Trainmadgrandad.co.uk, Life, Times and Thoughts of a Railway Enthusiast!'

 
 
 
I really like W.H.Auden's Night Mail poem. One time I was teaching about the Home Front and life during WWII, we would read the poem as part of an English lesson. A couple of days later, I would put the actual film on the video player. The class would groan about another attempted train indoctination, watching in a state of apathy. Then the drum beat started to a bit of a stir, then Auden himself speaking his immortal words, "This is the night mail crossing the Border ..." and they were hooked! " Can we listen again?" Out came their poetry photcopies and they were off with Auden, word for word! Suitably indocrinated (nb All these poems are readings on You Tube)
         
   
Night Mail   The Railway Train by   From a Railway Carriage
W H Auden (3m 14s)   Emily Dickinson (0m 52s)   Robert Louis Stevenson (1m 35s)
         
   
The Train Of Life   All right?   Night Train
Anthony Larkin (0m 45s)   Simon Armitage (1m 42s}   Michael Pendragon (2m 35s)
         
   
All Aboard - a community rail poem   National Rail Awards poem   The Whitsun Weddings
Ian McMillan (1m 52s)   Tony Walsh (8m 21s)   Philip Larkin (4m 49s)