Sunday 22 November 2020

Universal Truth






                                                                          Silver birch trees

 Dear Reader,

 "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown" Shakespeare wrote in Henry 1V, part 2.  

We have, like many people in the UK, been watching 'The Crown' on Netflix and here are just a few thoughts about it.  First of all it seemed to be so depressing,  places where the Royal family live are all so gloomy with large unoccupied rooms in half light.  I know the Queen is keen on the lights being turned off at every opportunity to save money but even so....Then surely the Royal family is not as nasty as they appear to be in this series.  No wonder Princess Diana had an eating illness and was made thoroughly miserable.  There didn't seem to be a comforting arm anywhere least of all from her husband Prince Charles.  For myself I would rather live, being loved, in a railway carriage than in a palace.

But what I have to remind myself that this is not the true story it is an approximation of the truth.  We don't really know what was said in any of these scenes.  Nobody could have been so rude to Mr and Mrs thatcher when they went to stay at Balmoral, it made a good story but I am sure it wasn't the way it was portrayed.  

"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown", the Queen doesn't seem uneasy but she does seem lonely
and at times unloved.  I am so glad it is her wearing the crown and not me.

                                                                                  *

From Dorothy Wordsworth, 1801, in Westmorland


'I read a little of Chaucer, prepared the goose for dinner, and then we all walked out.  I was obliged to return for my fur tippet and spencer, it was so cold.....It was very windy,and we heard the wind everywhere about us as we went along the lane, but the walls sheltered us...As we were going along we were stopped at once at the distance perhaps of 50 yards from our favourite birch tree.  It was yielding to the gusty wind with al its tender twigs, the sun shone upon , and it glanced in the wind like a flying sun-shiny shower.  It was a tree in shape, with stem and branches, but it was like a Spirit of water. ......We came home over stepping-stones.  The Lake (Grasmere) was foamy with white waves.'

                                                                                 *


Universal Truth


Everyone knows
that Philip Larkin wrote:

"They fuck you up
your mum and dad,
they may not mean to
but they do'.

And what Philip Larkin knew,
I know to be true.

                                                                                    *

With very best wishes, Patricia



 

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