Norman MacCaig Summer Farm Wikispaces诺尔曼麦凯格夏季农场Wikispaces.pptVIP

QUESTIONS ? ? ? Norman MacCaigSummer Farm The Author Norman MacCaig was born in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, in 1910 He spent much of his life in this and other Scottish cities until his death in 1996. His mother’s family, however, came from quiet rural parts of the country, and this background is reflected in ‘Summer Farm’ the locality of the bulk of his poetry is divided between two Scottish locations. His home city of Edinburgh provided contrast with his holiday home of Assynt, a remote area in the North-West of Scotland where MacCaig spent much time, especially in the summer months. The landscape and people of Assynt provided inspiration for his poetry as well as bringing MacCaig close friendships and a love for the land. Summer Farm (Stanzas 1 2) Straws like tame lightnings lie about the grass And hang zigzag on hedges. Green as glass The water in the horse-trough shines. Nine ducks go wobbling by in two straight lines. A hen stares at nothing with one eye, Then picks it up. Out of an empty sky A swallow falls and, flickering through The barn, dives up again into the dizzy blue. (Stanza 3 4) I lie, not thinking, in the cool, soft grass, Afraid of where a thought might take me – This grasshopper with plated face Unfolds his legs and finds himself in space. Self under self, a pile of selves I stand Threaded on time, and with metaphysic hand Lift the farm like a lid and see Farm within farm, and in the centre, me. Metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy investigating principles of reality transcending those of any particular science. It is concerned with explaining the ultimate nature of being and the world It relates to questions that cannot be answered in factual terms. i.e. science may tell us how the universe works, but why it exists is a metaph