London Impressions
I
Out of the Whitehall shadows I pass
into a blaze of sun as sudden as fountains.
Between the bronze paws of a lion
a beatnik stretches his slack indifferent muscles.
Nelson's patina of pigeon shit
hardly oppresses that plucky sailor. Cloudbanks
lazily roll in the blue heavens beyond.
The birds home in on seas of seed.
Foil tins float on the dusty water.
The walls are full of faces and thighs.
I smoke a Gold Leaf close to the filter,
viewing dimly the circles of traffic.
The isle is full of Foreign Noises
that jangle in trafalgar square,
England expects every tourist
to do his duty now the Pound is sickly.
II
A girl plays games with mirrors
in Hyde Park while I'm half-suggestive
with the dolly scanning a volume idly.
In the flare of an instant it takes to light
a cigarette:
against her treetrunk comes to lean
the ugliest bloke that you have ever seen.
Predictably they disappear
through the distance of August green.
The nymph on the grass behind
proves her point by blinding my return look.
She picks her black bag up and drifts on further,
not helpful as to whether I should follow.
Meanwhile a huge Alsatian sniffs my loose boots,
the gentleman with the leash exchanges gossip.
Sun, you are all I have:
the grass already welcomes the brown leaves.
I do not want to cross the road again,
having learnt the value of other faces,
acquired the pace and tone of other voices.
And big red buses; I thought I would never catch
sight of the gentle monsters
When I was young and shackled for my sharpness
in the Union of South Africa.
— Arthur Nortje
Summary
“London Impressions” by Arthur Nortje is about the speaker’s experiences and observations in London, particularly in and around Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park. It is like a snapshot of what the poet sees and feels while walking around London.
The poem is divided into two parts. In the first part, the poet is walking around Trafalgar Square, a famous spot in London. He notices the sudden bright sunlight, a relaxed person (called a “beatnik”) lounging by a statue, pigeons on Nelson’s Column, tourists and busy traffic, and advertisements everywhere. He also mentions that tourists are expected to spend money, even though the British currency (the Pound) isn’t doing great.
In the second part, the poet moves to Hyde Park, another well-known place in London, where he sees a girl playing with mirrors; a couple meeting and walking away together; another girl who catches his eye but doesn’t encourage him; and a man walking a big dog.
The poet is taking in all these new sights and sounds. He’s learning how people in London act and talk. At the end, he mentions that he never thought he’d see London’s big red buses when he was younger and living in South Africa, where he was “shackled for [his] sharpness.”
Arthur Nortje’s “London Impressions” is thus a series of quick snapshots of London life, seen through the eyes of someone who’s new to the city and appreciating its sights.
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