Edward Shanks

Edward Shanks was an English poet and critic of the early twentieth century, associated with the Georgian poetry movement. His verse is characterized by traditional forms and a focus on rural and domestic themes. Biography ↓More ↓

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Edward Shanks

The Glow-worm

The pale road winds faintly upward into the dark skies, And beside it on the rough grass that the wind invisibly stirs, Sheltered by sharp-speared gorse and the berried junipers, Shining steadily with a green light, the glow-worm lies. We regard it ; and this hill and all the other hills That fall in folds to the river, very smooth and steep, And the hangers and brakes that the darkness thickly fills Fade like phantoms round the light and night is deep, so deep,— That all the world is emptiness about the still flame And we are small shadows standing lost in the huge night. We gather up the glow-worm, stooping with dazzled sight, And carry it to the little enclosed garden whence we came,

Edward Shanks

Half Hope

August is gone and now this is September, Softer the sun in a cloudier sky ; Yellow the leaves grow and apples grow golden, Blackberries ripen and hedges undress. Watch and you'll see the departure of summer, Here is the end, this the last month of all : Pause and look back and remember its promise, All that looked open and easy in May. Nothing will stay them, the seasons go onward, Lightly the bright months fly out of my hand, Softly the leading note calls a new octave ; Autumn is coming and what have I done ? Even as summer my young days go over, No day to pause on and nowhere to rest : Slowly they go but implacably onwards, Ah ! and my dreams, alas, still they are dreams.

Biography

Edward Shanks (1892–1953) was an English poet, critic, and journalist. He was one of the poets included in the Georgian Poetry anthologies, which sought to promote accessible, nature-oriented verse in the years before and during the First World War. Shanks's own poetry typically employs conventional meters and rhyme schemes, often exploring themes of the English countryside, everyday life, and quiet reflection. In addition to his verse, he wrote literary criticism and worked as a newspaper columnist, contributing to the cultural discourse of his time. His work is representative of a conservative strain in early modernist English poetry that valued clarity and tradition over experimental form. While less well-known today than some of his contemporaries, Shanks remains a notable figure in the history of twentieth-century English poetry.

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