Poetry Notes
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. Poetry Notes Autumn 2012 Volume 3, Issue 1 ISSN 1179-7681 Quarterly Newsletter of PANZA Jessie Pope (1868-1941), born in Inside this Issue Welcome Leicester, a ‘versatile London writer’, was a prolific female humorist, Hello and welcome to the ninth issue of journalist and children’s author with Welcome Poetry Notes, the newsletter of PANZA, masculine interests: ‘She is a very much 1 the newly formed Poetry Archive of outdoor young lady. She rides, swims, Mark Pirie on Jessie New Zealand Aotearoa. walks…and beagles’ (Colonist article, Pope’s ANZAC poems Poetry Notes will be published quarterly 1914). She wrote ‘simple rhymes to suit and will include information about the times’ covering popular subjects, goings on at the Archive, articles on including men’s sports such as rugby Michael O’Leary on Esma historical New Zealand poets of interest, football. 4 North and Marjory Lydia occasional poems by invited poets and a She published her poems and stories Nicholls record of recently received donations to widely in Punch, The Daily Mail, The the Archive. Evening Standard, The Westminster Classic New Zealand The newsletter will be available for free Gazette, Nash’s Magazine, Vanity Fair, poetry by M A J Wall download from the Poetry Archive’s The Novel Magazine, Pall Mall Gazette, 6 website: The Daily Express, The New Magazine, Noted poet K O Arvidson The Windsor Magazine etc. and in dies http://poetryarchivenz.wordpress.com Christmas annuals and First World War 7 publications. She was one of the Comment on Kevin foremost Edwardian humorists and Lawson Mark Pirie on Jessie children’s writers in Britain pre-World War I. Pope’s ANZAC Her reputation extended to New Obituary: Cyril Childs Zealand. After her first New Zealand poems mention in the Colonist, 23 September 8 1903, she received mentions regularly Donate to PANZA through in New Zealand newspaper reviews and 9 PayPal advertisements of overseas publications for more than a decade. Along with her mentions in the Colonist, prominent Recently received Wellington writer/journalist A F T donations Chorlton’s Bookman column in The Evening Post noted her work. About the Poetry Archive During these years (1903-23), she was a Wellington poet/publisher Mark Pirie very popular Edwardian and Georgian discusses the English War Poet Jessie comic writer with New Zealanders Pope and her ANZAC poems recently (notably read by The Spike group of discovered in Papers Past, the National writers at Victoria College) and her PANZA Library of New Zealand’s digital verse and stories were widely published PO Box 6637 heritage collection. in New Zealand newspapers, including Marion Square The Evening Post, The New Zealand Wellington 6141 Free Lance, the Feilding Star and . Autumn 2012 Poverty Bay Herald. Our Edwardian academic and biographer Harry Ricketts Pope’s ‘pro-war poems’ like ‘Who’s for Suffragettes and Georgian women mentions her in Strange Meetings: The the Game?’ and ‘The Call’ are now writers would’ve read her, from Jessie Poets of the Great War (2010): ‘“Dulce often presented as counterpoints to the Mackay to Robin Hyde. et Decorum Est” was originally War Poets (Sassoon, Owen, etc) perhaps During World War I, Pope became the dedicated to the popular children’s detracting from her pre-World War I ‘war girl’ in verse and used for writer and author of patriotic verses, reputation. A new e-book biography recruitment purposes. However, she is Jessie Pope’. Ricketts then notes the (available on the internet) by W one of the few English war poets to intended irony in the dedication. A good Lawrance ‘demonstrates that this [pro- recognise ANZAC feats of bravery and article covering Pope and Owen’s war propagandist] reputation is not their ‘imperishable renown’ in poems ‘friendship’ and Owen’s drafts of entirely deserved’. Lawrance also such as ‘An Anzac Poem’, ‘Anzac’, and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ is by W G includes Pope and her poems ‘Socks’, ‘Cobbers’. Kiwi soldiers enclosed some Bebbington in Ariel: A Review of ‘The Call’, ‘War Girls’, and ‘Who’s for of her poems in letters sent home in International English Literature, 3/4 the Game?’ in Great War Literature New Zealand soldiers’ parcels. Family (1972), 82–93. Study Guide on Female Poets of the members then sent the poems in to local I have not found further mentions of First World War (2005).There are now newspapers that republished them. She Pope in either the Oxford History of a number of internet articles, anthology achieved a reputation with her war verse New Zealand Literature in English (2nd inclusions, videos and listings available comparable to Tennyson’s ‘Charge of ed. 1998) or the Oxford Companion to for Pope. An entry for her by J. Dowson the Light Brigade’ in some parts of New New Zealand Literature (1998). There appears in The Encyclopedia of British Zealand. may be references to her in New Women’s Writing, 1900–1950, ed. F. Zealand soldiers’ accounts and Hammill, E. Miskimmin, and A. publications of the First World War that Sponenberg (2006). I have not looked into in detail. The There is an online entry on her by Jane Hocken Library in Dunedin has a Potter at the Oxford Dictionary of number of these war and soldier National Biography. publications and archival papers. I http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/dnb/ suspect New Zealanders’ views (and the 98109.html and at Wikipedia soldiers’ views) of Pope would’ve http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie_ changed over the years particularly in Pope She also appears in an interview light of the events at Gallipoli, although on YouTube along with filmed war she does retain a certain social segments or recitations for her poems Jessie Pope’s War Poems (London: Grant significance to New Zealand and predominantly for school groups. Pope Richards Ltd, 1915) Australia for her ANZAC poems. is included on the War Poetry site A search of the Australian Trove http://warpoetry.co.uk and in war books Pope’s ‘An Anzac Poem’ was recited by archive turns up well over 100 search and anthologies. Two of her war poems Shayle Gardiner, Director of results for Pope’s name, including appear in David Robert’s Minds at War Entertainments for NZEF, at the Albert numerous republications of her poems, (1996), one in Roberts’ Out in the Dark Hall ANZAC Concert, London, 6 May especially Pope’s ‘Anzac’ poem. One (1998) and one in the collection The 1920. newspaper [Northern Territory Times Return of the Soldier (2010) edited by Jessie Pope’s war poetry and reputation and Gazette, Darwin, 25 November West/Schweizer/Thorne. She also fell into obscurity after World War One 1915] prefaced it: ‘The following appears in Fiona Waters’ collection of when she became despised by returning [Anzac] poem recently appeared in an illustrated First World War poetry, A English soldiers and condemned for her English paper. Its reference to the Corner of a Foreign Field (2007). pro-war verses considered to be Australian soldiers at the Dardanelles Lindesay Irvine’s 2008 Guardian blog propaganda; however, her poetry and must be most gratifying to those whose article discusses Pope’s loss of role as a woman writer during the time relatives took part in that historic reputation and considers her ‘harder to of the Suffragettes is currently landing.’ Her war poems are included in despise than one might expect’. George undergoing reappraisal. There is also the Australian War Memorial indicating Simmer’s writes a blog article in similar reappraisal of her war reputation in her ongoing significance to Australian vein in ‘Poor Jessie Pope’ comparison with the First World War ANZAC memories. Her popularity in http://greatwarfiction.wordpress.com/20 male poets. Australia would’ve been comparable to 09/07/07/poor-old-jessie-pope/ War Wilfred Owen ironically directed his her status in New Zealand during the writer Tim Kendall responds to early draft of the poem ‘Dulce et First World War. Her war poems are not Simmer’s blog discussing Pope’s verse Decorum Est’ at Pope, then removed in New Zealand libraries, however, and quoting from Pope’s ‘War Girls’ at her name, addressed it ‘To a Certain which now show only holdings at the http://war- Poetess’ and finally referenced her in National Library of New Zealand for a poets.blogspot.co.nz/2010/11/jessie- the poem as a ‘friend’. In relation to selection of her children’s books. pope-war-girls.html By contrast Roger Owen’s poem, New Zealand poet, McGough includes her as a children’s 2 . Poetry Archive poet in a book of poems inspired by the Though you poured out the best of Scene: Midday, Victoria street, fives senses, Sensational! (2005). your blood. An Anzac (in blue) on each side— WorldCat lists 83 publications by Pope, A coo-ee, wild, ringing, and sweet— mostly juvenile works of literature, You left your snug homesteads “down The taxicabs swerve and divide. archival material and reprints of adult under”; For traffic they don’t care a toss, books such as London Characters The prosperous life of your land, There, right in the middle, they’re (1904), Paper Pellets (1907), Airy And staggered the Turks with your meeting; Nothings (1909), Jessie Pope’s War thunder, Stay, let’s draw a curtain across Poems (1915), More War Poems To give the Old Country a hand. Where the two long-lost “cobbers” are (1915), Simple Rhymes for Stirring For dare-devil work we may book you, greeting. Times (1916), Love – on Leave (1919), You’re ready and keen to get to it. and Hits and Misses (1920). If a job is impossible, look you, —Jessie Pope.