[David Anthony]

This poem was the subject of the last (?) blasphemy trial in England, in 1976.
It's still illegal to publish it in the UK.
Kirkup left England after the trial to teach in Japan. He still contributes to the Tanka Journal in Japan, although he now lives in Andorra and is in his 80s.
He's published a lot, although I don't believe anyone has written his biography.
This is one of the finest free verse poems I know.

The Love That Dares To Speak Its Name
James Kirkup

As they took him from the cross
I, the centurion, took him in my arms-
the tough lean body
of a man no longer young,
beardless, breathless,
but well hung.

He was still warm.
While they prepared the tomb
I kept guard over him.
His mother and the Magdalen
had gone to fetch clean linen
to shroud his nakedness.

I was alone with him.
For the last time
I kissed his mouth. My tongue
found his, bitter with death.
I licked his wound-
the blood was harsh

For the last time
I laid my lips around the tip
of that great cock, the instrument
of our salvation, our eternal joy.
The shaft, still throbbed, anointed
with death's final ejaculation.

I knew he'd had it off with other men-
with Herod's guards, with Pontius Pilate,
With John the Baptist, with Paul of Tarsus
with foxy Judas, a great kisser, with
the rest of the Twelve, together and apart.
He loved all men, body, soul and spirit. - even me.

So now I took off my uniform, and, naked,
lay together with him in his desolation,
caressing every shadow of his cooling flesh,
hugging him and trying to warm him back to life.
Slowly the fire in his thighs went out,
while I grew hotter with unearthly love.

It was the only way I knew to speak our love's proud name,
to tell him of my long devotion, my desire, my dread-
something we had never talked about. My spear, wet with blood,
his dear, broken body all open wounds,
and in each wound his side, his back,
his mouth - I came and came and came

as if each coming was my last.
And then the miracle possessed us.
I felt him enter into me, and fiercely spend
his spirit's final seed within my hole, my soul,
pulse upon pulse, unto the ends of the earth-
he crucified me with him into kingdom come.

-This is the passionate and blissful crucifixion
same-sex lovers suffer, patiently and gladly.
They inflict these loving injuries of joy and grace
one upon the other, till they die of lust and pain
within the horny paradise of one another's limbs,
with one voice cry to heaven in a last divine release.

Then lie long together, peacefully entwined, with hope
of resurrection, as we did, on that green hill far away.
But before we rose again, they came and took him from me.
They knew not what we had done, but felt
no shame or anger. Rather they were glad for us,
and blessed us, as would he, who loved all men.

And after three long, lonely days, like years,
in which I roamed the gardens of my grief
seeking for him, my one friend who had gone from me,
he rose from sleep, at dawn, and showed himself to me before
all others. And took me to him with

the love that now forever dares to speak its name.


James Kirkup

[conny]

Awesome.And outrageous. Probably the common reaction.
I have to say though that if I was Lord Justice
Whoeveritwas, I`d probably ban it as well. Really
the strongest coherent poem i`ve ever seen.


DC

[nyctom]

I promised David I would post the pm I sent him about this. So here it is, with one or two changes.

Well, what a poem. Perhaps being a gay man (and from an Irish Catholic family to boot), it hit with a different impact than it would say, the judges in Kirkup's blasphemy (??!!!) trial. I don't like all of it. The "but well hung" line is unintentionally funny (I am thinking of what Joe Orton says about mixing elegance and crudity), the title and ending just annoys me (the ONLY good play on Wilde I like is from an American humorist, Fran Lebowitz, who once called homosexuality "the love that dares not speak its last name.")and part of me violently disagrees with:

-This is the passionate and blissful crucifixion
same-sex lovers suffer, patiently and gladly.
They inflict these loving injuries of joy and grace
one upon the other, till they die of lust and pain
within the horny paradise of one another's limbs,
with one voice cry to heaven in a last divine release.

But the poem has been reverberating in my head since you posted it. And I have sent it to my best friend. He is a painter who once worked a canvas named "Love Is a Vampire: Gethsename" dealing with something very similar.

Interesting no one has dared comment on it yet.

nyctom

[Razbikowski]

Nuke all the squinty-eyed f-ks again. Hey, nuke anyone who disagrees. Nuke anyone who doesn't get it.

Me first.

Do they actually ban bad poetry in Japan?

(My kingdom for an interesting I-f-ked-Jesus-poem.)

-Raz

[Solan]

I'd usually groan "Oh no! Not yet another smart-ass who tries to shock!" at pieces of this character. But this one was well executed: I didn't expect what was coming (no pun intended) and at first thought the pun "well hung" was about as far as it would go before making some generic critique of religion. But it had surprising twists all through (voltas?), and had this old heathen read through with a dropped jaw. Quite a unique event.

But I worry about a technicality: Can AbleMuse/Eratosphere be charged with blasphemy for making this available on the Internet without barring UK addresses?


------------------
Svein Olav

.. another life

[conny]

I volunteer as a character witness should
the need arise.

[David Anthony]

No, Raz, they rather welcome bad poetry in Japan: in fact they've published a fair amount of mine.
Here's a link to some background info. It covers off Svein's point on the legalities: http://www.alsopreview.com/jkirkup.html
Regards

[Razbikowski]

Thanks for the link. Still don't think I care for the poem.

-Raz

[Marti Opdenbrow]

Good writing, but of course he violated the taboo of taboos with that one. Interesting that there has been lots of un-banned literature suggesting sexual undercurrents, if not actual sex, between Christ and women.....but this one is banned....

[David Anthony]

I myself found the subject matter shocking, and I have a great personal difficulty relating to homosexual love themes, not to mention the blasphemy and necrophilia. Also parts of it are preachy and tiresome.
However, there's a soaring, religious grace to it that, for me, pardons all.
Interesting question, I think, how far poetry may acceptably diverge from established cultural and social norms.
Regards