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Five Months at Anzac by Joseph Lievesley Beeston

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The number of transports that came in and out of Anzac while we were
there was marvellous, and a great tribute to the British Navy. There
is no question as to who is Mistress of the Sea. Occasionally we heard
of one being torpedoed, but considering the number constantly going to
and fro those lost were hardly noticeable. The _Southland_ was
torpedoed while we were in Gallipoli, and Major Millard (who was on
board) told me that there was not the slightest confusion, and only
one life was lost.




TURKS AS FIGHTERS


One cannot conclude these reminiscences without paying a tribute to
Abdul as a fighting man. All I know about him is in his favour. We
have heard all about his atrocities and his perfidy and
unspeakablenesses, but the men we met fought fairly and squarely; and
as for atrocities it is always well to hear the other side of the
question. At the beginning of the campaign it was commonly reported
that the Turks mutilated our wounded. Now I believe that to be an
unmitigated lie, probably given a start by men who had never set foot
in the Peninsula--or who, if they did, had taken an early opportunity
of departure. We were in a position to know whether any mutilation had
occurred, and I certainly saw none. I believe that similar reports
were existent among the Turks regarding us, and I formed that opinion
from the attitude and behaviour of one of the prisoners when I went to
dress his wound. He uttered most piteous cries and his conduct led me
to believe that he thought he was to be illtreated. I have mentioned
before the class to which most of the prisoners were. They were always
most grateful for any kindness shown them.

As to their sense of fair play, when the _Triumph_ was sunk, they
never fired on her--though I understand it would have been quite
allowable directly the men set foot on another warship. Again, about a
fortnight after the landing at Anzac, we tried to land a force at Gaba
Tepe, but had to retire and leave our wounded. The Turks signalled us
to bring them off, and then they never fired or abused the white flag.
The third instance occurred on our left, when we made the advance in
August. Our Ambulance was under a hill, and a howitzer battery took up
a position just in front. The Turk _sent word_ that either the
Ambulance or the battery would have to move, otherwise they would be
forced to fire on the Ambulance.

The shells we got on the beach could not be attributed to any
disregard of the Red Cross, for they could not see the flag, and
moreover the Ordnance was next to us, a thing utterly out of order,
but unavoidable under the circumstances.

My career on the Peninsula came to a close at the end of September,
when I fell ill and was put on the hospital ship. The same evening a
very willing attack was put up by the Turk. One had a good and most
interesting view, as one was in perfect safety. The bursting shells in
the darkness were very picturesque.

Prior to going off we had often discussed the pleasure of getting
between sheets and into a decent bed--how one would curl up and enjoy
it. But my first night under those conditions was spent in tossing
about, without a wink of sleep. It was too quiet. Being accustomed to
be lulled to sleep by the noise of six-inch guns from a destroyer
going over my dug-out, I could now hear a pin drop, and it was far too
quiet. We found we were to be sent to England. Malta was no place in
which to get rid of Mediterranean fever. The treatment the people of
England give the Australians is handsome in the extreme. They cannot
do enough to make them comfortable. Country houses are thrown open to
the invalided men, perfect strangers though they are, and all are
welcome.

Together with Major Courtenay (with whom I came over) I was taken to
Lockleys, in Hertfordshire. Sir Evelyn and Lady de La Rue had a
standing invitation at Horseferry Road, the Australian Military
Headquarters, for six officers. We happened to be among the lucky ones
to be included, and the kindness I received from our host and hostess
will be remembered during the remainder of my life.




CATALOGUE OF BOOKS

PUBLISHED BY

ANGUS & ROBERTSON

LIMITED

PUBLISHERS TO THE UNIVERSITY
89 CASTLEREAGH STREET, SYDNEY

The books in this Catalogue may be obtained through any Bookseller in
Australia, New Zealand and all other English-speaking Countries.

Intending purchasers are requested to write direct to the publishers
if they have any difficulty in obtaining the books required.

English and Foreign trade orders should be sent to the publishers
whose names appear in the body of the Catalogue; where no other name
appears, they should be sent to the Oxford University Press, Amen
Corner, London, E.C.

The costs of postage stated herein apply only to the Commonwealth of
Australia.

_February, 1916._

* * * * *

_Just published._

_THE SONGS OF A SENTIMENTAL BLOKE._

By C.J. DENNIS. Tenth thousand. With 14 full-page Drawings by Hal Gye
and Foreword by Henry Lawson. Cloth, 3s. 6d.

THE BULLETIN (Sydney): "'The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke' is the most
typically Australian book published for a decade. Its humour, its
sentiment, its genuine humanity, are expressed with feeling and an
assured poetic craftsmanship. C.J. Dennis is not only an Australian
poet: he _is_ a poet."

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: "Bill is a wholly delightful person, and from
what he tells us of Doreen, she must be equally delightful ... Mr. Hal
Gye's illustrations deserve mention; their idea is distinctly
original, and the scheme is carried out cleverly."

DAILY TELEGRAPH (Sydney): "Captivatingly fresh and original ... The
verse is very human and clean, and its appeal is universal, for it
depicts the simple emotions that are not confined to the class that
uses dialect ... Sure to be popular, because it has the qualities of
humour and lifelikeness. Also the feeling in it rings true."

THE ARGUS (Melbourne): "The genuine humour of these larrikin love
poems is all the more effective because beneath the surface fun there
is a suggestion of deeper feelings that ennoble men and unite them in
the bonds of common fellow ship."

THE AGE (Melbourne): "'The Sentimental Bloke' is a striking conception
and his portrayal masterly."

THE HERALD (Melbourne): "The Bloke is a character who is likely long
to remain deservedly popular in this country's literature. 'The sonnet
shining in the eyes' has been fixed by Mr. Dennis in what is certainly
a classic of its class, and he secures an effect of true poetry
without straining a simile or defying the canons of Australia's
colloquial speech."

QUEENSLANDER: "A well-printed, cleverly-illustrated, and pleasant to
handle little volume. The humour of the 'Sentimental Bloke' has an
exquisite quality, its sentiment a tenderness, and its philosophy a
soundness which compel attention ... genuine poetry ... a sensitive
appreciation of the beautiful ... wholesome philosophy.. admirable
verses."

* * * * *

_THE THREE KINGS, AND OTHER VERSES._

By WILL LAWSON. With portrait. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full
morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

Will Lawson is a New Zealander who, through the _Bulletin_, has made
an Australasian reputation. His verses are bright and lively, in the
Kipling manner, and full of human interest.

* * * * *

_A BOOK OF AUSTRALIAN VERSE
FOR BOYS AND GIRLS._

Edited, with Introduction and Notes, by BERTRAM STEVENS. With numerous
portraits. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full morocco, gilt edges,
6s. (_postage 2d._)

This book is thoroughly representative of the best Australian verse,
and, although intended mainly as a selection suitable for young folks,
it contains many pieces favoured by older readers. A number of the
poems are not obtainable in any other book.

* * * * *

_THE GOLDEN TREASURY
OF AUSTRALIAN VERSE._

Edited, with Introduction and Notes, by BERTRAM STEVENS. New (fourth)
edition, revised and enlarged. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full
morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

ATHENAEUM: "May be regarded as representative of the best short pieces
written by Australians or inspired by life in Australia or New
Zealand."

_London: Macmillan & Co., Limited._

* * * * *

_THE POETICAL WORKS OF
BRUNTON STEPHENS._

As finally revised by the author, re-arranged and printed from new
type, with photogravure portrait. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full
morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

THE TIMES: "This collection of the works of the Queensland poet, who
has for a generation deservedly held a high place in Australian
literature, well deserves study."

DAILY NEWS: "In turning over the pages of this volume, one is struck
by his breadth, his versatility, his compass, as evidenced in theme,
sentiment, and style."

* * * * *

_WHERE THE DEAD MEN LIE
AND OTHER POEMS._

By BARCROFT HENRY BOAKE. Second edition, revised and enlarged, with
memoir, portraits, and 32 illustrations. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s.
6d.; full morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

J. BRUNTON STEPHENS, in THE BULLETIN: "Boake's work is often praised
for its local colour; but it has something better than that. It has
atmosphere--Australian atmosphere, that makes you feel the air of the
place--breathe the breath of the life."

* * * * *

_AT DAWN AND DUSK: Poems._

By VICTOR J. DALEY. Fourth edition. With photogravure portrait. Cloth
gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

BOOKMAN: "These verses are full of poetic fancy musically expressed."

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: "The indefinable charm is here, and the spell,
and the music.... A distinct advance for Australian verse in ideality,
in grace and polish, in the study of the rarer forms of verse, and in
the true faculty of poetic feeling and expression."

* * * * *

_WINE AND ROSES: A New Volume of Poems._

By VICTOR J. DALEY. With portrait. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full
morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

DAILY TELEGRAPH: "Most of his verse is tinged with sadness--as in most
Irish poetry--but there is a fine imaginative quality that lifts it to
a far higher plane than that of the conventional melancholy rhymer.
There are poems in this book that recall the magic of Rossetti....
Victor Daley has left his mark in the beginnings of an Australian
literature."

* * * * *

_HOW HE DIED, AND OTHER POEMS._.

By JOHN FARRELL. Fourth edition. With memoir, appreciations, and
photogravure portrait. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full morocco,
gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

MELBOURNE AGE: "Farrells contributions to the literature of this
country were always distinguished by a fine, stirring optimism, a
genuine sympathy, and an idealistic sentiment, which in the book under
notice find their fullest expression."

* * * * *

_THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER,
AND OTHER VERSES._

By A.B. Paterson. Fifty-eighth thousand. With photogravure portrait
and vignette title. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full morocco, gilt
edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

ATHENAEUM: "Swinging, rattling ballads of ready humour, ready pathos,
and crowding adventure ... Stirring and entertaining ballads about
great rides, in which the lines gallop like the very hoofs of the
horses."

_London: Macmillan & Co., Limited._

* * * * *

_RIO GRANDE'S LAST RACE,
AND OTHER VERSES._

By A.B. Paterson. Seventeenth thousand. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.;
full morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

SPECTATOR: "There is no mistaking the vigour of Mr. Paterson's verse;
there is no difficulty in feeling the strong human interest which
moves in it."

_London: Macmillan & Co., Limited._

* * * * *

_THE SECRET KEY, AND OTHER VERSES._

By George Essex Evans. Second edition, with portrait. Cloth gilt, gilt
top, 3s. 6d.; full morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

GLASGOW HERALD: "There is ... the breath of that apparently immortal
spirit which has inspired ... almost all that is best in English
higher song."

THE BOOKMAN: "Mr. Evans has written many charming and musical poems
... many pretty and haunting lines."

* * * * *

_IN THE DAYS WHEN THE WORLD WAS WIDE, AND OTHER VERSES._

By Henry Lawson. Twentieth thousand. With photogravure portrait.
Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage
2d._)

THE ACADEMY: "These ballads (for such they mostly are) abound in
spirit and manhood, in the colour and smell of Australian soil. They
deserve the popularity which they have won in Australia, and which, we
trust, this edition will now give them in England."

* * * * *

_VERSES, POPULAR AND HUMOROUS._

By HENRY LAWSON. Eighteenth thousand. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.;
full morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

NEW YORK JOURNAL: "Such pride as a man feels when he has true
greatness as his guest, this newspaper feels in introducing to a
million readers a man of ability hitherto unknown to them. Henry
Lawson is his name."

* * * * *

_WHEN I WAS KING, AND OTHER VERSES._

By HENRY LAWSON. Tenth thousand. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full
morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

THE SPECTATOR: "A good deal of humour, a great deal of spirit, and a
robust philosophy are the main characteristics of these Australian
poets. Because they write of a world they know, and of feelings they
have themselves shared in, they are far nearer the heart of poetry
than the most accomplished devotees of a literary tradition."

* * * * *

_ON THE TRACK AND OVER THE SLIPRAILS._

By HENRY LAWSON. Twentieth thousand. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.;
full morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

DAILY CHRONICLE: "Will well sustain the reputation its author has
already won as the best writer of Australian short stories and
sketches."

* * * * *

_FAIR GIRLS AND GRAY HORSES, WITH OTHER VERSES._

By WILL H. OGILVIE. Revised edition, completing twentieth thousand.
With portrait. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full morocco, gilt
edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

SCOTSMAN: "Its verses draw their natural inspiration from the camp,
the cattle trail, and the bush; and their most characteristic and
compelling rhythms from the clatter of horses' hoofs."

* * * * *

_HEARTS OF GOLD, AND OTHER VERSES._

By WILL H. OGILVIE. Fourth thousand. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.;
full morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

DAILY TELEGRAPH: "Will be welcomed by all who love the stirring music
and strong masculine feeling of this poet's verse."

* * * * *

_WHILE THE BILLY BOILS._

By HENRY LAWSON. With eight illustrations by F.P. Mahony. Thirty-second
thousand. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.; full morocco, gilt edges, 6s.
(_postage 2d._)

THE ACADEMY: "A book of honest, direct, sympathetic, humorous writing
about Australia from within is worth a library of travellers' tales
... The result is a real book--a book in a hundred. His language is
terse, supple, and richly idiomatic. He can tell a yarn with the
best."

* * * * *

_CHILDREN OF THE BUSH._

By HENRY LAWSON. Eleventh thousand. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.;
full morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

THE BULLETIN: "These stories are the real Australia, written by the
foremost living Australian author ... Lawson's genius remains as vivid
and human as when he first boiled his literary billy."

* * * * *

_JOE WILSON AND HIS MATES._

By HENRY LAWSON. Eleventh thousand. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d.;
full morocco, gilt edges, 6s. (_postage 2d._)

THE ATHENAEUM: "This is a long way the best work Mr. Lawson has yet
given us. These stories are so good that (from the literary point of
view of course) one hopes they are not autobiographical. As
autobiography they would be good, as pure fiction they are more of an
attainment."

_London: Wm. Blackwood & Sons._

* * * * *

_LAURENCE HOPE'S LOVE LYRICS._

Uniformly bound in fancy boards with cloth back. 6s. (_postage 3d._)
per volume.

* * * * *

_THE GARDEN OF KAMA._

DAILY CHRONICLE: "No one has so truly interpreted the Indian mind--no
one, transcribing Indian thought into our literature, has retained so
high and serious a level, and quite apart from the rarity of themes
and setting--the verses remain--true poems."

* * * * *

_STARS OF THE DESERT._

OUTLOOK: "It is not merely that these verses describe Oriental scenes
and describe them with vividness, there is a feeling in the rhythm--a
timbre of the words that seems akin to the sand and palm-trees and the
changeless East."

* * * * *

_INDIAN LOVE._

SPECTATOR: "The poetry of Laurence Hope must hold a unique place in
modern letters. No woman has written lines so full of a strange
primeval savagery--a haunting music--the living force of poetry."

_London: William Heinemann._

* * * * *

_THE WITCH MAID, AND OTHER VERSES._

By DOROTHEA MACKELLAR. Cloth gilt, gilt top, 3s. 6d. (_postage 2d._)

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: "She possesses to a remarkable degree the
faculty of conjuring up before our eyes an extraordinarily vivid
picture in a single line or even a word or two. Miss Mackellar can
grasp the essential spirit of a scene, and what is rarer still, can
find words to make us, too, see it, where before we have been blind."

_London: J.M. Dent & Co. Ltd._

* * * * *

_TO-MORROW: A Dramatic Sketch of the Character and Environment of
Robert Greene._

By J. LE GAY BRERETON. Paper cover, 1s. 6d. (_postage 1d._)

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: "The first Australian play of literary worth."

* * * * *

_SONGS OF A SUNLIT LAND._

By COLONEL J.A. KENNETH MACKAY. Cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. (_postage 2d._)

* * * * *

_STORIES OF OLD SYDNEY._

By CHARLES H. BERTIE. With 53 pen and pencil drawings by SYDNEY URE
SMITH. Cloth cover, printed in colours, 3s. 6d. (_postage 1d._)

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: "A charming and interesting little book ...
they live and breathe, and he has contrived to make actual to us those
remote and almost incredible days.... Mr. Smith's admirable
illustrations are an equally important feature of the book, which, in
addition to its interest, presents a great antiquarian value."

* * * * *

_THE RISING OF THE COURT, AND OTHER SKETCHES IN PROSE AND VERSE._

By HENRY LAWSON. With picture cover (_Commonwealth Series_), 1s.
(_postage 1d._)

QUEENSLAND TIMES: "These stories show Lawson at his best, and Lawson
at his best is not to be beaten by short story writers in current
literature."

* * * * *

_AN OUTBACK MARRIAGE: A Story of Australian Life._

By A.B. PATERSON. Ninth thousand, with picture cover (_Commonwealth
Series_), 1s. (_postage 1d._)

SCOTSMAN: "The chief virtue of the book lies in its fresh and vivid
presentment of the wild life and the picturesque manners of the
Australian bush, while in form and style it claims recognition as a
work of considerable literary distinction."

* * * * *

_THE OLD BUSH SONGS._

Collected and edited by A.B. PATERSON. Thirteenth thousand, with
picture cover (_Commonwealth Series_), 1s. (_postage 1d._)

DAILY TELEGRAPH: "Rude and rugged these old bush songs are, but they
carry in their vigorous lines the very impress of their origin and of
their genuineness.... Mr. Paterson has done his work like an artist."

* * * * *

_GODS AND WOOD THINGS._

By L.H. ALLEN. Paper boards, 1s. (_postage 1d._)

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: "Mr. Allen is one of the select band who are
saturated with classic lore and who seek to translate the beings of
pagan mythology to the Australian bush. 'Gods and Wood Things'
contains both prose and verse--the latter rhapsodical, the former
mystical."

* * * * *

_BUSHLAND STORIES._

By AMY ELEANOR MACK. Second edition, with coloured illustrations and
decorated cloth cover, 3s. 6d. (_postage 2d._)

ACADEMY: "It is not often that we have the pleasure to welcome from
Australia a book of so many charming short stories as are contained in
the volume before us."

SCOTSMAN: "Charming and simple nursery tales, appetisingly touched
with local colour of the Bush."

BIRMINGHAM DAILY POST: "There is a daintiness and distinct charm in
these fairy tales."

* * * * *

_SCRIBBLING SUE, AND OTHER STORIES._

By AMY ELEANOR MACK. With coloured and other illustrations and
decorated cloth cover, 3s. 6d. (_postage 2d._)

These stories are written in the same happy vein as "Bushland
Stories." Miss Mack's intense love of nature is reflected in all her
books, and her readers, both young and old, are at once attracted by
the natural ring of her work.

* * * * *

_GEM OF THE FLAT: A. Story of Young Australians._

By CONSTANCE MACKNESS. With coloured and other illustrations and
decorated cloth cover, 3s. 6d. (_postage 2d._)

"Gem of the Flat" is a story of Australian bush children. The local
colouring is distinctly good; the children are alive, and talk like
real children; the incidents are natural and well described. The style
is fresh, the dialogue well managed, and the story as a whole is
interesting and pleasant, with a good tone about it.

* * * * *

_DOT AND THE KANGAROO._

By ETHEL C. PEDLEY. Illustrated by F.P. Mahony. Third edition, with
decorated cloth cover, 2s. 6d. (_postage 2d._)

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: "'Dot and the Kangaroo' is without doubt one of
the most charming books that could be put into the hands of a child.
It is admirably illustrated by Frank P. Mahony, who seems to have
entered thoroughly into the animal world of Australia. The story is
altogether Australian.... It is told so simply, and yet so
artistically, that even the 'grown-ups' amongst us must enjoy it."

* * * * *

_THE ANNOTATED CONSTITUTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH._

By Sir JOHN QUICK, LL.D., and R.R. GARRAN, C.M.G. Royal 8vo., cloth
gilt, 21s.

THE TIMES: "A monument of industry."

* * * * *

_THE STATE AND FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONS OF AUSTRALIA._

By K.R. CRAMP, M.A., Examiner, N.S.W. Department of Public
Instruction. With portraits and illustrations. Second edition,
revised. Cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. (_postage 2d._)

N.S.W. PUBLIC INSTRUCTION GAZETTE: "Not only sound and scholarly, but
is written by a teacher of long experience.... Has the additional
advantage of being absolutely up to date.... Altogether an admirable
piece of work.... An interesting, very helpful, and very necessary
handbook."

* * * * *

_HISTORY OF AUSTRALASIA: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day._

By ARTHUR W. JOSE, author of "The Growth of the Empire." Fifth
edition, thoroughly revised, with many new maps and illustrations from
rare originals in the Mitchell Library. Cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. (_postage
2d._)

THE BULLETIN: "It is the most complete handbook on the subject
available; the tone is judicial and the workmanship thorough.... The
new chapter on Australian Literature is the best view yet presented."

* * * * *

_HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY._

By H.E. BARFF, M.A., Registrar. With numerous illustrations. Cloth
gilt, 7s. 6d. (_postage 2d._)

Published some years ago in connection with the Jubilee Celebrations
of the University, this volume contains the official record of its
foundation and growth.

* * * * *

_THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY: ITS HISTORY AND PROGRESS._

By ROBERT A. DALLEN. With 68 illustrations from photographs. Crown
4to., 3s. 6d. (_postage 1d._)

* * * * *

_SOME EARLY RECORDS OF THE MACARTHURS OF CAMDEN_, 1789-1834.

Edited by SIBELLA MACARTHUR ONSLOW. With coloured plates and numerous
facsimile reproductions of original documents. Cloth gilt, 15s.
(_postage 6d._)

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: "No man ever entered on a better fight with his
fellow citizens, with the Governors, with the British Government, with
the scientists, with the judicial authorities, indeed with almost
every authority that was there to be fought, than John Macarthur when
he undertook single-handed the great fight which finally established
the wool industry in Australia."

* * * * *

_Uniform with the above._

_LIFE OF CAPTAIN MATTHEW FLINDERS, R.N._

By ERNEST SCOTT, Professor of History in the University of Melbourne,
author of "Terre Napoleon" etc. With numerous portraits, maps,
manuscripts in facsimile, etc. Cloth gilt, 21s. (_postage 6d._)

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Why shouldn't Sarah Palin get a book deal?
Articles published by guardian.co.uk Books

The Blackbird of Belfast Lough keeps singing
Jean Hannah Edelstein: Left-leaning Americans should welcome books from Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber

At least 13 ways of looking at a blackbird

Int én bec
    ro léic feit
    do rind guip
    glanbuidi
    fo-ceird faíd
    os Loch Laíg
    lon do craíb
    charnbuidi

This weird little scrap of Irish syllabic verse, probably from the 9th century, consists of just 24 syllables, broken up into eight short lines, which have somehow continued to echo in modern Irish verse: the little lyric seems to have stuck; it has proved itself, in Seamus Heaney's words, to have "staying power".

First used in a metrical tract of the 11th century to illustrate a metre called snám súad, the lyric might be translated, literally, as: "The little bird which has whistled from the end of a bright-yellow bill: it utters a note above Belfast Lough – a blackbird from a yellow-heaped branch" (in a translation by Gerard Murphy). Or perhaps: "The little bird has whistled from the tip of his bright yellow beak; the blackbird from a bough laden with yellow blossom has tossed a cry over Belfast Lough" (translation by David Greene & Frank O'Connor).

Perhaps the poem's recent appeal has something to do with the character of the plucky little bird singing out over Belfast – the site of so much tragedy during the past three decades. Blackbird = poet? That, at least, is one way of looking at it.

Poetic versions, and rewrites, and reinterpretations of the poem abound, by John Montague, and John Hewitt, and Seamus Heaney, and Thomas Kinsella (in The New Oxford Book of Irish Verse), and Tomás Ó Floinn (in modern Irish), and by the current director of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, Ciaran Carson.

Carson tells the story of how, when appointed as the first director of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, he saw a blackbird pecking around in the little garden outside the School of English and thought it might make an interesting symbol for the newly established centre for creative writing. And so "The Blackbird of Belfast Lough", in word and image, became the Centre's motto and emblem.

Some years later, as writer in residence at the Heaney Centre, I found myself in conversation with two artists, the brothers Oliver and Rory Jeffers. We'd occasionally meet, the three of us, on Saturday mornings to drink coffee and to talk about art and literature, and Oliver would sometimes bring along work-in-progress and Rory would try to explain to me the structure and meaning of the language of images (which I never understood). On a whim, and high on caffeine and big ideas, I thought I would invite a number of local and international artists to read "The Blackbird of Belfast Lough" in its original Irish and its English translations, and to make of it what they would. Which is how I found myself putting together an exhibition now on show at the Heaney Centre.

In his preface to the exhibition catalogue Seamus Heaney suggests that the images might be a way of keeping "the perpetual motion machine of art on the go". I couldn't – obviously – have put it better myself.

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