The fallow fells of la Boiselle,
Befouled by blood and bomb
And sunken shafts are paths to Hell,
The Styx that was the Somme,
Tranquility, un canal morte,
Embankments limned with life cut short,
Tranquility,
Tranquility,
I see old Scotland in my thoughts,
The hoar of war obscures the scar
That rips the battle-lines,
The blasted bones of Lochnagar,
A bowl of burning mines,
Tranquility, un nom tragique
And if she could the Somme would speak,
Tranquility,
Tranquility,
Serene as scenes from Glen Coe peak
Hear Ovillers, just over there,
A fringe of fire and smoke
And chlorine cloys the noxious air
So those that live may choke,
Tranquility, chantez pour nous,
So we may see this souffrance through,
Tranquility,
Tranquility,
The Lord will send me home to you.
-
Author:
James Khan (
Offline) - Published: February 4th, 2018 17:19
- Comment from author about the poem: The first day on the Somme is remembered with solemn dignity, a military push that resulted in over fifty thousand British casualties alone and gained little in the way of advantage. Spread across the Albert-Bappaume Road in the Picardy region of France, the two villages of Ovillers and La Boiselle were of strategic importance to the Allies and preceding the advancement on July 1st 1916, two vast mining systems were blown, one of which (lochnagar) remains as a testament to the horrific loss of life during the four-month Somme siege in which over a million soldiers were wounded and at least half of them killed. The old Celtic translation of 'somme' is 'tranquility' and this poem is dedicated to the Scottish regiments whom, amongst other valiant companies gave their lives on that doomed first day. The Trijan Refrain, created by Jan Turner, consists of three 9-line stanzas, for a total of 27 lines. Line 1 is the same in all three stanzas, although a variation of the form is not to repeat the same line at the beginning of each stanza. In other words, the beginning line of each stanza can be different. The first four syllables of line 5 in each stanza are repeated as the double-refrain for lines 7 and 8. The Trijan Refrain is a rhyming poem with a set meter and rhyme scheme as follows: Rhyme scheme: a/b/a/b/c/c/d,d refrain of first 4 words of line five /c
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