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In My Craft …

Whenever I attend an award ceremony, and let me tell you the frequency is running at once a year since this time last year, I think of the following poem:

It works best if you can image a rich, insistent Welsh baritone. Richard Burton maybe, Sir Harry Secombe perhaps …

In my craft or sullen art
Exercised in the still night
When only the moon rages
And the lovers lie abed
With all their griefs in their arms
I labour by singing light
Not for ambition or bread
Or the strut and trade of charms
On the ivory stages
But for the common wages
Of their most secret heart.

Not for the proud man apart
From the raging moon I write
On these spindrift pages
Nor for the towering dead
With their nightingales and psalms
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages,
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art

Or maybe the author himself, Dylan Thomas.

Dylan Thomas

And he would have known all about it, having finally moved off the mortal coil aged 39 after taking in an immoderate number of whiskeys down at The White Horse Tavern in New York City.

Sort of thing Rylance might recite when called to the podium … maybe?

10 replies on “In My Craft …”

Congrats on being nominated There loss not giving it to you ,,,,,

How is the writing going ? We hope very well , you are a very talented man letters My knee ( total replacement ) that I had replaced in July is still just awful and will probably have to be re done this summer in vermont Judy had one eye done three weeks ago with a lens implant and is having the other done on the 15 We’re you down for the awards ? Cold winter in NYC I don’t miss the cold winters in New England

Your friends bill and Judy

Sent from my iPad

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But … Colin (Rylance pauses for thought) It’s a journey (pauses for thought again) (laughs) a journey from the chair, the seat of … action (p again) to the … seat or standing place … We all (pause …) aspire … to, under the moon (… pause …) or not?

Colin,

First of all, thanks for sharing that poem – I’ve never read it before (I’m embarrassed to say, but glad to know of it now!).

Gotta love that Dylan Thomas for summing up our lives so well!

I hope to see you soon! I hope all is well!

Sending much love,

Bon xx

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