Her poems now provide often touching but revealing insights into the social history of the life of the upper middle classes in mid twentieth century Britain & the upheavals of war.
This one reminds me of Winifred Peck’s novel about another woman’s experiences of ‘the servant problem.’
Tribute to a treasure
A young hand-maiden served me once,
She house-kept with a pleasing grace.
Her temperament was calm & light,
Her very presence blessed the place.
She never got a message wrong,
She cooked & cleaned, she sewed & swept;
She washed & ironed, she fed the dog:
She almost never over-slept.
Nor did she self-indulge in moods
To load my heart with weighty fears
By looking martyred, cross or hurt;
Instead she sang along the years.
Five happy years of carefree days!
And now my loved & leaned-on staff
Has, rightly, lain her apron by
To go in service with the WAAF
Joyce Grenfell 1941
Links
Joyce Grenfell: Hats Off
University of Bristol: Joyce Grenfell archive
YouTube: Nursery School
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