Bredon Hill | The Housman Society

A Shropshire Lad

	XXI			Q
V	Bredon Hill		C
V	In summertime on Bredon		C
	The bells they sound so clear;
V	Round both the shires they ring them		C
	In steeples far and near,
	A happy noise to hear.	5		Q

	Here of a Sunday morning
	My love and I would lie,,
V	And see the coloured counties,
V	And hear the larks so high
V	About us in the sky.	10

	The bells would ring to call her
	In valleys miles away:
	“Come all to church, good people;
	Good people, come and pray.”
	But here my love would stay.	15

V	And I would turn and answer			Q
	Among the springing thyme,
V	“Oh, peal upon our wedding,			Q
	And we will hear the chime,
	And come to church in time.”	20

V	But when the snows at Christmas			Q
V	On Bredon top were strown,
	My love rose up so early
	And stole out unbeknown
	And went to church alone.	25

V	They tolled the one bell only,
V	Groom there was none to see,			Q
	The mourners followed after,
	And so to church went she,
	And would not wait for me.	30

V	The bells they sound on Bredon
V	And still the steeples hum.
	“Come all to church, good people,” –			Q
V	Oh, noisy bells, be dumb;
	I hear you, I will come.	35

* Pronounced ‘Breedon’

Key: V: Textual Variation. C: Commentary. Q: Question. Glossary

ASL XXI “Bredon Hill”

Top ▲ Glossary

Line	Word	Glossary
9	lark	A small songbird with brownish plumage, found worldwide and noted for its song and its soaring flight. Sometimes also called skylark. Consider: the word also has a sense of carefree games, from the naval practice of “skylarking”, when young sailors were encouraged to climb high in the rigging of sailing ships.
17	thyme	A small low shrub of the mint family with narrow leaves yielding thyme and white, pink, or red flowers. Consider the suggestion of “time”, particularly as it passes the young lovers by.
18	peal	Ringing a church bell by starting and finishing with the open end upwards. Traditionally used to mark a celebration, particularly a wedding
26	tolled	Ringing a bell from side to side with the open end downwards, rather than “pealing” the bell (see above). Bells are tolled from churches to call to worship and to mark a funeral.

Top ▲ Commentary

Line	Commentary
	Date: July 1891 (1st draft) Feb 1893 (2nd draft)
Title	AEH added the footnote (Pronounced ‘Breedon’) in the text and the poem has been so printed from the first edition.
1	Bredon hill is in Worcestershire, not Shropshire; it is just under 300m high and enjoys spectacular and extensive views of the surrounding countryside. In several pieces of correspondence, cited by Burnett (p.335) and others, Housman explains that the poem was written before the Shropshire setting of the collection had been conceived.
3	“both the shires” being Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.
meter	Five line stanzas, with alternating rhymes and alternately seven and six syllables for the first four and a final fifth line also of six syllables. This final line of each stanza is rhymed as a couplet with the fourth line, which in turn picks up the rhyme of the second. Lines one and three have ‘feminine’ endings

Top ▲ Variations

Line	Text	Textual variation
Title	D1	No title
1	D1	<On Bredon [?] Sundays> \ In summertime on Bredon/
3	D1	Round both] <In> \ Round / all
3	D2	Round \ <Through> / <all> \ both /
8	D1	And see the land of England → And see the sunny counties
8	D1	And see the <sunny> \ <pleasant> <checkered> <patterned> \ coloured // counties
9	D1	And [ ? ] high, → And hear the larks so high
10	D1	My love alone and I → About us in the sky
16	D1	And <she and> I would \ turn and / answer, → tell them
18	D1	“Oh, peal] “<Chime> Ring \ well /
18	D2	“O Ring] \ peal /
21	D1	But on a winter’s morning → But when the snows on Bredon
21	D2	But when the snows on Bredon \ at Christmas /
22	D1	When all the roads were stone, → At Christmastide were strewn
22	D2	At Christmastide \ On Bredon top / were strown
26	D1d2	There \ All / in the tower hung silent → <The wedding peals \ <chimes> / were silent>
26	D1d2	They <rang> \ tolled / but one bell only → <They> There tolled but one bell only
26	d2	They tolled <but> \ the / one bell only
27	D1d1	The chime I thought would be; → <That will not ever be;>
27	D1d2	For more there might not be:
27	D2	<For more there might not be;> \ <And silent hung the three> / → <Over the winter lea> \ <No wedding chimes had we>/ \ <And few came out to see> / \ And groom was none to see> / \ Groom there was none to see/
31	D1	sound on Bredon,] ring <so pleasant>
32	D1	still] <then>
34	d1	<Oh [ ? ] calling:> → <O noisy bells, be dumb;> \ Good people, all and some”/

Top ▲ Questions

Line	Question
5	Consider the effect of the fifth line of each stanza – does it give a sense of completeness, qualification or something else. What does it do to the tone of the lines?
8	The reference to the “coloured counties” is possibly the most famous of Housman’s images. Consider the alternative lines from the drafts: And see the land of England And see the sunny counties and the alternatives pleasant, checkered and patterned to the eventual coloured. Why is the final choice such an evocative one?
16	Compare the draft version: And she and I would tell them with the final version: And I would turn and answer What is the difference in effect from one to the other?
18	Why does the poet prefer “peal” to “chime” or “ring” for the specific sound of the bells?
21-22	Consider the following versions of these lines, which can be reconstructed from the drafts: a. But on a winter’s morning When all the roads were stone, b. But when the snows on Bredon At Christmastide were strewn c. But when the snows on Bredon At Christmastide were strown d. But when the snows at Christmas On Bredon top were strown What are the merits of each and how is the final version, But when the snows at Christmas \| On Bredon top were strown, superior?
27	Consider what the following versions of the line can tell us about the creative process as shown through the drafts: a. For more there might not be; b. And silent hung the three c. Over the winter lea d. No wedding chimes had we e. And few came out to see. f. And groom was none to see g. Groom there was none to see
33	There is an abrupt break at the end of this line, the third of the final stanza that seemed to begin as an echo of the first stanza. Explore the effect that the poet is trying to achieve.
Whole poem	This is one of a number of poems that consider the briefness of relationships? Is there a sense of loyalty towards the deceased lover in this poem? Contrast this with the next poem in the selection.