The Irrelevant Song

by Brian Patten

2nd revised edition. in very good condition

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 1971

Reviews

[Paul Alkazraji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a season, long-gone and vaguely remembered, these poems awakened something creative in me. I wanted to write words like these too: free flowing but with refrains, as the words of songs, accessible but closer to the poet’s craft. And so I did.

Brian Patten’s ‘The Irrelevant Song’ is full of odes to love’s replete and transient moments, so keenly felt and wistful, like these:

‘I met her early in the evening
The cars were going home
I was twenty-four and dreaming…
When the street railings were burning.’

And: ‘I caught a train that passed the town where you lived…
One evening when the park was soaking
You hid beneath trees, and all around you dimmed itself
as if the earth were lit by gaslight.’

As if one of Patten’s park gates swung open before me, I entered then a world I’m still a part of some thirty-five years later, which took me from poetry to journalism, biography and novel writing.

I didn’t read all the poems in this collection at that time. I didn’t need to. Those I read chimed so well with my student mood that I was moved to begin. Thank you Mr Patten. Still lovely words… and a very relevant song.

By this reviewer:

[Sylvia Clare · Rating 1 out of 5]

ok not a huge fan but I think this is due to the times and the age of the poet when these were written and our age and times now, even though we are more or less contemporaries. Nothing really connected deeply or profoundly yet they were all readable and we did read them all.

[erris · Rating 2 out of 5]

men shouldnt write poetry tbh

best poems were:
-i caught a train that passed the town where you lived
-is the innocence of any flesh sleeping
-the heroine bitches
-road song
-spring song

but even these weren't that good imo

[Ruth Brumby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much of its time and lacking in some harshness - all a bit floaty. I liked 'Meat' best.