'Trio' (SQA National 5 English): Revision Note

Below is a guide to Edwin Morgan’s poem ‘Trio’ in preparation for the SQA National 5 English exam. It includes:

• Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations

• Writer’s methods: an exploration of Morgan’s techniques and methods

• Understanding the poem: an exploration of the themes and ideas within Morgan’s poem

• Linking the poems: an understanding of how ‘Trio’ connects to Morgan’s other prescribed poems for the Scottish text section

Overview

In order to answer questions on any poem, it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• An overview of the poem

• A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section

• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Edwin Morgan’s intention and message

‘Trio’ overview

‘Trio’, written by the poet Edwin Morgan, is a celebration of the vitality and joy of three people described by a speaker in central Glasgow. Morgan uses the characters to further present what he deems to be the true meaning of Christmas.

‘Trio’ translation 

Lines 1-2

Translation

• The poem begins in the present, in medias res (opens in a new tab), with the speaker describing three people on Buchanan Street in Glasgow

• The characters are a male and two females, and the time of year is Christmas

Morgan’s intention

• The setting, “Buchanan Street”, is one of Glasgow’s main shopping streets, adding a sense of reality to the events that follow

• The word “quickly” immediately establishes a sense of pace and liveliness in the poem

• Despite the season being “winter”, the word “sharp” has connotations (opens in a new tab) of conditions that are refreshing and life-affirming

• The characters who are introduced in line 2, “a young man and two girls” are unnamed and therefore carry a universal appeal

Lines 3-5

Translation

• The speaker offers each character a line of introduction

• Importantly, they are each described as holding different items: a guitar, a baby, and a dog 

Morgan’s intention

• By using three separate lines to introduce the three characters, the speaker identifies the group as a united trio who also have distinct differences

• The word “carries” is repeated to highlight the importance of their cargo:

  • The “guitar” represents the joy and harmony music offers

  • The “baby” symbolises the preciousness of new life

  • The “chihuahua” represents something cute and novel

• Together, the group are bearing gifts in the same way the Three Wise Men offered gifts upon the birth of Jesus, thus linking with the theme of Christmas

Lines 6-8

Translation

• As the trio continue along the road, the speaker describes the joy implicit in their movements, actions and words

Morgan’s Intention

• The use of “the three of them” once again unites the trio

• Their collective joy is reinforced by “laughing” and “cloud of happiness”

• The boy’s dialogue (opens in a new tab) emphasises how much he looks forward to offering a gift

• In this context, the word “but” in the Glaswegian dialect means “though”:

  • The use of dialect adds authenticity and personality to the speaker and event

Lines 9-11

Translation

• Here, the focus switches to the three items first described in lines 3-5

• In turn, they are described in great detail to emphasise their vibrancy

Morgan’s intention 

• Firstly, the small dog is presented as sweet and cute, dressed in a “tartan coat” that is compared, using a simile (opens in a new tab), to a “tea pot-holder”:

  • The image puts the attention on something that is both fun and memorable

• Secondly, the baby is described as being in “white”, a reference to its symbolic (opens in a new tab) innocence, while its “bright” eyes suggest its attentive nature and willingness to engage with the world:

  • Another simile is used, comparing the baby’s expression to “favours in a cake”

  • Just as “favours” are seen as treats, so too does the baby bring joy to the lives of others

• Thirdly, the guitar is presented as immaculately wrapped, suggesting great care has gone into preparing the gift:

  • Like the baby dressed in “white”, the reference to “milky” suggests innocence, while the use of “brisk” to describe the "mistletoe" suggests vitality

• Together, by presenting the three images as wrapped, the speaker highlights the precious nature of the gifts

Lines 12-15

Translation

• Inspired by the trio carrying presents, the speaker makes short statements on each

• “Orphean” relates to Orpheus, a poet and musician of Greek mythology, who could charm all living things with his music

• The next lines offer a reflection on the experience, with the speaker questioning the meaning of Christmas

Morgan’s intention

• The “vale of tears” is a biblical allusion (opens in a new tab), referring to a symbolically hard, sorrowful place:

  • However, in this context the “vale of tears” is “powerless”, and so stripped of strength or influence

• The repetition (opens in a new tab) of “you” emphasises the universal nature of the poet’s message

• Line 14 also suggests the debate over the birth of Christ is irrelevant:

  • What matters most is the protective power of “the Christmas lights” and the symbolism they possess

• The break in line 15 emphasises the notion of “abdicates”:

  • Just as the line is broken, so too is “fate” defeated

Lines 16-18

Translation

• The speaker’s message becomes increasingly optimistic, focusing on how evil cannot conquer the joy experienced by the trio

Morgan’s intention

• A tricolon (“go blank”, “scattered back”, “march of three”) emphasises a three-pronged assault on life’s problems and negativity

• The word “Monsters”, suggesting something evil with bad intentions, is used to contrast the positive, united qualities of the “march of three”

Lines 19-23

Translation

• The hyphen indicates a movement in time:

  • However, despite the physical absence of the trio, their influence is sustained

Morgan’s intention

• The word choice of “vanished” suggests the magical, ethereal presence of the trio:

  • However, their influence remains, symbolised by their gifts

• The tricolon “of men and beasts

• , and music” relates to the gifts carried by the trio

• The sound of “laughter ringing them round like a guard” refers back to the idea of the protective power of the trio

• The poem concludes hopefully, with the “end” of something being heralded as a symbolic opportunity for a fresh beginning

Writer’s methods

Although this section is organised into three separate sections — form, structure and language — it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have. 

Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme and includes Edwin Morgan’s intentions behind his choices in terms of:

• Form

• Structure

• Language

Form

Edwin Morgan’s poem is a monologue (opens in a new tab) describing the experience of seeing three people walking along Buchanan Street in Glasgow, each carrying a gift. The poem offers hope amid a winter-time context.

Structure

The use of free verse (opens in a new tab) and the present tense gives a sense of both reality and immediacy to the poem, enabling Morgan to fully explore the immense power of human nature as a force for good.

Language

Edwin Morgan uses vivid word choice and imagery (opens in a new tab) to elevate what seems to be an ordinary event, turning it into something meaningful.

Understanding the poem

For the SQA National 5 English exam, it’s important to show a clear and thoughtful understanding of the poem’s themes and main ideas, as well as how the poet’s techniques and intentions help to convey meaning. This section focuses on two main themes that Morgan examines in ‘Trio’:

• Celebration of human nature

• Optimism

Celebration of human nature

• At its heart, ‘Trio’ is a poem that celebrates the best qualities of human nature

• The setting is meant to represent a typical street in Glasgow:

  • Morgan uses a real place to offer a sense of authenticity, making events seem more emotional as a result

• The three ordinary people exude joy and warmth, as symbolised by the objects they carry:

  • Their joy is not reserved to themselves, but is infectious and lasts beyond their physical presence

• The poem is also set at Christmas-time, offering an important reminder:

  • Regardless of your religious beliefs, Christmas is a period that symbolises the generous nature of the human spirit

Optimism

• Despite the “sharp winter setting”, Morgan’s poem is relentlessly optimistic in its tone and ideas

• This is most clearly represented in the biblical reference to the “vale of tears”: this notion of misery is comprehensively countered by the optimism of the trio:

  • Such is the power of their joy and happiness, such negativity “abdicates” (or is redundant) in the optimistic face of the sparkling “Christmas lights”

  • The optimism continues to destroy pessimism, with the “Monsters” defeated by the united stance (“this march”) of the trio

• Finally, even when the group have moved on from Buchanan Street, their influence is perpetual:

  • This ends the poem on an optimistic, uplifting tone that even a “winter’s day” cannot dampen

Linking the poems

Students often use Edwin Morgan’s poetry to answer the Scottish texts section of the SQA National 5 Critical Reading exam. If you choose, though, you can write your critical essay question on Morgan’s poetry instead. 

If you decide to write about Morgan for the Scottish text section, the final question asks you to demonstrate a wider understanding of his poetry. This means linking more than one poem together by focusing on his ideas and how he communicates them (his techniques). 

The six Edwin Morgan poems on the SQA syllabus are:

• ‘In the Snack-bar’

• ‘Trio’

• ‘Strawberries’

• ‘Love’

• ‘Glasgow Sonnet (i)’

• ‘Death in Duke Street’

Here are some parallels between the six poems, organised by shared themes: