Themes June_Thunder

from june thunder

jon stallworthy, in biography of louis macneice, links june thunder sunlight on garden, poem follows june thunder in macneice s 1938 poetry collection earth compels. 2 poems show macneice thinking along same lines , using same imagery, birds , sky , garden , thunder , rain shared words.

june thunder begins memories of earlier, idyllic summer days. opening stanza, describes driving through tiny / roads, mudguards brushing cowparsley , similar in tone section viii of autumn journal (1939), in macneice recalls how drove around shropshire in bijou car first wife mary ezra. second stanza, describing chalkland in summer, beech trees , gorse, suggests countryside close marlborough college, macneice pupil. (as schoolboy, macneice had indulged in long bicycle rides wiltshire countryside close friend graham shepard.) in third stanza tone changes poem returns present , impending thunder . rain comes / down dropscene , , followed thunder - clouds falling masonry - , lightning. final stanza sees poet alone , yearning lover s presence: if come...