[Ttha-potm] Barthelemong at Vauxhall

[carolyn mcgrath]

Bill Needham: "...even if there's no historical evidence that this was M. Barthelemon's crossing point the fact is, then, that Westminster and the alternative (the Vauxhall and Lambeth bridges of the time) would all have Lambeth Palace within their field of vision."

I don't think there were any crossings when Vauxhall Gardens first opened, all pleasure-seekers had to ferry across, but Westminster Bridge was built in 1750, Vauxhall Bridge in 1816 and Lambeth Bridge later in 1836, if I've got that right. http://www.vauxhallandkennington.org.uk/sgdetail.shtml

Regardless to where he crossed, even if he crossed - he may have lived southside - he probably never composed Morning Hymn under these circumstances anyway! The whole thing is a figment of TH's imagination and fulfils its own purposes.

>From the poem's positioning, though, yes, we have Westminster Abbey behind, Lambeth Palace to the right and the Gardens beyond, but most significantly, we have the dawn sky and that 'irradiate globe'! If we imagine him crossing from east-side (south) to west (north), the 'paused' in line 2 is for him to stop and turn around to look back at where he has just come from to see the emerging sun; he would then turn his back on the sun and face west to 'pursue his way'. 

cheers

Carolyn McGrath