‘The Moon and The Zoo’: Simon Armitage poem celebrates 200 years of ZSL | Zoology

For two centuries, famous writers and artists have been inspired by the London zoo, from Edwin Landseer’s Trafalgar Square lions to AA Milne’s naming of the resident bear “Winnie” after Winnipeg and Sylvia Plath’s poem The Zoo Keeper’s Wife.

Plath’s husband, Ted Hughes, later poet laureate, worked briefly as a dishwasher at the zoo, and this experience is said to have helped provide the inspiration for The Thought Fox.

Aspect ZSL (Zoological Society of London) Celebrating its 200th anniversary, current poet Simon Armitage now joins their ranks with his latest work, The Moon and the Zoo, published to celebrate this milestone in the international conservation charity’s history.

Armitage narrates the poem, which evokes the night world of the zoo, with a specially created animation by Greg King that transports the words on a dreamlike journey from the zoo to the wider natural world.

The poem opens while the earth sleeps and the moon sleeps.”He goes under the turnstile after dark. It moves at an ancient speed in a silent arc, applying its ointment to the monkey’s paw, finding his way through the gorilla herd, It softens the fur of the silverback.”

As Armitage reflects on the shared responsibility of the natural world, it culminates with dawn and “the moon surrendered He entrusts us with the keys of the world.”

During his time with animals and staff at the London zoo, Armitage said he “met Katie, the Mexican red-kneed spider”, watched Sumatran tigers and went behind the scenes in the reptile house. He was intrigued by the secret lives of animals, “the mysterious aspects of their existence that we can never see… the thoughts and dreams we can only imagine and guess.”

He said: “Night is a metaphor for the unknown, and the moon is, and has been for millions of years, an eternal guardian and witness of these lives. Some animals are very active in the dark, but for others it must provide a respite and refuge from the global human activities that can so disrupt their needs.”

He said the moon was also a metaphor for ZSL’s work, representing “holding and caring” and “important research” away from public view.

The poem also aims to share ZSL’s message about “the wonder of the natural world” and “how the richness of nature can enrich our own thinking and expand our imagination,” he said.

“Daylight brings the human world out of its bed and sleep, the world of the sun is a world owned and governed by humans – the last line of the poem is about our obligations to nature and the trust needed for humanity and nature to find a harmonious relationship. Oh, and I wanted the poem to be fun too; fun in its images and ideas.”

ZSL was founded in 1826 to advance zoological science and in 1828 opened the London zoo, the world’s first scientific zoo, for zoologists including Charles Darwin. It was opened to the public in 1847.

ZSL CEO Kathryn England said: “For 200 years, ZSL has worked to bring people closer to wildlife and inspire action to protect it. Simon’s poem captures both the wonder of these encounters and the responsibility that comes with them. With our anniversary just days away, this is a powerful reminder of the role people can play in the future of wildlife.”

Moon and the Zoo

He goes under the turnstile after dark

It moves in a silent arc with ancient speed,

He puts his ointment on the monkey’s paw,

finding his way through the gorilla herd,

It softens the silverback’s fur.

Month

gives a crystal shine to the tiger’s eye,

makes a zebra vibrate like in an old movie,

silences the two-toed sloth when it moves.

Moving on, secret keeper and caretaker

passing through tunnels, passing through fences,

transforms the black kite into a platinum sparkle,

Repairs cracked skin with soft flux

and welding the armadillo’s chainmail.

A restless otter steps out of its burrow

and the moon rolls its ball between her feet;

The full moon spreads her milky smile

on your lips puppies and kittens and puppies.

Standing crowning the sleeping giraffe,

aye pulls out aye’s ET fingers

blesses the turtle for a midnight manicure,

lifts up his lamp to control the lions,

sharpens the boar’s teeth and brushes the wires

from the tight web of the spider in the closet

without playing any notes, then does

one last scan nests And dens.

However there is There’s still work to be done before dawn,

spreading throughout the city, distributing leaflets on the streets,

leaving animal dreams under the pillows

and bringing together the tundra, the rainforest, the swamp

or from gardens and parks to the savannah,

illuminating waking minds with wild thoughts.

Then morning breaks; the moon surrendered

He entrusts us with the keys of the world.

©Simon Armitage