Post by tommy1 on Jan 22, 2015 18:12:28 GMT
Hi chaps,this is a poem penned by a miner when they closed Walton pit...I think its very poignant
Light in the shaft !".
Today is the day, that the mine meets it`s death,
The fan has been stopped, it has moved it`s last breath,
The pumps are now silent, the roadways will fill,
And all underground is now quiet and still.
Where miners and ponies once worked side by side,
With `Pit boys` and `Rippers` who had the same pride,
Be it `Candle lit` glow, or the `Cap lamp`s rude glare,
All people and horses were heroes down there.
A history proud will be buried today,
But memories live and forever will stay,
Of an underground city, where colliers did dwell,
And did feast on the might, of the tales they could tell.
The shaftsmen start filling, and a moaning is heard,
And though everyone swears, they did not say a word,
They cannot believe what they witness below,
A lamplight still shines, in the mine`s dying glow.
A coldness, a stillness, descends on the place,
And each person there has a look on their face,
For the light from the lamp, and the low mournful cry,
Is the voice of our ancestors, - Saying. " Goodbye !".
" Goodbye!", says the voice, as the lamp stops it`s wave,
" Leave us down here, locked in our grave,
But never forget, when you take off your boots,
That we are your brothers !, - we are your roots !".
" Take with you now, all that we hold within,
And pass these tales on, to your own `kith and kin`,
So the tale of the miner forever is told,
And the flame of his courage, - will never grow cold ! ".
“ Tell this to your children, let them tell their friends,
So the story of mining, and us, never ends,
And keep yourselves true, to our traditions divine !”.
Then the light disappeared, to die !. - With the mine !.
Light in the shaft !".
Today is the day, that the mine meets it`s death,
The fan has been stopped, it has moved it`s last breath,
The pumps are now silent, the roadways will fill,
And all underground is now quiet and still.
Where miners and ponies once worked side by side,
With `Pit boys` and `Rippers` who had the same pride,
Be it `Candle lit` glow, or the `Cap lamp`s rude glare,
All people and horses were heroes down there.
A history proud will be buried today,
But memories live and forever will stay,
Of an underground city, where colliers did dwell,
And did feast on the might, of the tales they could tell.
The shaftsmen start filling, and a moaning is heard,
And though everyone swears, they did not say a word,
They cannot believe what they witness below,
A lamplight still shines, in the mine`s dying glow.
A coldness, a stillness, descends on the place,
And each person there has a look on their face,
For the light from the lamp, and the low mournful cry,
Is the voice of our ancestors, - Saying. " Goodbye !".
" Goodbye!", says the voice, as the lamp stops it`s wave,
" Leave us down here, locked in our grave,
But never forget, when you take off your boots,
That we are your brothers !, - we are your roots !".
" Take with you now, all that we hold within,
And pass these tales on, to your own `kith and kin`,
So the tale of the miner forever is told,
And the flame of his courage, - will never grow cold ! ".
“ Tell this to your children, let them tell their friends,
So the story of mining, and us, never ends,
And keep yourselves true, to our traditions divine !”.
Then the light disappeared, to die !. - With the mine !.
