T. S. Eliot, Later Poems 1925-1935

I picked up a second impression (Nov. 1942) of this Faber &
Faber publication today.

What makes it interesting is the inscription on the ffep:

at Bletchley,
morne plaine,
of fevrier 1944

A curious mix of English and French. The words "morne
plaine" come from a Victor Hugo poem. The line is:
Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, morne plaine!

The usual translation would be "dismal plain", but this has
been written into a book of T. S. Eliot's poetry, so I think
the inscriber intended us to read - in English - "waste land".

Since this waste land of February, 1944, was viewed from
Bletchley, we can infer that the inscriber was engaged in
the code-breaking activities that went on there. That was
the month, by the way, that the huge computer designed by
Alan Turing (today is his 100th birthday) was turned on at
Bletchley Park.

The inscriber would be well-educated, likely either English
or French, to appreciate the poetry of Victor Hugo as well
as that of Eliot. But Bletchley was a large installation
and I find that a review of the people who worked there
yields too many possibilities for me to make any further
deduction.

--
Francis A. Miniter

Mesure is Medicine þauh þou muche �eor[n]e.
Al nis not good to þe gost þat þe bodi lykeþ,
Ne lyflode to þe licam þat leof is to þe soule.

William Langland, The Vision of Piers Plowman
Passus I, lines 33 - 35