International Echoes (18): Emma Lazarus, The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Statue of Liberty, 'The New Colossus'

I often keep an eye open for Carol Rumen's 'Poem of the Week' as her choices are often fascinating and slightly off the beaten track.

The latest poem to fall under the spotlight, The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, is no exception. It is a sonnet that has been with me since January when I visited New York for the first time.

The harbour area around the statue is steeped in history, for it was the first point of contact for those who arrived by sea as immigrants from Europe. The towering Statue of Liberty would have greeted them as they moved on to land at Ellis Island for 'processing'. Those who were well and fit for work moved on swiftly to the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, where they caught their trains to the places that would soon become 'home'.

Ellis Island, in particular, was a fascinating, if at times heart-rending, outpost to visit. The huge institutional walls echo with the sound of multicultural stories. The exhibitions were first rate rate, and we greatly enjoyed an afternoon in the American Family Immigration History Center, tracing one of my Scottish-Australian ancestors who would have passed through New York before I was born, en route for Britain.

Surprise Subjects (1): Sugar Poetry

I try to keep an eye open for unusual poetry collections. The latest one to catch my eye is The Sugar Poetry Book: images and insights from a sugar era. The book is a poetic response by the Kittisivian and Nevisian islanders to the history and decline of the sugar industry in a part of the world that has seen so much change over the centuries.

I grew up in rural Norfolk, UK, where the view along the river Yare was dominated by the sugar beat factory at Cantley (for our sugar was beat, which can now be used as a bio-fuel). When my family moved to East Anglia in the 1970s, coypu roamed the river banks near our home. I feel a certain wistfulness when I think that these creatures are no longer there, but I know that they did immeasurable damage to the beautiful but fragile waterways and wildlife habitats of Broadland.

Postscript 4 February 2009: a penduline tit was spotted at Strumpshaw near Cantley. Source: Rare Bird Alert.

• The Ted Ellis Trust
• Mark Cocker, Country Diary, The Guardian
  

Wordsworth and Rydal

I have just been reading an interesting feature on Wordsworth and the RHS show at Tatton Park. Wordsworth worked on the garden design at Rydal Mount between 1813 and 1850 (when he died).

I was particularly struck by this article as an ancestor of mine, Stanley Hughes le Fleming, was instrumental in designing the garden in the grounds of nearby Rydal Hall. He was living at Rydal Hall at the time of the 1881 Census. Thomas Mawson was responsible for the development of the Italianate terraces at the beginning of the last century.

Rydal Hall is very close to St Mary's Church, which adjoins Dora's Field.

The Muse in Museums ii

Armadale

While I was on Skye, I visited the Clan Donald Centre at Armadale, with its Study Centre and award winning Museum of the Isles. The museum incorporates poetry, including the work of six Gaelic poets by the name of MacDonald. The poems are interwoven into the 'tartan fabric' of the display, which covers a spread of several centuries. It is not so much that the poems help us to interpret the significance of individual objects, but rather that they enhance the viewer's overall experience of the museum and the story it sets out to tell.

There is an excellent virtual tour of the museum on the Armadale site. A beautifully produced glossy guide is available. It includes a number of the poems. I particularly like the poetic construction of Clan Donald's Incitement to Battle on the Day of the Battle of Harlaw, 1411 by Lachlainn Mor MacMhurich.