SPECTATOR COMPETITION No. 73

Report by R. J. P. Hewison A prize of £5 was offered for an extract from a narrative poem about contemporary town life in which the language was to be purged of non-Anglo-Saxon abroadborrowings.

An extract from, a narrative poem means just that—not a neat little lyric, nor a self-contained cautionary tale. But, such pedantry apart, it was words that were wanted—words compound, poly- syllabic, obscure if you like, but inventive and utterly Teutonic. Few such came. There is still no rival to " ungothroughsomeness " (though D. L. L. Clarke did his sesquipedalian and inverted best) whether the word be taken in its Barnesian or its Humpty-Dumptian sense. I was driven to death by folkwains thronging thicker than No. 1 is outside the rush-hour, and deafened by farspeakers. D. L. L. Clarke's " Crafts-Moot " (Arts Council) and Allan M. Laing's " glee- mote " (concert-hall) were near the mark, as was Guy Innes's "wicket-watcher's ward" for (I think) railway platform exit. Annie Allen's " In-go-sit-down-in-the-dark " was fun, but suggested the South Sea rather than the North. Mrs. D. S. Walker's- " I stood my new thrumscuddercart [small motor car] Inside a nogothroughing [cul de sac] To hear a hitherwitcher start [radio set] A sighsome blubberblueing [melancholy lament] " was jump and amusing, but a little too reminiscent of Jabberwocky (unless Scotch is an even richer tongue than I thought).

My doom is that meeds of 30s. each go. to H. A. C. Evans (for variety of ideas Saxonified and for dancing so elegantly in his linguistic chains) and to K. J. Webb (for an alliterative essay in the best 0. E. lament style). Ll each to D. L. L. Clarke (for the qualities noted above) and to Gavin Ewart (for a stark piece of modern lowlife). Honourable mention to W. D. Gilmour and Mrs. Walker, and also to Allan M. Laing for a piece of tidy light verse which was excellent on words but (oh this pedantry again !) was neither narrative nor an extract.

FIRST PRIZES (H. A. C. EvANs)

Now speeding from the worksteads of Whitehall Fare forth the tongueful crowds, Folk Hirelings all ; Conners of earthlore, dooms and outlands trade ; With many a spellsome and eyebiting maid. Fordone with toil, to thoughts of home they turn, To sit beside their Farsight-things they yearn. Now some their way to Folkwain-standings make,

While some, faremarking-hkewains strive to take. Others, in search of glee, farspeak a friend To see a shifting-likeness in West End, And later to South Bank to speed their flight Where stands the Forthshow, glistering with light.

(K. J. WEBB) Under woeful-waning trees the wide-wanderer stands.

Their bairns lean-shanked bitches bitterly yelp, For naked earth that nuzzles not their footfall, Stone-slabs sting their feet sorrowful are the houses, More men mingle than mi2d can thole. "None in this hell-hole braves happy breath."

This sooth sang the seer sadness overcame him. , Furlongs he'd fared and found only foe-frowns.

Lo! red like the rising sun and racking like the corncrake Forth comes the folk-wain; fire-wise it warms his heart.

Lightsome now the stead looks like a field in harvest Busy with barley it blooms with men's minds.

SECOND PRIZES (D. L. L CLARKE)

And at the year's-tide of workfreedom he, Throughfollowing sideturning of the sprite, Downcut to pay beseek unmiddlingly To Henry Moore's outhaving at the Tate. Upfetching at the ingo he throughcaught A forthwrit given by the Crafts-Moot out: The wordage not withgrasped, he thus unfraught - His hardships to the seeingroundabout Caregivenmaii: " Unblame me, Sir, but Apart no backbringing can tell between The towardmarks and the hackwork them forby.

Should not my endset craftskill be backseen ? "

Towardmarks—if wantfelt: (1. Year's-tide; season of vacation.

2, 3. Pursuing diversion: decided to visit immediately.

4. Outhaving: exhibition.

5. Throughcaught: purchased.

6. Forthwrit . . . : programme issued by the Arts CounciL 7. Withgrasped: comprehended.

8, 9. His difficulties to the circumspect curator: "Excuse me. . . ." 10, 11. Aparttell: distinguish. Backbringing . . . : relation between the annotations and the relevant sculpture.

12. Endset . . . : limited artistic knowledge be respected.)

(GAVIN EWART) When overseas misleader with a hairy toplip In a Hackney hirecab bears the Saxon maiden

No help has she of the farspeaker, to callen Her fond father from his farsight cricket-watching.

A white serf will she be in a far country In thrall to thanes with I wor not what But never a wit to goodmanship given And lecherous mishandlers of our Saxon wenchood.

Now see upon a twowheel rides her man Wilfred, Where sparkfed wains on rails run, close by the Moothousel See how he gains upon the grinding gearbox

For ill deeds- ever to God were unlovely!