St George’s was extremely privileged to welcome the National Poet of Wales, Mrs Gillian Clarke, at school. Mrs Clarke has written 15 books of poetry and numerous other works, including plays, over the course of her career. She visited St George’s as part of Luxembourg’s “Printemps des Poètes” festival, taking place in the Grand Duchy this week. 88 students in Year 6 and Year 7 gathered in Barthel Hall to hear her speak.

Mrs Clarke began by telling students a bit about her life and the background of one of her poems, “Polar”, which is the first poem in her most recent book Ice. The poem’s subject is a polar bear rug which was an especially treasured object of Mrs Clarke’s childhood, although as an adult she felt outraged that an animal could be harmed for the sole purpose of creating a rug. Her second reading, a poem about the extinction of the Dodo bird (“Dodo”), underlined her passion for animals and for saving the environment – a message that she feels called to pass on to students.

The members of the audience had many questions for the poet, and Mrs Clarke was extremely pleased with their enthusiasm and the “sparkle in their eyes,” as she said after the presentation. Some of the questions included: - What is your favourite poem? Have you been inspired by other poets? Do you have any hobbies besides writing? And of course What ever happened to the polar bear rug?

Mrs Clarke shared that she had been inspired by many poets, including Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney, and that her favourite poem could easily be a Shakespearean sonnet or Dylan Thomas’ “Do not go gentle into that good night”. She described her writing not as a hobby, but as a “calling”, but said that she did enjoy taking care of her ten sheep and her plot of land in her free time.

Aside from being inspired by her words and the eloquence of her writing, her passion for animals and the environment certainly left an impression on students. She finished by saying, “The world is in your hands – it is up to you to save it!”