Naming of parts

Following on from yesterday's oddly didactic llama photo, I thought I'd dig out this old favourite, the first in the 'Lessons of the War' trilogy by the British poet, Henry Reed. They are widely anthologised (the first and third ones particularly) separately, but one very rarely finds them together. Perhaps I'll post the others in a week or two.

Anyone who has ever done any form of military training in the UK will immediately recognise the distinctive character, the voice of the British non-commissioned officer - a type, a class that doesn't seem to have changed in 50 or a 100 years or more.

Naming of Parts

Today we have naming of parts. Yesterday

We had daily cleaning. And tomorrow morning,

We shall have what to do after firing. But today,

Today we have naming of parts. Japonica

Glistens like coral in all of the neighbouring gardens,

And today we have naming of parts.

This is the lower sling swivel. And this

Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,

When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,

Which in your case you have not got. The branches

Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,

Which in our case we have not got.

This is the safety-catch, which is always released

With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me

See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy

If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms

Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see

Any of them using their finger.

And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this

Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it

Rapidly backwards and forwards; we call this

Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards

The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers:

They call it easing the Spring.

They call it easing the Spring. It is perfectly easy

If you have any strength in your thumb; like the bolt,

And the breech, and the cocking piece, and the point of balance,

Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom

Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards,

For today we have naming of parts.

Henry Reed (1914-1986)