The river slapped against the dock,
unpleasantly,
incessantly.
We stood under the bridge
where Walworth once
had Tyler’s head displayed.
A revolt betrayed
by a misplaced faith in kings.
It’s not enough, she said,
to pull men from the river.
We must also go upstream
to see who pushed them in.
Upstream, the palace,
its sunlit terraces,
its privileged view.
We knew.
As Tyler before us knew too.
Cheers Stephen! The Peasants' Revolt is thought to have started just down the road from Basildon, in Fobbing.
A splendid poem, Steve. I notice that there's a Wat Tyler Country Park near Basildon. I suppose heritage will get us all in the end.
Mon 18th Nov 2024 08:32
Hi Steve. I found the following quote, typed it in to search, and found an article reflecting on the life of Tutu, in which the Revd Sonia Hicks, President of the Methodist Conference, attributes the quote to him.
“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river.
We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”
Oh, and I'll check out Southey's play, Uilleam, thanks. I guess once you're Poet Laureate you're inside the tent...
Thanks Ray. It's based on a quote widely attributed to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, although I can't find any source material to indicate that he actually said, or wrote, it.
He was indeed, M.C.. Sir William Walworth, merchant, money-lender, brothel-keeper and Lord Mayor of London.
Even Oliver Cromwell suffered that insult in death. Power was
the name of the game and deterrence against threat the hope
behind the deed. Was Tyler subjected to his fate with the help
of the London mayor of the day? Opportunists currying favour
find their chance in every age, it seems.
Fine poem, especially the 3rd stanza. I'd maybe have incessantly before unpleasantly. I think I know a friend of yours, Jo Lunn.
Sun 17th Nov 2024 10:00
We knew, indeed Steve.
Wordsworth’s mate, Robert Southey, originally having “radical” leanings, wrote a play called Wat Tyler; he even briefly became a laughing gas sniffing chav. But on being appointed Poet Laureate, it appears he abandonned his “socialist” (is one allowed to use that word now?) principles in favour of money and status. Plus ça change eh!
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Steve White
Mon 18th Nov 2024 16:28
Thanks Uilleam, I saw that but she doesn't say when he said it or to whom. This blogger went looking and attributes it to someone completely different in 1971: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2021/06/whats-the-origin-of-the-phrase-we-shouldnt-just-be-pulling-people-out-of-the-river-we-should-be-going-upstream-to-find-out-whos-pushing-them-in/