The Blue Book - Owen Sheers

The Blue Book

“Blue Books, The (3 vols., 1847). Reports published by the Government on the state of education in Wales…the Commissioners reported that the common people were dirty, lazy, ignorant, superstitious, deceitful, promiscuous and immoral, and they blamed all this on Nonconformity and the Welsh Language.” – Encyclopedia of Welsh Literature

Lingen, Symons and Johnson,

Their names give them away,

holding thumb-cornered text books,

not a word of Welsh between them.

Page or man.

They found their God spoken in words

that ran unnaturally in their ears,

and they wrote their decree.

Rather silence than these corrupt tongues,

the words of the father shall not be passed on to the sons.

                                          

                                          *

Because this is how an empire is claimed

not just with stakes in stolen land,

but with words grown over palates,

with strength of tongue as well as strength of hand.

                                            *

And now another blue book

this, my brother’s school book

(bill – postered with bands, but blue beneath)

and inside, the Welsh in his and his teacher’s hand.

It has fallen open on a half written page,

the space beneath his work shot across with red pen:

“Pam nad yw hyn wedi ei orffen?”

“Why is this not finished?”

Well, maybe it is now, if not in me, then in him,

my brother, ten years younger,

but a hundred and fifty years and one tongue apart.

The Blue Book ©  Owen Sheers , 2000