I Dream of Freedom and Peace
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1979.12.A3; SA1979.12.B
Original Tape ID
Summary
Stanley Robertson talks about how he began writing poetry and reads two of his poems.
The poem Stanley Robertson wrote after having his dream of visiting Hell is called 'I Dream of Freedom and Peace'. It is about being imprisoned in a dismal house because of past sins. There is no escape. There are fierce beasts and bottomless pits, and no sun nor birdsong. The torment is unbearable. Then a rainbow appears and the soldiers of Christ come to rescue those who repent.
Stanley has been writing poems since he was a child. When he was at school the teacher used to put him outside to pick up litter because tinker [his term] children were thought to be stupid and not worth educating. At home he used to get a bit of wallpaper or a blank piece from a newspaper and write poems.
He reads a childhood poem about an imaginary secret island called Gumboria: the poet wishes for wings to fly to his secret island which shines like an emerald in a sapphire sea; it has lofty mountains and tropical trees; he can escape to it for relief at all times of pain; it is a secret island invented by him and for him alone.
Item Notes
The dream on which the first poem is based is described on the previous track on the same tape (SA1979.012).
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good