04 Smith.pmd presentación visualdelapoesíaanticipabaobraposteriorFinlay. pastoril, loclásicoylavanguardia, altiempoquelosexperimentosdelarevistacon originalqueFinlay deesteeclecticismosurgiólamezcla nales. Apartir llevóacabodelo ta perolaverdad tantoalasvanguardias esqueestabaabierta comoaotrasformastradicio- poetry, eclecticism. ABSTRACT sía concreta, eclecticismo. PALABRAS esos añossesenta. CreeleyRobert andGael Turnbull, contribuyendoasíalpanoramapoéticointernacionalde También sebasóenlasconexionesestablecidasporotrospoetas-editores comoCidCorman, dogma nacionalistadelmovimiento Renacimiento EscocésqueliderabaHugh MacDiarmid. La revista permitióqueEscociaseabriesealosnuevosavances internacionalesyrechazaseel contexto escocéseinternacionalyanalizandosupapeleneldesarrollodelaobraFinlay. escocés Ian HamiltonFinlay durantelosañossesentadelsiglo Este ensayosecentraenlapequeñarevista RESUMEN KEY anticipatedFinlay’station ofpoetry laterwork. the classicalandavant-garde, whilethemagazine’s experimentswiththevisualpresen- more traditionalforms.OutofthiseclecticismcameFinlay’s uniqueblendofthepastoral, movement,concrete poetry sceneofthe1960s.Oftenassociatedwith contribution totheinternationalpoetry Creeleypoet-publishers asCidCorman,Robert and Gael Turnbull, makinganimportant movement ledbyHugh MacDiarmid. It also builtuponthenetworksestablishedbysuch international developments,rejectingthenationalistdogmaofScottishRenaissance its roleinthedevelopmentofFinlay’s work. The magazineopenedScotlanduptonew Poor.Old.Tired.Horse., Ian examinestheScottishpoet-artist HamiltonFinlay’sThis article 1960slittlemagazine
WORDS IN IANHAMILTON FINLAY’S
CLAVE : Poor.Old.Tired.Horse. : THE PASTORAL AND THE AVANT-GARDE Poor.Old.Tired.Horse. POTH R EVISTA locating itwithinScottishandinternationalcontexts,analysing 55 C seasocióennumerosasocasionesalmovimiento depoesíaconcre- ANARIA University ofStrathclyde inGlasgow THE POET’S BLUEPRINT:THE POET’S POTH
DE ( E POTH was infactopentoanumberofavant-gardes aswell STUDIOS Stewart Smith ( POTH ), Ian HamiltonFinlay, littlemagazine,concrete Poor.Old.Tired.Horse. I NGLESES ), Ian HamiltonFinlay, pequeñarevista,poe- POOR.OLD.TIRED.HORSE , 62;April 2011,pp. 55-70 XX que editó el artista ypoeta queeditóelartista , situándoladentrodesu 09/05/2011, 10:57
THE POET’S BLUEPRINT: THE PASTORAL AND... 55 04 Smith.pmd
STEWART SMITH 56 ers island ofRousay, where heworked as ashepherd, paintedandwrote(Finlay, and Dylan Thomas. The 1950ssawFinlay livinginPerthshire andtheOrkney and Londonwhere hecametoknow thepoetsHugh MacDiarmid, W.S. Graham before joiningthearmy.School ofArt, Afterthe War, Finlay lived betweenGlasgow parents buteducated inScotland.In themid1940s,Finlay spentayearatGlasgow Finlay asapoet. a Scottishandinternationalcontexts,analyseitsroleinthedevelopment of and new ideas”and new (Morgan, adds, have gainedmoreunityandharmonythanitappeared topossessatthe time.”He eclecticism, inretrospect “seems tobelongsomuchthespiritof thesixtiesasto the magazine’s eclecticism( “‘connections between... and thosebetweenpresent andpast.”Finlay himselfhassaidthathewaslookingfor tocountry, thosefrom country particular butalsothosebetween poetandartists, of theworldart” linesofcommunicationopen,in andadesire to“keepcertain in 1968,themagazinerepresented “Finlay’s own unformulatedbutformativeview siderable impactonthemagazine. Poor. Old. Tired. Horse.” (Creeley 156)—andtheAmericanavant-garde in Robert Creeley’s poem“Please”—“This isapoemabouthorsethatgottired/ work. Running over 25issuesfrom1962to1967, 19). Although concrete poetry wasonlyoneelementamongmanyin 19). Althoughconcrete poetry represented”ture istheprimeexampleofpossibilitiesconcrete (Cockburn poetry and AlecFinlay write,“hisabilitytocreatepoem-objects,inscriptionsandsculp- begananinvestigationofmateriality.concrete andvisualpoetry AsKenCockburn classical garden hecreated withhiswifeSue at Stonypath nearEdinburgh. exploration thatculminatedinhislife’s work, LittleSparta, thecelebratedneo- much inspirationfrom thepastoral,and use ofillustrations,typography, calligraphyandthespatialfieldofpage. magazine didexplore, inmore generalterms,thevisuallanguageofpoetry, making and approaches brought togetherin ofthedifferent ideas offersanattractive,ifincomplete,summary constructivism, rooftops. and This marriageofthenaturalandbuiltenvironment,folkart style. In onecontinuous line,Furnival linkshexagonalshapestoformhousesand bottom ofthepage,isanurbanenvironment, rendered inacontrastinggeometric lyric, withtrees andhillsinthebackground.Beneathbird, runningacross the using smooth,roundedlines,Furnival drawsabird totheleftofhandwritten Johntrated by theEnglishartist Furnival (POTH) , xiii-xiv).Rural lifeprovided muchoftheinspirationforhis early writing,in- POTH Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006)wasbornintheBahamas toScottish As theScottishpoetandregular It iswellestablishedamongstcommentatorsthatFinlay’s experimentswith POTH The cover ofissue13Ian HamiltonFinlay’s magazine is graced by a short poem by Mary Ellen poembyMary is gracedby Solt, ashort “Bird,” beautifullyillus- “certainly names succeeded initsaimofopeningScotlandouttonew alsoallowed Finlay tofindacontextinwhichplacehisown 56 Wood Notes apparently Lines Review different categories’” andthisisborneoutin 21). This essaywilllocate POTH 26 42). Yet asMorgan acknowledges, this POTH POTH (POTH . For allhismodernism,Finlay drew can be seen as part ofaprocess canbeseenaspart of contributor EdwinMorgan noted POTH 13 , 1965) 09/05/2011, 10:57 took itsnamefromaline . In warm,brown ink, Poor.Old.Tired.Horse POTH within both POTH,
had acon- Danc- the 04 Smith.pmd (Price). outthere, ascheaplyandefficientlypossible ing, aimingtogetthepoetry press revolution. The magazinerejected traditionalstandards of‘quality’ publish- duplicator in Turnbull’s Californiagarage, Turnbull’s magazine public experiencewhichissurprisingandindeedshocking” (Morgan, ning “to andthe loosenitsholdonlife...theresult... isagapbetweentheliterary Morgan defendedtheyounger writers,accusingtheScottishRenaissance ofbegin- nal Finlay’s fusionoftheScotsvernacular withJapanese tankaformswas.Edwin (MacDiarmid 687).MacDiarmid andhisfollowers failedtoappreciatehow origi- canbewritten”lect itused“isnotthekindofScotsinwhichhighpoetry cluding the short story collection story cluding theshort Glasgow based Black Mountain Review booklet Poetasters” (MacDiarmid, 813). The olderpoetpubliclydenouncedFinlay’s 1961 ing Finlay andsomeofthemore experimentalyoungScottishwritersas“Teddyboy land’s great modernistpoetHugh MacDiarmid hadbecomeareactionary, dismiss- you” (Finlay, write like THIS and THAT, andifyoudon’t youare 1961 lettertoLorineNiedecker, Finlay wrote “all theScotchpoetssay, you MUST establishment.In inEdinburgh, andfeltmarginalised byerty theScottishliterary a radio andstageplays,manyofthepoemsin to publishhispoems.It wasthrough was incorrespondence with Turnbull’s British deputyMichael Shayer whoagreed a staidBritish scenethroughconnectionswiththeinternationalavant-garde. thorn Press in1961.AsKenCockburnnotes: Jessiefrom whichheand hispartner McGuffie couldlaunchtheirown Wild Haw- enhanced theScottishpoets’ reputation abroadandhelpedputFinlay inaposition ers Inherit The Party roster ofwriterswhohadcomethroughthemagazine,includingFinlay’s established, andthepress wouldnow concentrateonproducingpamphletsbythe Turnbull andShayer itspurpose.Anidentityhadbeen feeling thatithadserved network ofcorrespondents. Louis Zukovsky, LorineNiedecker, andmanyothers,soonbuildinganimpressive brothers” (NLS,5July 1961). Through Turnbull, Finlay madecontactwithCreeley, to Turnbull: “Your Americanpoets,Creeley, new Dorn, etc—Ifeel theyare my Objectivists andBlack Mountain poets,andhesoonrecognised akinship, writing Morgan andFinlay hadbecomeawareofeachotherascontributorstoGael POTH ofhisengagementwiththewiderworld.Both part formed acrucial Finlay’s agoraphobia...preventedhimtravelling,sohispublications When Finlay attheendof1950s,hewaslivinginpov- cametopoetry It isunclearhow Finlay firstheard of Migrant Glasgow Beasts anaBurd, Dancers and Wild HawthornPress emergedfromaneedto definean The Poet drew onthelegacyofCidCorman’s (1960) andMorgan’s Migrant 11).Althoughtheyhadoncebeenfriends,by the1960sScot- 57 aswell1950sBritish littlemagazinessuchas WP Turner’s and John Sharkey’s between 1959and1960.Produced onasecond-hand Migrant The Sea OtherStories Bedand arguingthattheworking classGlasgwegiandia- themagazineclosedinSeptember 1960, Migrant Sovpoems The Window, Migrant Migrant The DancersInherit theParty that Finlay becameaware ofthe (1961). These publicationsonly is very much part ofthesmall muchpart isvery washed Origin , butbytheendof1959he and soughttoreinvigorate andweshan’t speakto 09/05/2011, 10:57 and Robert Creeley’s (1958),anumberof Essays The Danc- (1960). 174).
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STEWART SMITH 58 nising qualitythatisdelightful” (Finlay, NLS,12March 1963).Neill’s cartoon whotheposhonesdon’tcartoonist, like,butreally, atoddtimes,canhavearecog- toon to Budinvited thepopularnewspapercartoonist Neill tocontributeapoemandcar- impossible”debased populartasteandthusmakestheworkofserious art (Goldie). David Goldie notes,as“part ofaculturalracket thatpandersunashamedlytoa swinish shepherds” (Calder:Henderson, intro)andsawMusic Hallentertainers,as contrast toMacDiarmid, whodenouncedfolk-songas“the ignorantdrivellings of Music Hall tradition(AlecFinlay, emailtoauthor, 10Jan 2011). This isinmarked shows life,aswell aninterestearly poetry asthepopular infolkformsandrural revival. Finlay wasfriendswiththepoetandfolkloristHamish Henderson, andhis (NLS, 7April 1962). Finlay’sThis reflects, inpart, own interest intheemergentfolk told Turnbull, thatpeoplecanreally justpoets” “Ibelieveatheart, enjoy poetry—not “MacDiarmid’s sneeringcontemptforpeople.”Of hisown ideaofanaudience,Finlay snobs” whofollowed himwere “not thesideofman,andfeeling” andloathed from the their beautyandeconomy, butfeltthattheolderpoethadlosthisway. Still outraged beautiful “naïve andphoneycorny... They allwanttobe‘big,‘huge’, ‘important’—what is he wasopposedtoMacDiarmid andhisfollowers’ “intellectualism,”whichhesawas Finlay andhissecondwifeSue. Pond soondropped outand rather, itextolledhistimelessthemes,theseaanddomesticlife” (Finlay came torepresent [concrete] thenew movement, there line; wasnopoeticparty ilton Finlay had“no interestinexperimentforitsown sake,and,although TRADITION EXPERIMENT” ( POTH tiful withlinocutstoo” (McGuffie, NLSJuly 1961).Afree into sheetinserted be non-provincial, butScotchorAmerican Wherever-from art,lookingallbeau- writing thatalwaysgetspublishedhere inEdinburghthesedays.Iwanttheseriesto the projectto Turnbull asanattemptto“counteract theterribledepressing kindof the magazineneverincludedanyeditorialcomment,McGuffie herselfdescribed “a sheet” called monthlypoetry circuit, Paul Pond (akaPaul Jones ofthepopgroupManfred Mann), were starting 1962, Finlay wroteto Turnbull tosaythatMcGuffie andafriendfromthefolk Press, andherearningsasateacherhelpedsubsidisetheiractivities.In January readily acknowledged McGuffie’s thedaytobusinessof roleinrunning poetry, smallbooks,welldone,withgoodlineocuts” (NLS,22July 1961).Finlay 3 (1962) declared that “The Wild Hawthorn 3(1962)declared that“The Press believesinBEAUTY As aripostetothosewhofoundtheGlasgwegian dialectuncouth,Finlay A Scottish identity was important toFinlay,A Scottishidentitywasimportant but,asheexplainedto Turnbull, In aletterto Turnbull, Finlay explainedthatthe“ideaistopublish this wastheoppositeofclosedandexclusive’ (Finlay, create a“support structure” oflike-mindedpractitioners,though... andaestheticsseparatefromMacDiarmidart andhisinfluence,to POTH doesn’t mattertothematall.”Finlay admired MacDiarmid’s earlylyricsfor Glasgow Beasts 7. Writing to Turnbull, Finlay notedthat Neill wasa“vernacular 58 debacle,Finlay feltthatMacDiarmid andthe“academic POTH Poor.Old.Tired.Horse. POTH waseditedby Finlay andMcGuffie, andlater 3
insert). AsAlecFinlayinsert). writes,Ian Ham- (NLS, 29Jan 1962). While 09/05/2011, 10:57 Dancers xvi). Selections human POTH ). 04 Smith.pmd and hismisshapenverseformsare inimitable: but nonetheless,hehasapoint:MacGonagall’s innocence, poemshaveawonderful Scottish”is very (NLS1May 1962).Finlay isperhapsbeingslightlyfacetioushere, stream ofconsciousnesswriter, theonewhowritesasREALLY thinks.Alsohe asks why[MacGonagall] ispopular, andme,I’d sayit’s becausehereally isthefirst to theDundonian versifier. In aletterto Turnbull, Finlay commented“E.Morgan 276). A1962feature inthe in 1965onthefolk-songrootsofhis“hobblingandbrokenbacked” verse(Henderson and Finlay were fansofMacGonagall, theformerpublishinganilluminatingessay capable ofmoments“sublime banality” (Henderson 274-277).BothHenderson ately describedby HamishHenderson asthe“unchallenged princeofbadverse” infamous Dundonian poet William Topaz McGonagall (1825-1902),affection- high-minded literary sensibilities. high-minded literary flies out onarow boat,“miles awa’/fae them/bloodyflies” (“ (“ While thewifecomplains“AW, TOAMY—THE WEANS ERSEISA’ SAUN’” depicts alazyhusbandloungingonthebeachwhilehiswifeholdsbawlinginfant. Alec putsit,avant-garde that making explicitthepopularandfolkelementsin“oddly homely,” as hisson those usedin accompaniedbyawoodcutillustration,notunlike printed onaseparateinsert, dialect by Veng, “DaLadatDeedOwre Young” (“ Perhaps themostunusualcontribution,however, isanelegiacpoemintheShetland but recognised by EdwinMorgan, amongothers,forthevitality ofhislanguage. were theEdinburghpoetRobert Garioch,whowastreated coollybyMacDiarmid, derivedLallansofMacDiarmid.spoken languagethanthedictionary Amongthem Oh, Tommy—the child’s bottomiscovered insand ”) ( POTH POTH And guarded looksbehindthewindowscreen... With great speculationinthe town, The scraps ofthehandsomemanhemighthavebeen; Last nightinthechurchyard we laidhimdown, An gairded teetsahintthewindow screen... ( Wi mucklespeculation Idatoon, Brucks odaboanniemanhemightabeen; Da streenidakirkyard welaidhimdoon, The poemwaspresentedas“AN AMAZINGFREEGIFT!”andcame And devour thesmallfishesinsilvery Tay. ( Resolved andplay, days tosport forafew That amonsterwhalecametoDundee, ‘Twas inthemonthofDecember, andinthe year1883, Finlay alsopublishedpoetswhousedformsofScotsthatwere closertothe 71963). This coarseGlasgwegian riposteto humourwastheperfect Glasgow Beasts ’s playfulbutpointedanti-elitismalsosawitincludeapoemby the 59 Daily Express POTH or The Sea Bed helped shape(Finlay, about .
Glasgow Beasts With Finlay thesetwoinserts, was POTH ”), thehusbanddreamsofbeing The Lad Who Died Too Young POTH miles away/from those/bloody 3 2) 7 insert) Selections 09/05/2011, 10:57 had comparedFinlay ). ”:
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STEWART SMITH 60 commonality withthemedissuessuchas tic isnotexclusive toScottishpoets,afterall,and terms ofits“Scottishness,”however, and domes- islimiting.Aninterestintherural miles andofwater/ThattiltstotheNorth Pole.” (Finlay, Moment”—”And thelittleherringbarrel./The lightjuststrikesitover/Islands and Tides Fish Slant. Soaked fisherssup/Sad Ellipses fromacup” (Finlay, MacLaren’s poemsare recalled inearlylyrics ofFinlay’s suchas“Scene”—”The rainis preoccupation ofFinlay’s. The traditional form,simplelanguageandclearimagesof features experimentalandtraditionalpoemsthatevoke fishingcommunities,amajor three ofMacLaren’s lyricsin described as“a narrativepoeminterspersedwithlyrics” (Spillane). Finlay published World War. His bestknown collectionwas MacLaren (1901-1987),anavalofficerwhosepoeticcareer endedwiththeSecond odds withthehighmodernismofMacDiarmid. Amongthesewere Hamish was topublishoverlooked Scottishpoetswhosestyleandsubjectmatterwere at tish literature, this wasnotitssoleaim. Mackay Brown andtheHebridean Ian CrichtonSmith. To define interest communities,includingtheOrcadian withislandlifeandrural George contemporary voicessuchasGuntercontemporary Grass andHansArp. Oneofthekeytransla- (Apollinaire,figures fromthefirsthalfofcentury Mayakovsky, Trakl), alongside The numberthispoemappeared in wasentitled“Boatstidesshore fish” and Always, always.( I amsailingbackthere Through thesea-haze: For Iwillreturn And ceasecrying. Laugh, violinshell, The Salmon netsdrying— I remember itwell: Over thetamarinds: Came totugat That thefourwinds Your blueslatehat Were noddingroundyou. The yellow poppies When Ifoundyou, Little seahouse, Another wayinwhich Several Scottishpoetsfeatured in ofthecontemporary POTH ( POTH sampled widelyfrom arangeofmodernEuropean poets,placing 60 15 1964). While POTH POTH 77) POTH , including“LittleSea House” in POTH set aboutdefininganewScottishaesthetic POTH Teapoth undoubtedly helpedreinvigorate Scot- Sailor withBanjo belonged totheworld. ( POTH 09/05/2011, 10:57 POTH 23 Dancers
1967) and POTH Dancers (1929),whichhe highlighted such 212)—or“Island POTH shared Finlay’s POTH 198). Boats Shores purely in 15: 04 Smith.pmd poems: experiment withthevisualpresentation ofpoems,andpoeticformitself. crete informedthemagazine’s approachinanumberof ways,encouragingFinlay to least forbeingthefirstScottishpublicationtofeatureform.Furthermore, con- appearedconcrete elsewhere—its poetry presence wasnonethelesssignificant,not not asdominantafeature of however, wastocomewithitsembracingofconcrete poetry. While concrete was POTH, generation. It alsomapsanidiosyncraticpaththroughmodernistpoetry, locating voices, reclaiming theinternationalismofearlyScottishRenaissance foranew mix shows prominent voices. Niedecker, Robert Creeley, Theodore EnslinandRonald Johnson amongthemany 1960 anthology, washeavilyrepresented too,withJonathan Williams, Lorine medieval Japan. The New AmericanPoetry, asdefinedbyDonald Allen’s seminal avant-gardeextended thescopeofworkintranslation,fromcontemporary to his own work, aswelltranslationsofFinnish andGermanpoetry. Garnier from September 1963,Finlay casefor concretepoetry: setouthisphilosophical not apoemaboutsomethingorother” (Solt). In awidelyquotedlettertoPierre “In theconstellationsomethingisbroughtintoworld.It isareality initselfand Gomrigner’s aesthetic, definitionoftheconcrete poetry (NLS, 29April 1962). This suggeststhatFinlay wasalreadyfamiliarwithEugene don-based Finnish poetwhohadbeenamajorcontributorto Russian poetAndrei well asthecontemporary Voznesensky. AnselmHollo, aLon- Russian Futurists suchasMayakovsky andPankratov toearlyissuesof tors wasMorgan, whoseinterest intheEastern-Bloc sawhimbringtranslationsof moment—to theendofpoemsthatare The following monthhetold Turnbull “IfeelthatIhave come—atleastforthe anditsroster ofemergentpoet-translators, In Spring 1963,Finlay wrote to Turnbull ofhisattemptstowriteconcrete POTH Americans suchasJerome Rothenberg, DaveBall, andCidCormanfurther on top, butfullofhiddenlife.(NLS,12March 1962) things, simpleandgood,ansubtleinaway, i.e.,simple toward itforalongtime...Iwanttodosotheyarejust doesn’t forme,sinceI’ve seemabigdeparture beenfeeling objects, gayorsad,andnomore complexthanpotatoes.It I thinkI’ll callmine‘thingpoems’: Iwantthemtobesimple somewhere theunfashionablenotionof‘Beauty’, whichIfind which isfullofdoubt...Iwouldlike,ifcould,tobringinto this, of anguishandself... It isamodel,oforder, evenifsetinaspace farfromthenow-fashionablepoetry goodness andsanity;itisvery that ‘concrete’ limitations,offersatangibleimageof byitsvery I shouldsay—howeverhard Iwouldfindittojustifythisintheory— POTH ’s mostsignificant engagementwiththeinternationalavant-garde,
’s commitment toopeningScotlandupdifferent international South American and African poetry were alsoincluded. South AmericanandAfricanpoetry This rich 61 POTH assomemaythink—mostofFinlay’s own about , andwanttodopoemsthatjustare”
within theavant-garde continuum. From Line toConstellation: 09/05/2011, 10:57 Migrant, submitted POTH, as
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STEWART SMITH 62 experience’” (Finlay, poems, asopposedhis“fauve” poems,which,AlecFinlay notes,“recreated ‘sensed paintings. Finlay referred tothese“abstract word compositions” ashis“suprematist” and theconcretepoets.His “blackblock” isahomagetoMalevich’s “Black Square” “Homage toMalevich” Finlay drawsexplicitconnectionsbetweentheconstructivists poets andartistsofthe1920s.Inthat paystributetotheRussian constructivist grasps theideaofplay, andjoinsin... The constellationisaninvitation” (Solt). play-area, thefieldorforceandsuggestsitspossibilities.reader, reader, thenew constellation isordered bythepoet.HeGomringer wrote,“The determinesthe form allows thereader tobringtheirown associationsandinterpretations. AsEugene concrete poemisdesignedasanobjectforcontemplation,andthe opennessofthe sans seriffontsalsogivethepoemsaclassicalcoolnessanduniformityofshape. The concrete poemsare printedintheoriginalsansseriffont.Asymbolofmodernity, While therest ofthemagazineisprintedinatraditionalseriftypeface,three “sal/sol,” Pedro Xisto’s “aguas/glaucas” andAugusto deCampos’s “pluvial-fluvial.” back pagefeaturingthree poemsbytheBrazilian Noigandres school:Marcelo Moura’s hears—tell—eternity—displays—no such—hear’—( presents ashapedcollectionofwords forourcontemplation:‘Say—today—no one— there isnoclearrelation ofform tocontent.AsinaGomringer constellation,Solt concrete book, colour toproducedifferent effects. The twoapproachesare featured inFinlay’s first as wellthemimeticformofApollinaire’s Solt’s poem,whichisshapedlikeaflower, resembles earlierforms ofpatternpoetry, in Concrete” Rose,” poems,“White subtitled here asahomagetoGonchorova. by theRussian Tatlin by Jonathan Williams, Ellen andoneofMary Solt’s “Flowers concrete poetry. The sameissuealsofeatures a“concrete metamorphosis” ofapoem that associatedwiththenaturalworld—isdeeplyfeltinFinlay’s work. word andthing” (Howe 5-6).For allhisemphasisonorder, beauty—particularly mantic andevenreligious” tohiswork,citingpreoccupation withthesea,“both neo-classicism. Yet asSusan Howe argues,Finlay brings“sensibilities thatare ro- (Solt). The emphasisonorder andmoralgoodness,meanwhile,reflects Finlay’s essenceofpoetry”the bestsense—concentrationandsimplification—isvery the beginningFinlay understood the[concrete] movement hadmanyaspectsand poemsofDom Sylvesterthe typerwriter Houedard. AsAlec Finlay writes,“from which taketheformindifferent directions, fromtheabstractionsofRobert Lax,to examples oftheformbyGomringer andAugusto deCampos,alongsidenewpoems POTH Finlay publishedoneofhisfirstconcretepoemsin Finlay hadalsomadecontactwithAmericanpoetsengagingvisualand Concrete poetry madeitsScottishdebutin Concrete poetry This interest inorder bringsGomringertomindonceagain:“restriction in answer“Because itisbeautiful.”(Finlay, Icouldtruthfully poetry?” doyoulikeconcrete this inthesimplestway—thatifIwasasked,“Why compelling andimmediate,however theoreticallyinadequate.Imean Rapel 10 62
(October 1963), , from Autumn 1963. Selections ). The latteraremore epigrammicinformanduse
the firstconcrete number, presents historical Calligrammes POTH POTH 09/05/2011, 10:57 POTH . However, inSolt’s poem 84). 6
8 (March 1963) ( 1963) Model , 22-23) a number , its 04 Smith.pmd tempts tochallengereceived Ellen modesoflinguisticcommunication.Mary Solt’s Like anygoodpuzzle,“Semi-Idiotic Poem” isasdelightfulitfrustrating. the cloudpassing,beingcancelled,allowing theflowers togrow inthesunlight? squares filledincrossesandsquares? orthepartially Awindmillagainstacloud?Or scene, asdoesthelaterappearanceofaflower, butwhatare we tomakeoftheblack any, ofthepoem. The sequenceofwindmill,cloudandumbrella suggestsapastoral combinations andsequences,inthegriditisuptoreader tomakesense,if chor andumbrella,”a“funnel andcloud.” These are arranged,indifferent presents objectswhich,whenreduced toastylisedbasicform,lookalike:an“an- an ingeniousinversionofthehomophonicplayhisconcrete poems,Finlay also “buttonhole andflower” andax-shapedcrossrepresents “windmill andcancel.”In related formsandnewdevelopments. His contributionto possibilities” (Finlay, Else, 1967). arranged ( by John Furnival, takestheformofa5×gridonwhichvarioussymbolsare game, orapuzzle,whichthereader attemptstosolve. “Semi-idiotic poem,”drawn take Gomringer’s conceptionofthepoemas“play-area” toitslogicalconclusion:a these symbolsstandfor. Finlay’s own experimentswiththesemioticorcodepoem poems, where words are exchanged forsymbols,withalexicalkeyrevealing what concrete andvisualpoems,alongsidewhattheNoigrandres group calledsemiotic a highly sophisticated play on linguistic and visual signs in poetry andart. a highlysophisticatedplayonlinguisticandvisualsignsinpoetry arrangementofwordsfirst appearstobeaninscrutable anddashesisrevealedtobe poem becomesacubistlandscape,itsfeatures seenfrommultipleangles. What at onthefifthline,with“green sky” toitsrightonthelinebelow.roof” Asaresult, the first lineandsoon.However, heconfusesmattersby, forexample,placing“red sent apicturesquelandscape.Indeed, Finlay doesjustthat,placing“red sky” onthe expect toseethe“sky” and“field” atthetop, below, withthe“roof” soastorepre- In amimeticconcreteothers madeoftwopairsspacedwellapart. poem,we might in thatittakestheformofsevenlines,somemadeupasinglepairwords, semiotic level. This extendstothepoem’s form.It resembles someobjectivistpoems possible. The reader istherefore invitedtocontemplatethepoemonavisualand like Finlay’s beloved fauvists,thenallmannerofcolour-objectassociationsbecome ofverdigris. Andifwe think imagine a“bluefield” offlowers, orevena“green roof” are thesealternative pairings?A“red sky” isfamiliarenough,anditpossibleto like dashthroughthem,whilethe“correct” pairsare leftintact. Yet how incorrect andsoon( “green roof” “red roof,” “green field”—are systematicallyrearranged sowe have“bluefield,” one level,aplayoncolour-objectassociations. The “correct” pairings—”bluesky,” Other poemsinthisissuegofurtherthanthesemiotic poemsintheirat- 1 POTH Reprinted inEmmett Williams, POTH 13 13,
(1965)
Selections 63 insert). POTH
is subtitled“Visual—Semiotic—Concrete” andincludes 1 The lexicalkeyrevealsthatawhitecircle represents ) and 14
2). The mismatchedcolourshavealong,spear- An Anthology ofConcreteAn Poetry Anthology POTH features someofhisexperimentswith POTH 09/05/2011, 10:57 (New York: Something 14
(1965) is,on
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STEWART SMITH 64 Photographs ofsometheseappearin sented poemsonsandblastedglass,stoneandmetal,whichwere placedoutdoors. particular way.particular AsheexplainedinalettertohisfriendKenelmCox: effect. The titleofthepoemcould beofanylength,buttheywere tobesetoutina may seemmoreverbalthanvisual,theirshapeandlayoutcontributetooverall influence ofconcrete, shouldnotbeunderestimated however. While one-word poems Finlay invention,azen-likedistillationofthemonostich,oronelinepoem. The later inscribeonstone,woodandmetal. This sub-genre poemwasa oftheshort forthekindofepigrammicone-wordstepped concrete poemsFinlay poetry would Clyne, 1966, (letter toHenry garden, andthechurch,sideofblockflats,are theplacesforpoems” the possibilities.Far from beinganend...itisreally onlyabeginning...Ithinkthe this isquitenew, andIthinkno-one—noteventhepoets—hasquiteunderstood however, withtheoutdoorworks heproduced with anumberofcollaborators.“All and fold-outstandingpoems.He wouldtakethesepoem-objectsastepfurther, jects for Wild Hawthorn Press, frompostcard andposterpoems,tokineticbooks grasp, andaninvitation,ablankcanvasonwhichwecanimposeourown meaning. black blocktherefore actsasbothabarrier, renderinganylinguisticelementsoutof by suggestingtheexistenceofa“poem” beneaththemonolithicblackblock. The the blackness.( revealing thetailsof typewrittenletterswhichbecomeblurred astheymove towards oran“m.” Ineasily bean“f” theotherabeamofwhitecutsintosquare, sides. It isjustaboutpossibletomakeoutan“i” andan“n,” butthesecouldjustas obliterated byMalevichian blacksquares. In one,typewrittenletterspeakoutthe In twountitledworks bytheAustrian Heinz Gappmayranylinguisticsignsare aim ofgiving“poetry anorganicfunctioninsociety” wasbeingfulfilled(Solt). away fromconcrete towards paths.Gomringer’s poemobjects,itdoessuggestnew stract poemsindensetypescript. While thisissue,ineffect,marks Finlay’s move graphical columnsofHansbjorg Mayer, foreboding perspextubesprintedwithab- installations,includingMorgan’sother concrete poetry poster-poemsandthetypo- Solt’s abstractioninvitesthereader toexplorethespaceofpage projecting thesonnetintofuture, envisioninganewkindofvisuallanguage. suggested by thetitleandpoem’s rectangularshape:arocket.Orperhapssheis a traditionalformforitsvisualqualities,whilesubjectbecomesthatwhichis ranged into“stanzas” ( “Moon Shot Sonnet” features noletters,andkey, onlyinverted T shapesar- In parallelto It issignificantthen,that thefinalissueof That istheparadox.(Finlay, astobeopen(opening)inalldirections.must besoconstructed a corner;thecornerisformofthispoem.Only, thesecorners and theword asbeing2straight lines,whichcometogetherforming poemshaveform,andinthiscaseoneshouldseethetitle All (true) the one-word poemshould becomposedofatitleplusoneword. POTH 64 POTH, 13, POTH
insert) Both subvert concrete’s Bothsubvert insert) “invitation” tothereader 13, Finlay producedanumberofinnovative poem-ob- Selections
insert). Onewayofreadinginsert). thisisthatitreclaims Model 39) ). Atthe1967Brighton Festival hepre- POTH 24 POTH
(1967) 09/05/2011, 10:57 ( POTH
alongside someofthe and 25, 1967),side- outer space. 04 Smith.pmd Their form,aswe seebelow, muchamodeloforder: isvery with concrete-style word playto create different levelsofmeaning: amused him: witty” (Finlay, the final played suchapivotal roleinFinlay’s development,isalso among thecontributorsto Mackay Brown andDouglas Young. It seemsappropriatethatGael Turnbull, who mitted, aswellpoetsknown formore traditional formssuchastheScotsGeorge Saroyan amongthecontributors.Concrete poets,fromBritain toBrazil, alsosub- request, with Ronald Johnson, Jerome Rothenberg, Jonathan Williams andAram come asnosurprise,then,thatAmericanpoetsresponded enthusiasticallytoFinlay’s deed, thePoundian epigram,or William Carlos Williams poem.It short should of severalpoetsheinvitedtocontributetheone-word blueprint...” (Finlay, blue, waterisblueprint(onwhitestones),clearandhaslinesonit,likea who understandswatermaycalculatetheappearanceofboat;further, wateris explained himself, “the shapeoftheboatisdeterminedby thenature ofwater, orhe memorable andresonant. achievessuchanaim.AsFinlayThis examplecertainly poems are aninvitation. The testofthesepoemswas,forFinlay, whethertheywere achieves theopennessFinlay talksof. Likehisconcrete poems,Finlay’s one-word horn, whilethebeamcouldrepresent moonlight. the previous poeminthesequence.Acrescentmooncouldbeseentoresemblea “Mist-Tree” or“mystery.” The hazelispartofthebirchfamily, likethehornbeamof closetotheclassicalLatinepitaphorepigram”is very (Finlay, “haiku-brevity, withoutreading likeapseudo-Japanese poem.Orinanotherway, it haze-l ( M Horn-beam M The formlendsitselftothepastoral,andRonald Johnson combinesthis Homage toZukovsky Placed inthecentre ofthepage,surroundedby negativespace,theform The Boat’s Blueprint “Mist” connectsto“haze,”ofcourse,andtheobscured tree alsobecomesa POTH oon-tr ist-T The ( Water r POTH ee Model ee .
Finlay waslessinterestedinone-word poemsthatwere “merely POTH ( POTH Model 41),butEdwin Morgan’s playfulobjectivisttributeclearly 25 2) 65 25 25, 19678) 40)AsFinlay commentedinalettertoErnstJandl, one
3) 09/05/2011, 10:57 POTH Model ,
the formhas 41).Or, in-
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STEWART SMITH 66 out, withatypesetmastheadandminimaluseofillustrations orcolour. The maga- avant-garde oroppositionalstance.Until issue15, Furthermore, POTH no editorialcomment,Finlay andMcGuffie usedthepublicrealm toreinforce and deplorable.”(Morgan paper mischievouslyquotedHugh MacDiarmid’s appraisalof mainstream press, albeitprovocatively; a1963advertisement garde publishers,Finlay andMcGuffie were happytopromote theirworksinthe available inBritain’s more progressivebookshopsandgalleries.Unlike someavant- internationally withthehelpofFinlay’s manypublisher-poetfriends.It wasalso magazine wasavailabledirectlyfrom Wild Hawthorn Press, andwasdistributed 9d (4p),regardless ofthesizeorformateachissue.(Morgan, refer tothemagazine’s externalrelations too. most relevent brieflydiscussingthecodesthat tothisdiscussion,butitisworth published” (Brooker and Thacker 6). Those periodicalcodesrelating todesignare ment practicestowards contributors,editorialarrangements,orthetypeofmaterial pay- and binding,networksofdistributionsales,modesfinancialsupport, lication, useofillustrations,“use qualityofpaper andplacementofadvertisements, features, includingpagelayout,typefaces,price,sizeofvolume,periodicitypub- magazine” (Brooker and Thacker 6).Periodical codesencompassawiderangeof more subset,the precise “bydiscussingaparticular the unifiedformofartists’ book. but theydorepresent amove awayfromthemiscellanyofmagazine,towards form anddesignthatFinlay’s innovative kineticandsequentialpoem-booksdid, sign. These numbersmightnothaveachievedthetotalintegrationofmeaning, perhaps wecanalsoreducetheselatereditionsof Selections the epitome” ofthemagazine,asAlecFinlay writes,“each aunifieddesign” (Finlay presentation of poetry inanumberofways,andthelaterissues presentation ofpoetry text isnotexclusively linguistic,”(McGann, “All texts,likeallotherthingshuman,are embodiedphenomena, andthebodyof (McGann,bibliographical codesisnecessary and theprocesses oftextualproduction,” asMcGann putsit,adiscussionof gues (McGann 12).In order togaina“more oftexts globalandmore uniformview two signifyingsystems“work togethertogeneratetheoverall meaningofatext” ar- mantic elementsofdesign,typeface,bindingandsoon(LathamScholes). These ‘linguistic codes’ fromwhatJerome McGann callstheir‘bibliographiccode’” these- thologies. Asaresult, archivistshavefreelydisaggregated periodicals,separatingtheir “essentially an- autonomousworks,similartoliterary asaggregationsofotherwise ’s establishment. oppositional stancetowards theScottishliterary Unlike Throughout itsentire run, Peter Brooker andAndrew Thacker makeMcGann’s bibliographic codes As we have seen, concrete poetry influencedFinlay’sAs we haveseen,concrete poetry approachtothevisual Sean LathamandRobert Scholesare criticalofthetendencytoseemagazines ). Just asconcretepoemscanbereduced totheformulacontent=form,
there wasnothinginthedesignofearlier Migrant, POTH 66 Wood didadhere tobasicstandards ofqualitypublishing.
Notes POTH 20) So whilethemagazineitselfcontained sold for“astonishingly unelitist” priceof Textual Condition Textual Condition POTH POTH periodical codes 09/05/2011, 10:57 tocontent=formde- used thesamebasiclay- POTH: “ 12). AsMcGann writes,
in POTH 12). Wood Notes The Scotsman POTH s tosuggestan atplayinany utterly viscious “became 21) The POTH news- ’s 04 Smith.pmd issues of designs ofthelaternumbers. The sheervarietyofdesignapproachesinthelater of fishingtrawlers,arrangingthemsoastocreateasense ofthechangingenviron- design stylesandillustrations(Finlay photo-offset printingtechnologythatFinlay couldfinallyexperimentwithmodern typefaces andtemplatestheprinterscouldoffer. It wasonlywiththeadventof aesthetic. Staples costmoneyandtime,thedesignchoiceswere limitedtothe some issuescamewithlooseinserts. The reasons for thisare practical,ratherthan zine was,untiltheconcrete number, ‘LH20’ and‘OB326’.( rounded bySandeman’s drawingsofboatsignsbearingregistration codessuchas response tothecontentorthemeofanissue. thenormalrelationship whereby inverting anyillustrationswouldbea her artwork, blank cards toRileyfirst(Howe 6),meaningthatReinhardt’s textisaresponse to text wrappedaroundherlarge,stylisedzeros. Susan Howe notesthatFinlay sentthe Bridgeting opticalartist Riley, andeachpageshows hisbeautifullyhandwritten homelyfantasyandcharm.” unportentous commitment,youwere presented witha‘teapoth’stract literary numberrichin ofAdart!) Reinhardt orCharlesBiederman impliedanequallyunyieldingorab- (noteventhe numbersdevotedtothearttheory decided thatheavilyportentous such amarkedsenseofanticipationfromnumbertonumber... assoonyou tents. Its successor, on theverso. With bothnumbers,it isclearthatthedesigncomplementscon- in austereneuestypographieontherecto, withstark blackandwhitephotographs domestic pleasuresof“spoons, chests,things” shirts, ( shapedpoembyRonald Johnsongarde, thecover incelebrationofthe boastsa‘T’ used islessstark, setinawarmred ink.Bringing togetherthehomelyandavant- notes, altogethermorecheerful,andwhileitusesmoderntypography, thetypeface issues, suchas Edwin Morgan, “Boatsand Tides”—”row thesea/row iteasy/Rothesay” registration codes,motifshewouldusethroughouthiscareer.port poemby Ashort in folkthemesandavant-garde forms,beingfoundpoemsbasedonboatnamesand Sandeman’s pastoralandseascenes.Finlay’s own contributionscombinehisinterest traditional versefrom HamishMacLaren andMackay Brown accompaniedby ful line-drawingsandhandwriting.In somerespectsitis but thesegainasenseofunitythroughtheshared seatheme,andSandeman’s grace- tion betweenFinlay andPeter Lyle. The formerfeatures workbyanumberofpoets, Margoartist Sandeman, and The Reinhardt number( 2 The homelyandpastoralwere more explicitlyrealised inhand-illustrated Rothesay isapopularScottishseaside resort ontheIsle ofBute intheFirth ofClyde. POTH POTH is dazzling.AsEdwinMorgan writes,“few magazinesencouraged Teapoth 67 15 “Boatsshores tidesfish” (1965),drawnby theScottish POTH ( POTH POTH 15 4)‘Green Waters’ findsthelyricisminnames POTH 23),designedbyJohn Furnival, is,asMorgan 20 “The 20 “The Tug, The Barge” (1966),acollabora- POTH Selections 181966)isacollaborationwiththelead- 10, asinglefoldedA4sheet,although POTH ), resultinginthemore ambitious 22 POTH s ets Biederman’s “art credo” POTH 09/05/2011, 10:57 23,1967). ’s ‘folk’ issue,with 2 —is sur-
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STEWART SMITH 68 new, heterogenousvisionofScottish culture. rejected. Folk-art, popularcultureandtheavant-garde cometogethertocreate a Finlay attemptingtoengagewiththe aspectsofScottishnessthatMacDiarmid had scene wasnottiedintoanationalistpoliticalagenda. Earlyissuesof international developments.But Finlay’s aimof reinvigorating theScottishcultural MacDiarmid, Finlay made agreat tobringScotlandupdate withthelatest effort Scottish Renaissance’s modernistandinternationalistvalues. Liketheyounger ment inculturalhistory. less images. down lyricism: possess achild-likeprimitivism. This simplicityneatlycomplementsFinlay’s pared- Lyle’stailed folk-art, blackmarker-pendrawings,setagainstawhitebackground, Finlay poemillustratedbyLyle ( radical asitspredecessors. The cover designisinlandscapeformat,andfeatures a The Barge,” asitstitlesuggests,wasaltogethermore homely, yet itisarguablyas John Furnival collaborationdeployed cuttingedgetypographicaldesign,“The Tug, Riley/Reinhardt numberwasresolutely avant-garde, and fied work createdbyone writerandoneillustrator/designer. But while feeling wouldbequiteincorrect: another.line, andconcrete poetry But tosuggestthemagazineoritscontentslacked wasfavoured, withtheObjectivist/Blacksionist poetry Mountain representing one POTH direction ordiscrimination. trendswhich There were anumberofcontemporary aesthetic ormovement. Yet itseclecticismshouldnotbeconfusedwithalackof ( ment: ‘ConstantStar/Daystar/Starwood/Starlit Waters/Moonlit Waters/Drift’ ever, withasimplicityandopennessthatreflects Finlay’s bestconcrete poems. the collaborativeexplorationofasingleidea.It isconsiderablymore charming,how- similartoitsapparently moreis very sophisticatedpredecessors inthatitfocuseson different,limited setofimages.Althoughthestyleexecution thisnumber isvery faux-naivescrawls,asFinlaypoem, andfurther andLyle workthroughadeliberately the bottomleftcornerofpage. The following pages feature variations onthis water isrepresented strokes anddashes.Ayellow by curved blobofasunrisesfrom for thecabinandfunnel.Eachcloudisasinglejoined-uppen-stroke, whilethe POTH chosenottocover, notablytheBeatsorEnglish pop-poets.Non-expres- In aScottishcontext, POTH As wehaveseen, The boat’s hullisaroughtear-drop shape,toppedwithasquare andatube the barge The tug 15 5).Sandeman illustratesthesepoemswithboats,moonsandstars. POTH 20, “The 20,“The Tug The Barge,” was,likethetwoprevious issues,auni- 68 the wind the water is testamenttoitscreator’s interests, butitalsocaptures amo- POTH the cloud the sky POTH POTH isnotamagazinethatcanbetiedtoanyone POTH canbeseenasareclamation ofthe1920s resonates withluminousdetailsandtime- 20
1). In comparisontoSandeman’s de- POTH 09/05/2011, 10:57 19’s Ronald Johnson/ POTH POTH 18’s see 04 Smith.pmd both amanifestoandlaboratory. Or, asaone-word poemmighthave it: F —— Emailtoauthor10January 2011. B form oflyricism.In itsown playful,discursive manner, forms becameavehicleforinnovation, leadFinlay whileconcrete poetry toanew blend ofthepastoral,classicalandavant-garde. andfolk Rural imagery experimented withthevisualpresentation ofpoetry, anddevelopedhisparticular roleinhisdevelopmentasapoetandartist,heabsorbednewforms, crucial was forgedbylittlemagazinesandsmallpresses inthe1960s. garde” ( press revolution variant “hadamore oftheavant- lastingimpactthananyparticular schools,but,asAlecFinlayparticular writesthe“generous principles” ofthesmall forms”rapidly absorbnew ( tion, which,asAlecFinlay writes,“allowed Finlay tobeintouchwithnew ideasand G G —— —— LetterstoGael Turnbull 1960-64. F C C C INLAY INLAY ROOKER REELEY OCKBURN ALDER OMRINGER OLDIE A Model ofOrder: Selected LettersonPoetry andMaking , Ian Hamilton. , Alec.“Picking theLast Wild Flower.” , David. “Hugh MacDiarmid, LauderandScottishPopular Harry Culture.” , Angus.“Introduction.” , Robert. , Robert. , Peter, andT Selections Forthcoming. Print. This impactcanalsobemeasured inFinlay’s own work. The post-waravant-garde wasenabledbythesmallpress publishingrevolu- The Poet’s Blueprint gomringer01.html>. Solt. Bloomington: UofIndiana P, 1968.4Feb. 2011.
HACKER Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009.Print. INLAY 69 , Alec. , Andrew. Alias MacAlias: Wrtings ofSongs,Folk andLiterature Selections The Order of Things WORKS CITED 1 (2006).4Feb. 2011. Concrete Poetry: A World View Berkeley: UofCaliforniaP, 1982. . . Ed. AlecFinlay. Berkeley:UofCaliforniaP. Edinburgh: Pocketbooks. 2001.Print. . Ed. Thomas A.Clark. Glasgow: WAX366, . National ofScotland.Acc. Library Poor.Old.Tired.Horse. 09/05/2011, 10:57 . POTH Ed. KenCockburn. . . Ed. AlecFinlay. Ed. Mary Ellen Ed. Mary International playeda was THE POET’S BLUEPRINT: THE PASTORAL AND... 69 04 Smith.pmd STEWART SMITH 70 —— “Poor.Old.Tired.Horse.” Poor.Old.Tired.Horse P Poor.Old.Tired.Horse Poor.Old.Tired.Horse S —— “EarlyFinlay.” H M H M L M PILLANE RICE ATHAM ENDERSON OWE ORGAN C AC G D , Richard. “Migrant theMagnificent.” ANN , Susan. EndofArt.” “The IARMID , Sean, andS , LucillaMacLaren. “Hamish MacLaren, ScottishPoet.” , Edwin. “The BeatnikintheKailyard.”, Edwin.“The , Jerome J. Finlay. Polygon, Edinburgh: 1995.16-25.Print. Wild Hawthorn,1964-1967.Print. thorn, 1962-1964.Print. Print. /www.pnreview.co.uk/cgi-bin/scribe?item_id=2948>. Ed. AlecFinlay. Edinburgh: Polygon, 1992.274-294. September 2010.4Feb. 2011 Ed. AlanBold.London:Hamish Hamilton. 14.4(1974):2-7. Scottish Poetry Library: Poets A-Z 09/05/2011, 10:57 PMLA 121(March 2006): 4 Feb. 2011. Ed. Alec . .