Nelson & His World

Many people on this forum and the forum ‘About Nelson’ gave me a great deal of help in the preparation of a small collection of poems to mark the 250th anniversary of Nelson’s birth on 29th September 1758 that will soon be upon us. I’d be happy to send a copy of the booklet to members of these forums. I know members of the Nelson Society look into the site too, and they are also welcome to a copy ‘while stocks last’ as they say.

Compiling the anthology was a modest exercise, just a bit of fun for my own pleasure that I am happy to share with admirers of Nelson. This is not a commercial venture so there will be no charge. Indeed, it was on the understanding that the anthology would not be sold that I was able to obtain much-reduced copyright fees for poems and illustrations still in copyright, as they were deemed to be for personal rather than commercial use; otherwise the production costs would have been prohibitive. Poets, or their copyright holders, and the NMM and other archives have been very generous indeed.

If you enjoy the booklet, maybe you would like to make an extra little donation for your Remembrance Day poppy, or to any other charity you favour.

I came across a huge number of poems during the preliminary searches and I had to reduce these to a representative selection of about fifty poems written over the last 200 years. I was able to draw on a wide range of sources including anonymous tributes, songs and sea shanties, and poems by more famous poets, including one that the present Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, wrote in 2005 to commemorate Trafalgar. He also sent me his good wishes and a signed copy of his poem for myself – a typically thoughtful and courteous gesture.

Not every poem in the collection is of great literary merit, but they are all, I think, of historical interest, and reflect Nelson’s enduring place in the national memory.

The title, by the way, is taken from Gerald Massey’s poem ‘An Old Man O’ War’s Yarn’:

Our best beloved of all the brave
That ever for freedom fought.

If you would like a copy of the anthology, please send a contact address to:

nelsonATnelsonandhisworld, substituting the @ symbol for AT.

However, please note that I am, unexpectedly, very heavily committed at the moment, and over the next few weeks. I will be away from home and out of internet contact for much of the time, so there may well be delays in responding to requests, which I hope you will forgive. You should receive your copy in due course - by Trafalgar Day, I hope!

May I offer renewed and very sincere thanks to all who offered kind and generous support.

Many thanks Tycho, for my copy received this week.

I must confess to having approached this anthology with some trepidation. In Tycho’s words, “not every poem in the collection is of great literary merit, but they are all, I think, of historical interest, and reflect Nelson’s enduring place in the national memory”. That worried me, as 19th century poetry is not my first love, especially if not of great literary merit, and the national memory, where Nelson is concerned, is distinctly flawed. From the start, the “national memory” was manipulated by nineteenth-century biographical hagiography, and it has been warped further by the political correctness of more recent years, and I was concerned at how much this would be reflected in the poetry. I have a horror of hagiography, not just as a travesty of the truth, but also in Nelson’s case because of the part it played in relegating my ancestor and many others into two hundred years of obscurity. However, I would not go as far as the writer in the Naval Chronicle (vol 14) in 1805 (before Trafalgar), who said: “we greatly lament that ill-judged, and over-weening popularity, which tends to make another Demi-god of Lord Nelson, at the expense of all other Officers in the Service, many of whom possess equal merit, and equal abilities, and equal gallantry with the Noble Admiral.” The claim that many other officers possessed equal abilities, already pretty untenable, was soon seen to be absurd, and despite many others of equal gallantry, the “ill-judged” tide of opinion quickly became an unstoppable flood after Nelson’s death.

But I need not have worried. This Anthology is an absolute delight. Whilst I might rant at modern misperceptions, you cannot argue with a sailor in Nelson’s fleet glorifying his Admiral’s achievements, or with the heartfelt thanks of a Welsh farmer for Nelson’s protection. Your light and unobtrusive commentary on the different people who felt compelled to put pen to paper in their different circumstances lifts this anthology into something most informative and enjoyable. The book is beautifully laid out and structured to show how the collective public memory of Nelson has evolved over the last couple of hundred years as reflected in and influenced by the poetry. It is the first book I have read that has given me a real feeling for the level of adulation that he received during his lifetime. While I have always been aware of it from the various accounts of his reception by crowds throughout the country, it is seeing the early poems together, and seeing the diversity of the writers, that really brings it home.

Only a dimwit like me would have worried that the poetry might not present an accurate biographical study of the subject – that is hardly the purpose of poetry! And if the literary merit of some of the poems is questionable, the strength of the sentiment is not. In the selection that Tycho has made, it is also notable how little imperialism creeps into the poetry even many years after his death. He is celebrated as a conqueror, but mainly as a guardian of his country against oppressors. The way Nelson’s spirit was again later used as inspiration in the two world wars is also interesting. The modern poetry is fascinating and moving in its different ways. While the public memory of Nelson may have fragmented and metamorphosed in various forms, the book shows just how wide and deep it has spread.

Whatever your views of the horrors of war, the commemoration of heroism, or the idolisation of Nelson, it is impossible not to be moved by much of the poetry in this book, but the collection as a whole is of real importance in understanding the public perception of Nelson’s memory. Congratulations, Tycho, on your achievement. I have no doubt that in years to come this will be a much sought after little volume.

If anybody hasn’t requested their copy yet, be quick!

Tony has just about summed up everything, so I can't improve on his words. But many thanks indeed for the copy: a huge kindness. And, of course, many congratulations as there has obviously been a great deal of work involved.

Lesley

Many thanks for those kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the anthology.

One of the most interesting things about the research was how many ordinary, unknown people reached for their pens to write a commemorative poem; I had to discard hundreds. But I shouldn't have been surprised. It is the medium people have always chosen to express their most solemn thoughts or to record a significant moment. Poetry really is the 'guardian of memory'.

And even those who never give poetry a thought or even disparage it are always delighted to receive a poem - even a bad one. I often knock out a bit of doggerel to say thank you, or sorry, or happy birthday, and it never fails to please. My car once started pouring smoke outside Shepton Mallet fire station and several heroes in huge boots rushed out and leapt to my aid. I wrote them a thank you poem and they were absolutely thrilled - the Chief Fire Officer wrote to ask permission to publish it in the 'Fireman's Gazette' or whatever. A thank you letter wouldn't have had the same effect!

May I also say that all addresses sent to me have been treated in the strictest confidence. In fact, I delete addresses once I have sent the anthology; in once case, before I sent it!

If you wish, understandably, to protect your privacy, you are free to use an accommodation address and receive the booklet 'care of' a friend or colleague.

Tycho, many, many congratulations on your achievement with this beautiful publication.

I'm no connoisseur of verse by any stretch of the imagination, but found many elements of the book incredibly moving and illuminating by turn. Its a joy to see it all together.

An interesting theme emerging through this work is the contemporary image - not so much of Nelson as Admiral, hero, man or individual - but as a powerful brand. A symbol with all its attendant values, for the Navy, the country and its people and - at that time - the justness of the cause through the actions of Government.

Emma Hamilton made a comment, during the Amiens peace negotiations, about Nelson's political usefulness. His name "Means much. Weighs heavy."

This anthology, beyond the poetry - as Tony alludes to - clearly illustrates through the voice of the people, the usefulness of that name as a spur, as inspiration, as representation and justifcation.

It would be an interesting topic to enlarge on some day, and I do wonder whether the levels of fame and adulation focused on Nelson during his lifetime and subesquently, has actually helped rather than hindered awareness. A sort of slipstream effect that draws attention and encourages further interest in the period.

But the value of this anthology has been so ably covered in the comments above, that there is little to add beyond a big thank you for forwarding a copy, and a very big well done!

Thank you for those kind words, Mira, and the thought-provoking reflections. Nelson as brand? This might make for an interesting discussion on another thread?

Many people have kindly commented on how beautifully produced the booklet is and for that I have to thank Mike Tattersall whose patience, skill and creativity made such an elegant silk purse out of the sow's ear of a text I presented him with, and at a time when the demands of his professional life were overwhelming. I am truly grateful.

A few people emailed to say that their copies got somewhat mauled in the post and I was happy to replace them and send later booklets out safely bubble-wrapped. If you did get a mangled copy and would like a replacement, please let me know via private message or nelsonATnelsonandhisworld.co.uk