Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ


Explore the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
3 Oct 2014

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔpage
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio
TodayΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
Today
Listen Again
Latest Reports
Interview of the Week
About Today
Britain at 6am
Have your Say
Contact Today

Poem for Memorial Service
by Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion

The poet laureate, Andrew Motion, has written a specially commissioned poem for a memorial service at Westminster Abbey, which is being held for British people who died in the New York terrorist attacks.

THE LINES
The voices live which are the voices lost;
we hear them and we answer, or we try,
but words are nervous when we need them most
and shatter, stop, or dully slide away

so everything they mean to summon up
is always just too far, just out of reach,
unless our memories give time the slip
and learn the lesson that heart-wisdoms teach

of how in grief we find a way to keep
the dead beside us as our time goes on-
invisible and silent, but the deep
foundation of ourselves, our corner-stone

Read Andrew Motion's exclusive poem written for Today on foot and mouth

also Andrew Motion's recent live chat on Radio 4 Online.



Listen - Andrew Motion reads his poem
Other Arts Stories


About the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy