Edward Tennant
HIGH by the side of the flint-set wall,
Moss-grown and lichened by centuries’ tears,
At the foot of the garden where teasles grow tall
Stood the ancient Gazebo ; the leaves used to fall
At his feet once a year, till the homage of years
Had long ceased to give any pleasure at all.
He leaned on the wall like a janitor old,
He nodded at landmarks who bowed themselves out,
The mill by the ford, and the barn near the fold,
Till even midsummer seemed distant and cold,
And ‘demned him a dotard — he thought of the rout
Of tulips and taffeta under the mould.
The road to Devizes, laid over the hill,
Grew dim and mouse-grey ; as the sun bowed his head,
The scent of sweet Daphne swept over to fill
And to flood the Gazebo with perfume, until
He remembered a friend — ’twas an old year, long
dead-4—
And he saw once again the old barn and the mill.
Around him sprang up on an instant a score
Of friends who had crumbled and fallen away,
Once again he was young — ” The Sky Rocket ” and
” Boar “
And the rickety toll-gate with rapture he saw
As they were long ago ; and he smelled the mown hay,
And it seemed to him sweeter than ever before.
Back came the old landmarks, the trees and the spires,
The hedges and houses men’s grandfathers knew.
Fresh, fresh was his memory, love never tires
Of remembering friends, and all memory desires
Through the ages, is Love — and he marvelled anew
As his flint sides were filled with the scent of sweet briars.
And the country grew dim . . . till he heard a faint
sound
Of voices and hammering, shovels and picks,
And fresh as a flower on a neighbouring mound
A maiden sat reading — she never looked round
Till the grey old Gazebo was just broken bricks,
And the masons had pulled him all down to the ground.
Laventie,
February, 1916.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem is a poignant reflection on memory, time, and loss, centered around the figure of an old Gazebo. The Gazebo, described as aged and weathered, becomes a symbol for endurance and remembrance, standing witness to the passage of years and the lives that unfolded around it.
The imagery throughout is rich and evocative. The “flint-set wall,” “moss-grown and lichened by centuries’ tears,” immediately sets a tone of decay and history. The Gazebo is personified, leaning “like a janitor old” and recalling a past filled with tulips, taffeta, and bustling life. These details paint a vivid picture of a bygone era, full of color and vibrancy now faded into memory.
The poem captures the bittersweet nature of nostalgia. As the scent of daphne triggers the Gazebo’s memories, it conjures a vivid tapestry of scenes: friends long gone, familiar landmarks, and sensory experiences like the smell of mown hay. These moments are joyful and aching simultaneously, emphasizing how memory keeps the past alive while underscoring its irretrievability.
The ending introduces a shift from reflection to finality. The arrival of masons who dismantle the Gazebo marks the erasure of a physical anchor to the past. The maiden reading nearby, oblivious to the Gazebo’s history, reinforces the idea of generational disconnect—how time moves on, often indifferent to what came before.
What stands out is the way the poem intertwines human emotions with the physical landscape. The Gazebo’s experience mirrors human aging: the wear of time, the treasure of memories, and the inevitability of being forgotten or replaced. Despite its dismantling, the poem suggests a kind of immortality through memory and love, as “all memory desires through the ages, is Love.”
This poem resonates as a meditation on the impermanence of life and the enduring power of memory, showing how even as physical things crumble, the stories and emotions they carry live on in those who remember.