age before history
I watch my wallet and
Am less struck by gunfights in the avenues
Than by the newsie with his dirty pink chapped face
Calling a shabby poet back for his change
Milton Acorn
From “Knowing I live in a Dark Age”
Renews
Sometimes the name fits
Like the fog about The Rock
Looking for a place to sleep, we enter
Renews
Looking, we come across a man mowing his lawn
who leans in with an open smile as wide as The Rock’s welcome.
Can’t shut her off cause you never know when she’ll start up again.
Points across the bay
That there green house be a B&B
No don’t know the name of the road
And why would he
he lives here
who needs to know the name
to what you can point to.
Noone home so I knock on the door just kitty corner.
Nah, don’t know where he’s at
but can’t be too far cause
his shed door she be open
but you know he’s no longer doing the business.
He comes after me
The missus says
There’s one up by the church
what used to be the priest’s house
but she’s fixed up eh.
The door is open
but no one’s home.
Across the way is the general store
but is closed on account of it being Sunday
but someone’s outside doing some gardening.
You have to excuse my smell but them blackflies is something awful.
She gets her husband to open the store
and let us use the phone but no answer.
There’s the salmon coloured house that’s self contained
that her daughter from across the way in that house just fixed up and lets. I’ll just get her for you.
She comes back by the by with the mother.
Can’t reach her, probably out
cause it’s the first nice Sunday eh
and probably she’s up at her friends
but follow me, drive you up there.
There’s a good house party happening
and she don’t want to leave.
Just go in cause the door she’s open
make yourself at home
I may come by later
but if not, then tomorrow will do
and we’ll settle then. Ok dearie?
There are three bedrooms,
you can try them all. Enjoy eh.
She smiles and heads back to her party.
Her mother lead us to the house
and when I ask her, when she might come by
There’s no telling once Darlene gets into her wine.
But don’t worry dearie,
if she’s not back by then we’ll settle somehow.
Morning after sailing into High Tide Harbour,
we drive back to the mother’s to pay.
No need to have done that love,
you could have just left the money in the guest book.
Sometimes the name fits
like Renews.
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| renews newfoundland |
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