THE BERNARD HEMENSLEY ARCHIVE; #2

THE THOMAS HARDY POEMS



W I N T E R


1

amid its quiverings
the note
silver and black
wherein the white stars
flew


2

light streamed
some little distance
leaf adhering
at the horizon


3

roughened bloom
its whiteness
letting fall
in tints
by a garden wall


4

snow-
white shoulders
turned up
to the sky


5

expectant stillness
made itself
visible
for an instant
a young girl


6

variation upon
firelight shadows
a
crystal drop
spangles


7

the eyes --
singing
smiling
Her dark eyes --
two slurs in music


8

towards incandescence
Love's hand
quivering
in a dream
beating the air


9

the blooming
figure stood revealed
changed
Angel
woman


*


S P R I N G



1

first-fruits
faintly showing
true feeling


2

brightly illuminated
rendering
the eyes


3

a smile of
new moon
God bless thee


4

This dignity
desire
surging higher


5

music
murmured
all through it


6

damp
sun
streaming


7

allusions
burst from
tender grass


8

in the light
an echo of
peace



*



S U M M E R



1

wavy
liquid colour
displacing
temporary flush


2

spirits
extended further
flying
quivering light


3

lingering dews
changing
threads of
finesse


4

playful
like a
woman
in flower



*



A U T U M N



1

kind
thoughts
leaning upon
earth


2

sunset
flutter
crossing
the hills


3

her heart
dreamt of
the rosy hues of
pleasure


4

this
girl
diaphanous
in the garden


5

as delightfully as
the first
love course
streams


6

again
the rain
the rain
young heart


7

the
self
at ease
at the end



*

A Note on The Thomas Hardy Poems

These poems were 'found' one summer, sitting under a tree in my parents' back-garden, over three or four afternoons, late Eighties.
The words are all Hardy's, from Under The Greenwood Tree. One poem per chapter. All words are taken in sequence. No back-tracking. I continued until I found the right words and had a poem.

Bernard Hemensley
Weymouth, Dorset; 2008

BERNARD HEMENSLEY ARCHIVE

Goldy Hermitage
Weymouth, UK
5 th January,2005
Dear Kris, Here's some of the latest. Little poems written in the last 12 months or so...

*

tearing down the road
at break-neck speed
a blackbird

*
must be getting old
even in a dream
couldn't stiffen
for the girl

*
starlings gathered
on the railway sidings
dried grass seeds

*
weathered garden shed
looks so right
no need to paint anew

*
sitting zazen
mouth waters at
thought of smoked tofu

_________________________________
[The Bernard Hemensley Archive will gather poems & other writings scattered through the past few decades. Not sure whether to refer to the demise of B.H.'s little press, Stingy Artist, or merely its long hibernation, but whilst his press was active in England (from Alverstoke, Hampshire in the late 70s, Weymouth,Dorset in the 80s) there was every hope he'd make his own work available in the small editions he favoured. This archive intends to gradually reverse the hiatus.]