Denny Bradbury is currently putting the final touches to the sequel to her Anglo Saxon Story of Borvo. All will be revealed very soon, but she’s given us a sneak preview, in terms of a poem from the sequel.

We asked Denny to give us a brief description of the poem. She says it is ‘about Romans conquering the land, and then leaving both ruins and steel in the hearts of the native people. The Anglo Saxons would have then in their turn come along and taken the islands for themselves but the hurt of the Britons would have come down in poetry and song and become legend. The format of the poetry reflects the Anglo Saxon style.’

She talks of the pain of the original Roman conquest ‘they came and took and spoiled – our land and men beside’, before then talking of the strength of the Anglo Saxons taking the land. Denny notes how the Romans would have underestimated the Anglo Saxons ‘they did not consider – the people who before’.

She also writes of the strength that those left when the Romans departed had, despite the destruction of the country – ‘leaving ruins and a race/with steel inside their loins – determination in the jaw.’

They saw our blessed land – wanting it for their own
they said it was the end of earth – with only space beyond
our islands they are green – with food enough for all
but they did not consider – the people who before
them had gathered here – in peace and harmony
they came and took and spoiled – our land and men beside
now they have had to flee – good riddance to the tides
that bore them back to war – leaving ruins and a race
with steel inside their loins – determination in their jaw.

Oh my Luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June:
Oh my Luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve!
And fare-thee-weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ ’twere ten thousand mile!

For Robert Burns in ‘A Red, Red Rose’, his love is like summertime, he compares her to a “red, red rose/That’s newly sprung in June.”

But he does say that he will love her forever, “till a’ the seas gang dry” and “the rocks melt wi’ the sun.”

He even says that he’ll love her until death “while the sand o’ life shall run.”

Burns knows that even though they are apart, he would go “ten thousand mile” to be with her.

Whereas Burns compares his love to a June day, Denny Bradbury talks about feelings of love on a not so sunny day in ‘Grey Misty Morning’.

Like Burns, she says her love will always be there, “neither dark cloud nor drizzle or even the night/can obscure the pure dazzle of love that is right”.

But she does compare love to the sun, saying both “will always be there when the day it is done”, even if you can’t see them.

Bradbury’s love could refer to love for a partner, or the love of God, whose love is everywhere, even if we can’t physically see it.

Grey Misty Morning

Grey misty morning of love without fear
wait while the sun with the day will appear
carry the thought that both love and the sun
will always be there when the day it is done

if you cannot see it be sure it is true
my love and the sun will be there just for you
neither dark cloud nor drizzle or even the night
can obscure the pure dazzle of love that is right