Briggflatts
Encyclopedia
Briggflatts is a long poem by Basil Bunting
published in 1965. The work is subtitled "An Autobiography." The title "Briggflatts" comes from the name of a meetinghouse (actually spelled "Brigflatts", with one "g") in a Quaker community near Sedbergh
in Cumbria
, England. Bunting visited Brigflatts as a schoolboy when the family of one of his schoolfriends lived there, and it was at this time that he developed a strong attachment to his friend's sister, Peggy Greenbank, to whom the poem is dedicated. It was first read in public on December 22, 1965 at the Morden Tower
, and published in 1966 by Fulcrum Press
. Bunting also wrote another poem with 'Briggflatts' in its title, the short work "At Briggflatts meetinghouse" (1975).
, the text contains a note explaining that the word means "little sparrows". The poem itself has a five part structure. The first part has a regular structure of 12 stanza
s each containing 13 lines. In the following four parts the stanzas vary in length from couplets to quatrains to stanzas of more than 20 lines. The rhyme scheme
also changes throughout the poem as the bulk of the text appears in free verse
while other lines do contain rhyming patterns.
. To Rudman, the poem allows the subject to dictate the rhyming words and argues that the "solemn mallet" is allowed to change the patters of speech in the poetry to meet with the themes discussed in the text.
Basil Bunting
Basil Cheesman Bunting was a significant British modernist poet whose reputation was established with the publication of Briggflatts in 1966. He had a lifelong interest in music that led him to emphasise the sonic qualities of poetry, particularly the importance of reading poetry aloud...
published in 1965. The work is subtitled "An Autobiography." The title "Briggflatts" comes from the name of a meetinghouse (actually spelled "Brigflatts", with one "g") in a Quaker community near Sedbergh
Sedbergh
Sedbergh is a small town in Cumbria, England. It lies about east of Kendal and about north of Kirkby Lonsdale. The town sits just within the Yorkshire Dales National Park...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England. Bunting visited Brigflatts as a schoolboy when the family of one of his schoolfriends lived there, and it was at this time that he developed a strong attachment to his friend's sister, Peggy Greenbank, to whom the poem is dedicated. It was first read in public on December 22, 1965 at the Morden Tower
Morden Tower
The Morden Tower in Back Stowell Street on the West Walls of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade 1 listed building. For the last 45 years Connie Pickard has been custodian of Morden Tower, and has made it a key fixture of Newcastle's alternative cultural life...
, and published in 1966 by Fulcrum Press
Fulcrum Press
Fulcrum Press was founded in London in the mid-1960s by medical student Stuart Montgomery and his wife Deidre. Montgomery later was an eminent neurologist and expert in depression. The press published major American and British poets in the modernist and the avant-garde traditions in carefully...
. Bunting also wrote another poem with 'Briggflatts' in its title, the short work "At Briggflatts meetinghouse" (1975).
The Poem
The poem begins with an epigraph reading "The spuggies are fledged", and although the word "spuggies" is not in the Oxford English DictionaryOxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
, the text contains a note explaining that the word means "little sparrows". The poem itself has a five part structure. The first part has a regular structure of 12 stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
s each containing 13 lines. In the following four parts the stanzas vary in length from couplets to quatrains to stanzas of more than 20 lines. The rhyme scheme
Rhyme scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme between lines of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme. In other words, it is the pattern of end rhymes or lines...
also changes throughout the poem as the bulk of the text appears in free verse
Free verse
Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.Poets have explained that free verse, despite its freedom, is not free. Free Verse displays some elements of form...
while other lines do contain rhyming patterns.
Critical response
Mark Rudman suggests that "Briggflatts" is an example of how free verse can be seen as an advance of traditional metrical poetry. He cites the poem to show that free verse can include a rhyme scheme without following other conventions of traditional English poetryEnglish poetry
The history of English poetry stretches from the middle of the 7th century to the present day. Over this period, English poets have written some of the most enduring poems in Western culture, and the language and its poetry have spread around the globe. Consequently, the term English poetry is...
. To Rudman, the poem allows the subject to dictate the rhyming words and argues that the "solemn mallet" is allowed to change the patters of speech in the poetry to meet with the themes discussed in the text.
External links
- Briggflatts recording Read by the author (mp4)
- Link to Brigflatts Quaker Meeting House homepage