The Magpies
A famous New Zealand poem about the passage of time and the timelessness of nature.
"The Magpies" is a poem by New Zealand poet Denis Glover (1912–1980).
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1892
- Home ground
- St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
- Traditional kit
- Black and white vertical stripes
- Focal rivalry
- Sunderland (Tyne-Wear Derby)
- Supporters' nickname
- The Toon Army
Lore & Background
The poem was first published in the Caxton anthology Recent Poems in 1941, and again in Glover's 1964 anthology Enter Without Knocking. Over six short stanzas, it recounts the life of a farming couple from young man and wife through to their death of old age, each verse finishing with the couplet "And Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle/The magpies said," except for the last verse, in which the last word is "say". The intention is to indicate the passage of time and yet the timelessness of nature. The phrase imitating the call of the Australian magpie is one of the most well-known lines in New Zealand poetry.
Reader's Guide
The poem helped define New Zealand's distinctive style of poetry. Bill Manhire has commented that the line imitating the magpie's call is "determinedly unpoetic".
More in Stadium & Culture
Elsewhere in Newcastle United
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced