DAVID SCOTT was clearly an influence for good in the lives of those who met and knew him. Be Still, Be Silent introduces a new audience to his writing. It reminds us of how well and naturally poetry can sit alongside ministry and discipleship in all the varied seasons of life — and it is a direct challenge to those who argue that there are no inheritors of the rich tradition of George Herbert among the clergy of this century, that clergy are not as gifted and particular as once they were.
Scott died in October 2022. This book is an introduction to the theological themes, technique. and hinterland of his poetry. It is written by his friend John Mann, who organises his reflections on Scott’s poetry under four headings: Annunciation, Nativity, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. His observations draw widely on Scott’s life, writing, influences, and impact, moving easily between what inspired Scott to write a particular piece and the conversations and journeys that he shared with Scott.
Scott’s significance and impact as a priest-poet are made clear in the fact that the “Tribute” is by Mark Oakley and the foreword is by Malcolm Guite. Oakley describes Scott’s “Pietà” as: “Assured with reticence, and patient with life’s filtered light. . . In David’s poems life’s immensities are intimate and its intimacies are immense.” (He also offers the text of the first David Scott Lecture from 2017 at the end of the book, exploring why priests often become poets.) Guite’s foreword is a deeply personal thanksgiving: Scott was Guite’s school chaplain, who made the idea of faith credible to him and made the thought of being a poet a tangible possibility.
Scott’s whole life, ministry, and work were directed to that same end. Deeply English, immensely Anglican, his poems are rooted in everyday life and demonstrate the rare skill of capturing the moment when what is earthy and daily mingles with the divine becoming incarnate. Scott finds depth and God in even the most mundane and routine parts of the priest’s work and craft, putting into words what is too often missed or rushed past. He is also excellent at describing a place, a moment, a piece of art, a life well-lived.
It is perhaps an unavoidable weakness of a collection like this that Mann, in surveying the whole of Scott’s work, inevitably refers to poems that are not printed in the book. Good though Mann’s writing is, it is outshone by the poems that he is presenting. This is a book that intends to keep a precious voice alive. It will absolutely have fulfilled its purpose if, like me, its readers are inspired to buy some of the poetry that this book does such an excellent job of standing alongside and introducing.
The Revd Richard Lamey is Director of Mission and Ministry in the diocese of Norwich.
Be Still, Be Silent: Reflections on the poetry of David Scott
John Mann
Canterbury Press £15.99
(978-1-78622-675-4)
Church Times Bookshop £12.79