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Peter Reavy
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Peter Reavy
Flannelled fools
Then ye returned to your trinkets; then ye contented your souls
With the flannelled fools at the wicket or the muddied oafs at the goals.
from RUDYARD KIPLING: The Islanders.
I looked this Kipling poem up since Stephen Fry mentions it in passing, in his letter to himself at 16, a hit article on the Guardian’s web-site.
The phrase was used as the title of a novel which Fry liked as a teenager. I looked it up on Amazon. It deals with a school teacher who has a mysteriously strong admiration for one of his pupils.
I also learn that Kipling’s poem created a fuss at the time. He wanted National Service as he was correctly scared of a resurgent Germany. Have never read any Kipling, mean to, but even this poem seems a bit long.
Never mind flannels, “The Muddied Oafs” would make a great title for a football book.
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Peter Reavy
Tracklisting of DG’s complete Messiaen edition.
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Peter Reavy
Did some Spring cleaning of this blog
Trying out a different theme as well, although the way it doesn’t let me quickly add a subject line is a bit weird.
