Nobbut God by Norman Nicholson, read by Michael Blackburn
Channel: English Readings
Date: 27/03/2020

Norman Nicholson (1914-1987) was a fine poet who lived most of his life in Cumbria.

“Nobbut God” is taken from Sea To The West, published by Faber and Faber in 1981.

For those not acquainted with Yorkshire/northern dialect, "nobbut" =" nothing but" or "only".

The epigraph to the poem reads:

"First on, there was nobbut God.
Genesis, Chap1, v.1., Yorkshire Dialect Translation."

The photo is courtesy of the Norman Nicholson Society.