A Shropshire Lad
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''A Shropshire Lad'' is a collection of sixty-three poems by the English poet
Alfred Edward Housman Alfred Edward Housman (; 26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936) was an English classical scholar and poet. After an initially poor performance while at university, he took employment as a clerk in London and established his academic reputation by pub ...
, published in
1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that ...
. Selling slowly at first, it then rapidly grew in popularity, particularly among young readers. Composers began setting the poems to music less than ten years after their first appearance, and many parodists have satirised Housman's themes and poetic style.


A Shropshire Rhapsody

Housman is said originally to have titled his book ''The Poems of Terence Hearsay'', referring to a character there, but changed the title to ''A Shropshire Lad'' at the suggestion of a colleague in the
British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
. A friend of his remembered otherwise, however, and claimed that Housman's choice of title was always the latter. He had more than a year to think about it, since most of the poems he chose to include in his collection were written in 1895, while he was living at Byron Cottage in
Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...
. The book was published the following year, partly at the author's expense, after it had already been rejected by one publisher. At first the book sold slowly; the initial printing of 500 copies, some 160 of which were sent to the United States, did not clear until 1898. Sales revived during the
Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
(1899–1902), due in part to the prominence of military themes and of dying young. Its popularity increased thereafter, especially during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, when the book accompanied many young men into the trenches but it also benefited from the accessibility that Housman encouraged himself. Initially he declined
royalty payment A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...
s, so as to keep the price down, and also encouraged small, cheap pocket (and even waistcoat pocket) editions. By 1911 sales were at an annual average of 13,500 copies, and by its fiftieth anniversary there had been approaching a hundred UK and US editions. Housman later repeated the claim made in the final poem of the sequence (LXIII) to have had a young male readership in mind. For
W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...
and his generation "no other poet seemed so perfectly to express the sensibility of a male adolescent"; and George Orwell remembered that, among his generation at
Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
in the wake of World War 1, "these were the poems which I and my contemporaries used to recite to ourselves, over and over, in a kind of ecstasy". They responded to Housman's lament for the transience of love, idealism and youth in what was in essence a half-imaginary pastoral countryside in a county only visited by him after he had begun writing the poems. "I was born in
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...
, not
Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
, where I have never spent much time," he admitted later in a letter to Maurice Pollet dated 5 February 1933. "I had a sentimental feeling for Shropshire because its hills were on our Western horizon." Thus the "blue remembered hills" of his "land of lost content" in Poem XL are mostly a literary construct. Though the names there can be found on the map, their topographical details are admittedly not factual. Indeed, Housman confessed in his letter to Pollett that "I know
Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...
and Wenlock, but my topographical details – Hughley, Abdon under Clee – are sometimes quite wrong". He did, however, have one source to guide him, echoes from which are to be found in the poems. This was ''Murray's Handbook for Shropshire, Cheshire and Lancashire'' (originally published in 1870), in which is to be found the jingle with which poem L opens, Shrewsbury is described in the book as "encircled by the Severn on all sides but the North, and locally termed 'the Island'", which Housman condenses to "Islanded in Severn stream" in his poem XXVIII. Murray also mentions that the last fair of the year at Church Stretton is called 'Dead Man's Fair', the event with which "In midnights of November" begins. Written about the same time as the others, this poem was held over until it was incorporated in ''Last Poems'' (1922). In the letter to Pollet already mentioned, Housman pointed out that there was a discontinuity between the Classical scholar who wrote the poems and the "imaginary" Shropshire Lad they portrayed. "No doubt I have been unconsciously influenced by the Greeks and Latins, but hechief sources of which I am conscious are
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's songs, the Scottish Border ballads, and Heine." Yet while it is true that "very little in the book is biographical", he could not entirely escape his literary formation, as he had already speculated in a letter written three decades previously. "I suppose my classical training has been of some use to me in furnishing good models, and making me fastidious, and telling me what to leave out." Nevertheless, some have found a sign in the oversimplification that results, not of Terence's but of Housman's own emotional immaturity.


Thematic summary

''A Shropshire Lad'' contains several repeated themes. It is not a connected narrative; though the "I" of the poems is in two cases named as Terence (VIII, LXII), the "Shropshire Lad" of the title, he is not to be identified with Housman himself. Not all the poems are in the same voice and there are various kinds of dialogue between the speaker and others, including conversations beyond the grave. The collection begins with an imperial theme by paying tribute to the Shropshire lads who have died as soldiers in the service of The Queen Empress, as her golden jubilee (1887) is celebrated with a beacon bonfire on
Clee Hill Titterstone Clee Hill, sometimes referred to as Titterstone Clee or Clee Hill, is a prominent hill in the rural English county of Shropshire, rising at the summit to above sea level. It is one of the Clee Hills, in the Shropshire Hills Area of ...
(I). There is little time for a lad to live and enjoy the spring (II). Death awaits the soldier (III–IV). Maids are not always kind (V–VI) and the farmer also comes to the grave (VII). Some lads murder their brothers and are hanged (VIII–IX). The spring's promise of love and renewal may be false (X). The ghost of a lad dead of grief begs the consolation of a last embrace (XI). Unattainable love leaves the lad helpless and lost (XIII–XVI). The playing of a game of cricket or football consoles a broken heart (XVII). But on this dubious sentiment
Edith Sitwell Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell (7 September 1887 – 9 December 1964) was a British poet and critic and the eldest of the three literary Sitwells. She reacted badly to her eccentric, unloving parents and lived much of her life with her governess ...
commented acidly, "If he means to say that cricket, and cricket alone, has prevented men from committing suicide, then their continuation on this earth seems hardly worthwhile." Continuing this theme, the athlete who died young was lucky, for he did not outlive his renown (XIX). The poet exchanges a glance with a marching soldier and wishes him well, thinking they will never cross paths again (XXII). He envies the country lads who die young and do not grow old (XXIII). Seize the day, then, to cultivate friendship (XXIV). A lover may die, and his girl will walk out with another (XXV–XXVII). The hostility of the ancient Saxon and
Briton British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mod ...
are in his blood, and he owes his life to violence and rape (XXVIII). The storm on
Wenlock Edge Wenlock Edge is a limestone escarpment near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England and a site of special scientific interest because of its geology. It is over long, running southwest to northeast between Craven Arms and Much Wenlock, and is roughl ...
symbolizes the same turmoil in his soul as the
Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
knew at
Wroxeter Wroxeter is a village in Shropshire, England, which forms part of the civil parish of Wroxeter and Uppington, beside the River Severn, south-east of Shrewsbury. '' Viroconium Cornoviorum'', the fourth largest city in Roman Britain, was site ...
(XXXI). Man is a chance combination of elements – make the most of him while there is time! (XXXII) If he is of no use to those he loves, he will leave, perhaps to enlist as a soldier (XXXIV, XXXV). One may live in distant exile in London, but without forgetting home and friends (XXXVII, XXXVIII). The wind sighs across England to him from Shropshire, but he will not see the
broom A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...
flowering gold on Wenlock Edge (XXXVIII–XL). London is full of cold-hearted men who fear and hate one another, but he will make the best of life while he has a living will (XLIII). The suicide is wise, for he prefers to die cleanly rather than harm others and live in shame (XLIV–XLV). These two poems were suggested by a report on the death of a naval cadet in August 1895 who had left behind him a letter mentioning these reasons for taking his own life. Bring no living branches to the grave of such a one, but only what will never flower again (XLVI). A carpenter's son once died on the gallows so that other lads might live (XLVII). He was happy before he was born, but he will endure life for a while: the cure for all sorrows will come in time (XLVIII). If crowded and noisy London has its troubles, so do quiet Clun and Knighton, and the only cure for any of them is the grave (L). Though he is in London, his spirit wanders about his home fields (LII). From the grave the suicide's ghost visits the beloved (LIII), a theme apparently derived from a traditional ballad of the unquiet grave type. Those he loved are dead, and other youths eternally re-live his own experiences (LV). Like the lad that becomes a soldier, one can choose to face death young rather than put it off out of cowardice (LVI). Dick is in the graveyard, and Ned is long in jail, when he returns by himself to
Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...
(LVIII). Take your pack and go: death will be a journey into eternal night (LX). It matters not if he sleeps among the suicides, or among those who died well – they were all his friends (LXI). Some mock his melancholy thoughts but he has used them like the poisons sampled by Mithridates and will survive to die old (LXII). Perhaps these poems are not fashionable, but they survive the poet to please other lads like him (LXIII).


Interpretations


Song settings

The strong combination of emotional feeling, lyricism and folk qualities contributed to the popularity of ''A Shropshire Lad'' with composers. All but eight poems in the collection have been set to music, and eleven of them in ten or more settings. Among the latter, "Loveliest of trees, the cherry now" (II) has 47 settings and "
When I Was One-and-Twenty When I Was One-and-Twenty is the first line of the untitled Poem XIII from A. E. Housman’s ''A Shropshire Lad'' (1896), but has often been anthologised and given musical settings under that title. The piece is simply worded but contains refere ...
" (XIII) has 44. Several composers wrote song cycles in which the poems, taken out of their sequence in the collection, contrast with each other or combine in a narrative dialogue. In a few cases they wrote more than one work using this material. The earliest, performed in 1904, less than ten years after the collection's first appearance, was
Arthur Somervell Sir Arthur Somervell (5 June 18632 May 1937) was an English composer and art song writer. After Hubert Parry, he was one of the most successful and influential writers of art song in the English music renaissance of the 1890s–1900s. One of hi ...
's ''Song Cycle from A Shropshire Lad'' in which ten were set for baritone and piano. There are six songs in Ralph Vaughan Williams' ''On Wenlock Edge'' (1909) in settings which include piano and string quartet; there was also an orchestral version in 1924. Later he returned to Housman again for another cycle, a first version of which was performed in 1927 with solo violin accompaniment, but in this only four were taken from ''A Shropshire Lad'', along with three from ''Last Poems'' (1922). The revised work was eventually published in 1954 as ''Along the Field: 8 Housman songs''; in the meantime, "The Soldier" (XXII) was dropped and two more added from ''Last Poems''. Among other cycles composed during the period before World War 1 were the four ''Songs of A Shropshire Lad'' by
Graham Peel Gerald Graham 'Graham' Peel (1877 – November 1937) was an English composer. Life Graham Peel's father was Gerald Peel, a millionaire Lancashire cotton spinner and magistrate of Pendlebury, near Manchester, England. During his life, Peel was ...
and the six for voice and piano in ''A Shropshire Lad: A Song Cycle'' (Op. 22, 1911) by Charles Fonteyn Manney (1872–1951).Lieder Net Archive
George Butterworth George Sainton Kaye Butterworth, MC (12 July 18855 August 1916) was an English composer who was best known for the orchestral idyll '' The Banks of Green Willow'' and his song settings of A. E. Housman's poems from ''A Shropshire Lad''. Early ...
was particularly drawn to Housman's poems, composing within a short period the '' Six Songs from A Shropshire Lad'' (1911) and '' Bredon Hill and Other Songs'' (1912) as well as his emotive ''Rhapsody, A Shropshire Lad'', first performed in 1913. Butterworth was killed during the war, but towards the end of it
Ivor Gurney Ivor Bertie Gurney (28 August 1890 – 26 December 1937) was an English poet and composer, particularly of songs. He was born and raised in Gloucester. He suffered from bipolar disorder through much of his life and spent his last 15 years in ps ...
was working on the songs in his cycle, ''Ludlow and Teme'' (1919), and later went on to compose the eight poems in ''The Western Playland'' (1921).
Ernest John Moeran } Ernest John Smeed Moeran (31 December 1894 – 1 December 1950) was an English composer of part-Irish extraction, whose work was strongly influenced by English and Irish folk music of which he was an assiduous collector. His output includes or ...
was another combatant in the war and afterwards set the four songs in his ''Ludlow Town'' (1920). During the immediate postwar period, two other composers made extensive use of the poems in ''A Shropshire Lad''.
John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomin ...
included six poems for piano and tenor in '' The Land of Lost Content'' (1921). His ''We'll to the woods no more'' (1928) includes two poems for voice and piano taken from ''Last Poems'' and a purely instrumental epilogue titled "Spring will not wait", which is based on "'Tis time, I think, by Wenlock town" from ''A Shropshire Lad'' (XXXIX). Charles Wilfred Orr, who made 24 Housman settings, united some in cycles of two (1921–1922), seven (1934) and three songs (1940).
Lennox Berkeley Sir Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley (12 May 190326 December 1989) was an English composer. Biography Berkeley was born on 12 May 1903 in Oxford, England, the younger child and only son of Aline Carla (1863–1935), daughter of Sir James Char ...
's ''5 Housman Songs'' (Op.14/3, 1940) also dates from the start of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Another cycle composed since then has been the five in Mervyn Horder's ''A Shropshire Lad'' (1980). Composers outside the UK have also set individual poems by Housman. Several were from the US, including Samuel Barber, who set "With rue my heart is laden" (as the second of his "3 Songs", Op.2, 1928), David Van Vactor,
Ned Rorem Ned Rorem (October 23, 1923 – November 18, 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and writer. Best known for his art songs, which number over 500, Rorem was the leading American of his time writing in the genre. Althoug ...
, and John Woods Duke. Other Americans composed song cycles: Alan Leichtling in ''11 songs from A Shropshire Lad'', set for baritone and chamber orchestra (Op. 50, 1969); Robert F. Baksa (b.1938) who set eleven in his ''Housman Songs'' (1981); and the Canadian Nick Peros who set seven. Outside America, the Polish
Henryk Górecki Henryk Mikołaj Górecki ( , ; 6 December 1933 – 12 November 2010) was a Polish composer of contemporary classical music. According to critic Alex Ross, no recent classical composer has had as much commercial success as Górecki. He became a l ...
set four songs and Mayme Chanwai (born Hong Kong, 1939) set two. One of the most recent is the Argentinian
Juan María Solare Juan María Solare (born August 11, 1966) is an Argentine composer and pianist. Education Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Solare studied and received his diploma in piano (María Teresa Criscuolo), composition (Fermina Casanova, Juan Carlos ...
's arrangement of poem XL for voice and drum, titled "Lost Content" (2004).


Illustrations

The first illustrated edition of ''A Shropshire Lad'' was published in 1908, with eight county landscapes by William Hyde (1857–1925). Those did not meet with Housman's approval, however: "They were in colour, which always looks vulgar," he reported. The poet was dead by the time of the 1940 Harrap edition, which carried monochrome woodcuts by
Agnes Miller Parker Agnes Miller Parker (1895–1980) was an engraver, illustrator and painter in oil and tempera. Born in Ayrshire, she spent most of her career in London and southern Britain. She is especially known as a twentieth century wood-engraver thanks to ...
. It proved so popular that frequent reprintings followed and latterly other presses have recycled the illustrations as well. The example of rather traditional woodcuts was also taken up in the US in the Peter Pauper Press edition (Mount Vernon, NY, 1942) with its 'scenic decorations' by Aldren Watson (1917–2013); that too saw later reprintings. Other American editions have included the Illustrated Editions issue (New York, 1932) with drawings by Elinore Blaisdell (1900–94) and the Heritage Press edition (New York, 1935) with coloured woodcuts by Edward A. Wilson (1886–1970). Single poems from the collection have also been illustrated in a distinctive style by the
lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
Richard Vicary Richard Vicary (8 July 1918 – 8 August 2006) was a British artist and printmaker. He was born in Sutton, Surrey, UK on 8 July 1918. His father was the clergyman W. W. Vicary who also wrote novels under the pseudonym Simon Jesty. He studied at ...
.


Translations

Translations of poems from all of Housman's collections into Classical Greek and Latin have been made since he first appeared as an author. The earliest was of poem XV in Greek elegiacs, published in the ''Classical Review'' for 1897. Some thirty more appeared between then and 1969. Included among these were Cyril Asquith's ''12 Poems from A Shropshire Lad'' (Oxford 1929) and those by L. W. de Silva in his ''Latin Elegiac Versions'' (London 1966).


Parodies

The repeated mannerisms, lilting style and generally black humour of Housman's collection have made it an easy target for parody. The first to set the fashion was Housman himself in "Terence, this is stupid stuff" (LXII) with its humorously voiced criticism of the effect of his writing and the wry justification of his stance in the tale of
Mithridate Mithridate, also known as mithridatium, mithridatum, or mithridaticum, is a semi-mythical remedy with as many as 65 ingredients, used as an antidote for poisoning, and said to have been created by Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus in the 1st cent ...
s. He was followed early in the new century by Ezra Pound, whose "Mr Housman's Message" appeared in his collection ''Canzoni'' (1911). A poem of three stanzas, it begins with a glum acknowledgement of mortality: In the same year Rupert Brooke sent a parody of twelve quatrains to ''
The Westminster Gazette ''The Westminster Gazette'' was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London. It was known for publishing sketches and short stories, including early works by Raymond Chandler, Anthony Hope, D. H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, and Saki, ...
'' (13 May 1911), written on learning of Housman's appointment as Kennedy Professor of Latin at Cambridge University. These began, in imitation of the opening of poem L,
Max Beerbohm Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm (24 August 1872 – 20 May 1956) was an English essayist, parodist and caricaturist under the signature Max. He first became known in the 1890s as a dandy and a humorist. He was the drama critic for the '' Saturd ...
joined in the fun a decade later with six lines beginning written into the 1920 edition of ''A Shropshire Lad''. They were followed by
Hugh Kingsmill Hugh Kingsmill Lunn (21 November 1889 – 15 May 1949), who dropped his surname for professional purposes, was a versatile British writer and journalist. The writers Arnold Lunn and Brian Lunn were his brothers. Life Hugh Kingsmill Lunn was born ...
's "Two poems after A. E. Housman". The first of these, beginning is frequently quoted still and was described by Housman in a letter dated 19 September 1925 as "the best arodyI have seen, and indeed the only good one." The second by Kingsmill keeps equally closely to Housman's themes and vocabulary and has the same mix of macabre humour:
Humbert Wolfe Humbert Wolfe CB CBE (5 January 1885 – 5 January 1940) was an Italian-born British poet, man of letters and civil servant. Biography Humbert Wolfe was born in Milan, Italy, and came from a Jewish family background,"Wolfe, Humbert" in Stanley ...
's "A. E. Housman and a few friends" is almost as often quoted as Kingsmill's first parody. Written in 1939, its humour is equally black and critical of Housman's typical themes: "Loveliest of trees, the cherry now" (II) has twice come in for parody.
Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, writer, critic, and satirist based in New York; she was known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. From a conflicted and unhap ...
returned it to the context of suicide so prevalent in ''A Shropshire Lad'', and included it under the title "Cherry White" in her collected poems, ''Not So Deep as a Well'' (1936): A new context is also found for Housman's celebratory tone as "Loveliest of cheese, the Cheddar now" by Terence Beersay, a pseudonym claimed to conceal "a literary figure of some note" in the preface to an 8-page booklet titled ''The Shropshire Lag'' (1936).
Kingsley Amis Sir Kingsley William Amis (16 April 1922 – 22 October 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, short stories, radio and television scripts, and works of social a ...
too acknowledges that there is more to Housman's writing than the monotonously macabre. His later "A.E.H." is more of "an admiring imitation, not a parody," and reproduces the effect of Housman's mellifluous rejoicing in nature and skilful versifying: Another parodic approach is to deal with the subject of one poem in the style of another. This will only work when both are equally well known, as is the case with
Louis Untermeyer Louis Untermeyer (October 1, 1885 – December 18, 1977) was an American poet, anthologist, critic, and editor. He was appointed the fourteenth Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1961. Life and career Untermeyer was born in New Y ...
's subversion of heterosexual relations between Shropshire youth in "Georgie, Porgie, pudding and pie fashioned after A.E. Housman".


Legacy

There have been numerous literary references to ''A Shropshire Lad'', often with characters in novels or dramas quoting a few lines or even whole poems. Since Housman's ashes were interred at
St Laurence Church, Ludlow St Laurence's Church, Ludlow, is a Church of England parish church in Ludlow, Shropshire, England. It is a grade I listed building. The church is a member of the Greater Churches Group and is the largest parish church in Shropshire. It was one ...
, it was visited in 1996 by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the centenary of ''A Shropshire Lad''. A wall hanging named after the book is now displayed near the south door there. The book's centenary was also celebrated by Wood's Shropshire Brewery, when they named their bitter after it. In the same year, a pink climbing rose with a strong fragrance, bred by David Austin, was also named after the book. Later, the collection was commemorated by the short-lived
Wrexham & Shropshire Wrexham & Shropshire (legally ''Wrexham, Shropshire & Marylebone Railway Company Limited'') was an open access operator that provided passenger rail services in the United Kingdom. Services between Wrexham and London Marylebone operated from A ...
railway company (2008–11), which named one of its Class 67 engines ''A Shropshire Lad''. After closure, the nameplate was auctioned in 2015.BBC news
/ref>


References


Bibliography

*Peter Edgerly Firchow, ''Reluctant Modernists'', LIT Verlag Münster 2002
pp. 7–26
*
Trevor Hold Trevor Hold (21 September 1939 – 28 January 2004) was an English composer, poet and author, best known for his song cycles, many of them setting his own poetry. Biography Born in Northampton, Hold suffered an attack of polio at the age of seven ...
,
''Parry to Finzi: Twenty English Song-composers''
Woodbridge 2002 *Lieder Net Archive

*George Orwell, ''Inside the Whale'', 1940; University of Adelaide e-book
section 2
*Peter Parker
''Housman Country''
London 2016 *Donna Richardson, "The Can of Ail: A. E. Housman's Moral Irony," ''Victorian Poetry,'' Volume 48, Number 2, Summer 2010 (267–285) *Richard Stokes
''The Penguin Book of English Song''
2016 *Gilmore Warner, "The 50th anniversary of A Shropshire Lad", ''Colby Quarterly'' 1/14, March 1946
pp. 217–232


External links

*

' e-text at University of Virginia *
A Shropshire Lad
' e-text at Gutenberg * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shropshire Lad, A 1896 poetry books Poetry by A. E. Housman English poetry collections British poems Shropshire in fiction