Edmund Charles BLUNDEN [1896-1974]
Primary tabs
Submitted by David on Tue, 2017-05-16 15:28
Sex:
Male
Status:
Deceased
Dates of birth & death from his page on Wikipedia.
The timeline on EdmundBlunden.org says he spent 1953-1964 in Hong Kong, as Chair of English at Hong Kong University:
-
1953 late September - Sails to Hong Kong to take up position of Chair of English at Hong Kong University.
-
1964 - Leaves Hong Kong to return to England and moves to the Suffolk village of Long Melford.
Photos that show this person
 1954 |
 |
Comments
Henry Ching remembers Edmund
Henry Ching remembers Edmund Blunden:
Jerome Mellor has posted a photo of a bust of Edmund Blunden. I am not as fortunate as Jerome, but I do have Blunden’s “Undertones of War” and “Cricket Country” on my book shelf, and have read them many times.
Blunden was not exactly a young man when he arrived in Hong Kong to take up his professorial appointment at the University, but he enthusiastically agreed to keep wickets for our 2nd XI which I captained at the time. The attached is a much treasured note which he sent me excusing himself from a match.
I recall another occasion when a delivery from our fast bowler hit him in the chest. It obviously hurt, but he rubbed his chest gently and crouched down for the next delivery, which he took cleanly. He then approached me and apologetically asked for permission to leave the field. We learned later that the previous delivery that had hit him had fractured his collar bone.
He was highly regarded and much respected by us all. “Glorious will be the long adventurous day, and sweet will vespers be, to hush their play”.
Poetry Booklet Printed in 1959 by Edmund Blunden
A Hong Kong House
And now a dove and now a dragon-fly
Came to the garden; sometimes as we sat
Outdoors in twilight noiseless owl and bat
Flew shadowily by.
It was no garden; - so adust, red-dry
The rock-drift soil was, no kind root or sweet
Scent-subtle flower would house there, but I own
At certain seasons, burning bright,
Full blown,
Some trumpet-purple blooms blazed at the sun's huge light.
And then? tell more.
The hardy lizard and quite nimble toad
Had courage often to explore
Our large abode.
The infant lizard whipped across the wall
To his own objects; how to slide like him
Along an upright plane and never fall
Ascribe to Eastern whim.
The winged ants flocked to our lamp; and shed
Their petally wings, and walked and crept instead.
The palm-tree top soared into the golden blue
And soaring skywards drew
Its straight stem sketched with many rings.
And one broad holm-like tree whose name I never knew
Was decked through all its branches with broidering leaves
Of pattern-loving creeper; fine warblings
And gong-notes thence were sounded at our ears
By clever birds one very seldom spied,
Except when they, of one tree tired
Into another new desired
Over the lawn and scattered playthings chose to glide.
Edmund Blunden