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POETRY DAY 2007
On 16 October 2007, Buckingham Palace hosted a 'Poetry Day' with the aim of encouraging young people to read and write poetry.
Young people from selected schools were asked to write poems inspired by a series of items from the Royal Collection (The Queen's art collection). Read a selection of the best poems from the day.
They were able to see poetry readings by the Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, as well as finely tuning their own work in a series of workshops led by experienced poets such as Roger McGough.
Winner announced for poetry competition
An online competition was held for all children aged 18 and under. They were asked to write a poem inspired by the Royal Collection items shown on this page.
The Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, selected his favourite from all the poems submitted, and the winning entry was written by Jessica Chowdhury, aged 9, from London. Well done Jessica!
Here is the winning poem:
The Music Lesson
It's Sunday, in October, in 2007.
I am standing in an echoing gallery, portraits staring at me, with a cold feeling.
I see a picture, old fashioned with a range of beautiful colours.
Light red, dark brown, glowing white, sky blue.
A young woman, her face is reflected in a mirror, which stands on top of a harpsichord.
Her face looks smudged and sad.
A black, suited man, with long wavy hair, and a pointy nose, which looks pink, listens to the woman play.
Shades of daytime shadows, cover the room with darkness.
Light shines in through a window past the shadows, into the corner.
It feels as though I am the young woman having the music lesson.
She is now gone, but her image will live forever in this gallery.
Poetry Day is for you too
If you didn't come to Buckingham Palace, you can still take part at home or in your classroom using the materials on this page.
Below, you'll find pictures of the Royal Collection items which have been selected for Poetry Day, and suggestions for how you might use these items for inspiration. There is also a lesson plan for teachers which students might find useful too.
Have fun, be inspired and get writing!
Apollo driving his chariot through the clouds
Gilt-bronze and red marble mantel clock by Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751 - 1843)
Teachers' notes/points for discussion (pdf, 78KB)
The Royal Collection © 2007, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Jonah and the whale
Seascape by Gaspar Dughet (1615 - 1675)
Teachers' notes/points for discussion (pdf, 90KB)
The Royal Collection © 2007, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
A study of a woman's hands
by Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
Teachers' notes/points for discussion (pdf, 90KB)
The Royal Collection © 2007, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
St George and the dragon
A silver figure of St. George and the Dragon from the top of the cake supplied by Peek Frean for the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. Produced by the Goldsmiths' and Silversmiths' Company Limited.
Teachers' notes/points for discussion (pdf, 109KB)
The Royal Collection © 2007, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
The Music Lesson
A lady at the virginals with a gentleman by Johannes Vermeer (1632 - 1675)
Teachers' notes/points for discussion (pdf, 91KB)
The Royal Collection © 2007, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
The lesson plan
This plan covers the following topics: describing, imagining, questioning, voice and themes. It should provide a loose structure for teachers to base their lessons on. Students working by themselves may find it useful too.
Lesson plan (pdf, 129KB)
Further information on the Royal Collection items is provided in the pdfs accompanying each picture.
To download, click on 'Click to enlarge'. This will generate a larger version of the image in a pop-up box. Once the large version has appeared, right-click on it with your mouse and select 'Save Picture As'. You will then be able to save the image to your computer.
*Please note, the poetry competition is not open to employees, or relatives of employees, of the Poetry Society or the Royal Household.
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