John Hannah Ascends with Poetry: "Funeral Blues" and "The Park in the Dark"

by Pa Rock
Poetry Appreciator 

Poetry is like a literary equivalent of food - it is meant to be shared and consumed.  Often times a poem appears as words on paper, or some other medium, and it is read and enjoyed on an individual basis.  It is taken in by the eye and then resides alone and under-appreciated within a flesh-and-bone shell of humanity.

But poetry can also be an audible experience where one person reads or recites - and interprets - a poem for the enjoyment of others, and that reading can magnify the experience for those who consume it through the ear.

John Hannah is a Scottish actor who rose to fame in the 1994 film "Four Weddings and a Funeral," a well deserved recognition that was in large part based on his recitation of a poem during the film.  Hannah played Matthew, a young man who was in a gay relationship with Gareth, a much older man played by Simon Callow.  Gareth died during the movie, becoming the "funeral" alluded to in the title.  At his funeral, Matthew steps forward and recites the poem, "Funeral Blues," by W. H. Auden.   His benediction is sudden, unexpected, and very forceful as Matthew reveals the deep extent of his survivor's pain. It is one of the most beautiful parts of the movie, made even more tender by John Hannah's deep, resonant, sonorous voice.

Auden's "Funeral Blues" was featured in this post on April 16th, 2012.

A few weeks ago I had another John Hannah moment when I was watching him in an episode of the Scottish television show, "Rebus," where Hannah portrays the show's title character.  In one of the first season shows (2000) Rebus's daughter was lying in a coma in an Edinburgh hospital with her distraught father at her bedside.  Suddenly the detective  starts reciting a compelling poetic verse from memory:

"When the sun goes down

and the moon comes up

and the old swing creaks

in the dark,

that's when we go

to the park,

me and Loopy 

   and Little Gee

      all three."

And he went on for several verses trying to establish contact with his unconscious child.  It was every bit as haunting and compelling as the "Funeral Blues" had been in the movie.  After the show ended, I got on the internet and sought out "me and Loopy and Little Gee."

It turns out that the the "poem" John Hannah recited was the text of a 1989 British children's book, "The Park in the Dark," that was written by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Barbara Firth.  It is the story of three stuffed animals - a monkey, an elephant, and a puppy who venture out to a local park each evening after their little girl goes to sleep.  The story is hauntingly beautiful as the trio brave the dark streets of London to get to their park and then home again before daylight - and it is enhanced many-fold as it resonates through the voice of John Hannah.

John Hannah's powerful voice could garner applause reading the ingredient list off of a soup can or the names in a telephone directory.  But he is the master when it comes to reading poetry aloud.  Hannah takes the words of the poet and interprets them in such a way as to deliver their full punch directly into the heart of the listener.  

When John Hannah recites a poem, he will be heard - always!