My maternal grandfather died just over 60 years ago on 23 Mar 1956. He was a coal miner who became a local council rent collector in later life and was a very well-read and cultured man. I have in my possession a set of autograph books which he used as sketch books and most of them are simply that, books of sketches, often copied from newspapers, magazines and postcards. However, the earliest of these dated 1923 differed in that each left hand page would contain writing and the right-hand page a sketch. These were often short biographies of well-known people politicians, scientists and writers and the note were often attributed to JaK. There were also a small number of poems attributed to SF (my grandfather) and I am trying to find out if he actually composed these poems himself. The first such is transcribed below and I would be interested to know if anybody recognises it. I would also like to know if Jak rings any bells
An island in a tropic sea,
The glamour of unstinted ease.
The blue lagoon's deep mystery
And yet the touch of fell disease,
Wherever Eden's bowers are known
There misery erects a throne
A patch of sunlight in a slum
Where squalor reigns, and evil thrives;
Whose tainted air, & sordid gloom
Are profits' incense unto Dives.
That light has touched a glory rare
For loves sweet music lingers there
But isles of beauty with disease,
Or slums with lingering love expressed.
Are not relations that can please
The soul whose duty knows no rest.
Drive misery from Beauty's bower
And clear the slum, to give love power.
March 10/23, SF
SF AB1 p14-15.jpg
David
An island in a tropic sea,
The glamour of unstinted ease.
The blue lagoon's deep mystery
And yet the touch of fell disease,
Wherever Eden's bowers are known
There misery erects a throne
A patch of sunlight in a slum
Where squalor reigns, and evil thrives;
Whose tainted air, & sordid gloom
Are profits' incense unto Dives.
That light has touched a glory rare
For loves sweet music lingers there
But isles of beauty with disease,
Or slums with lingering love expressed.
Are not relations that can please
The soul whose duty knows no rest.
Drive misery from Beauty's bower
And clear the slum, to give love power.
March 10/23, SF
SF AB1 p14-15.jpg
David
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