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Tag: dressed magnificently as a bridegroom

Montrose by R. S. Thomas

It is said that he went gaily to that scaffold,

dressed magnificently as a bridegroom,

his lace lying on him like white frost

in the windless morning of his courage.

 

His red blood was the water of life,

changed to wine at the wedding banquet;

the bride Scotland, the spirit dependent on

such for the consummation of her marrriage.

 

by R. S. Thomas

from Laboratories of the Spirit (1975)


Fun fact: This poem is about James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, a Scottish nobleman, poet and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed. From 1644 to 1646, and again in 1650, he fought in the civil war in Scotland on behalf of the King and is generally referred to in Scotland as simply “the Great Montrose”. His spectacular victories, which took his opponents by surprise, are remembered in military history for their tactical brilliance

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Posted on July 27, 2018July 27, 2018Categories Literature, Poetry, Wales, WelshTags 1975, 1st marquess of montrose, as a bridegroom, banquet, blood, bride, bride scotland, bridegroom, changed to wine, charles i, civil war, civil war in scotland, consummation, consummation of her marriage, courage, covenanters, dependent, dressed magnificently, dressed magnificently as a bridegroom, english civil war, execution, frost, great montrose, hanging, he went gaily to that scaffold, his lace lying on him, his lace lying on him like white frost, his red blood, his red blood was the water of life, in the windless morning, in the windless morning of his courage, it is said that he went gaily to that scaffold, james graham, laboratories of the spirit, lace, lace lying on him, life, lying on him, magnificiently, marquess of montrose, marriage, Montrose, morning, morning of his courage, r s thomas, red blood, red blood was the water of life, scaffold, scotland, scottish, scottish nobleman, spirit, spirit dependent, the great montrose, the spirit dependent on such, wales, wars of the three kingdoms, water, water of life, wedding, wedding banquet, Welsh, welsh poem, welsh poet, welsh poetry, went gaily, white frost, windless, windless morning, windless morning of his courage, wineLeave a comment on Montrose by R. S. Thomas
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