As Read by Orson Wells
"And it would work 'em woe:
For all averred, I had killed the bird
That made the breeze to blow.
Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay,
That made the breeze to blow!
Nor dim nor red, like God's own head,
The glorious Sun uprist:
Then all averred, I had killed the bird
That brought the fog and mist.
'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay,
That bring the fog and mist.
The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free;
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.
Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down,
'Twas sad as sad could be;
And we did speak only to break
The silence of the sea!
All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody Sun, at noon,
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the Moon.
Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.
Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink. ". From The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Long ago I read Samuel Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", first published in 1797 but greatly revised in publication in 1817. Coleridge (1772 to 1834) and his close friend William Wordsworth are credited with starting the romantic movement in English poetry. Coleridge was the intellectual leader of the movement. A few days ago I listed to several podcasts of "The Waste Land" by T. S. Eliot, on YouTube. My practice for podcasts is to listen, then read, then listen to the poem spoken by another reader, as a minimum. This is what I did with "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". No doubt if you ever read this for a class, your teacher told you it was probably at least written while Coleridge was under the influence of opium. The imagery is fantastic, the rhythm and rhymes are just marvels. I also listened to two very good lectures by Richard Holmes, world class authority on Coleridge. He compared the ancient mariner to a post traumatic shock victim, compulsively telling his story to the trapped listener, the wedding guest. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is one of the most exciting and beautiful let alone widely read poems in the English language. There has been much artistic work recreating the action of the poem, the podcast I listened to by Orson Wells has magnificent illustrations.
What are your thoughts on podcasts of great poems? Do you prefer just to read them?
Mel u
any medium that conveys poetry is good... the meter in "Mariner" is strangely like that used by Lewis Carroll in some of his nonsense verse... i wonder if that was intentional...
ReplyDeleteMel, I read this poem many years ago and it was nice to read it again. Poets capture the poignancy of real or imaginary situations so beautifully through their poetry. I like the way you go about "reading" poetry.
ReplyDeleteI don't listen to podcasts, but I do occasionally find CDs of poetry, sometimes read by the poets themselves. Hearing a poem read does affect my reading of that poem afterwards for I can now hear the poem as well as see it. I realize that I should read poetry out loud to myself, but I don't always do it.
ReplyDeleteFred,
ReplyDeleteFred, I saw how I'm open to being very influenced by the style of readings when I listened on YouTube to three readings of The Wasteland. I first heard Eliot's Reading, then that of Alex Guinness. Both were beautifully done. Then I listened to, and watched, Fiona Shaw, best known for playing Harry Potter's stepmother and actually a great actress. She made me see the importance of the different speakers, especially the Cockney women and Maria. She helped me see the poem as a drama. thanks as always for your comments
Mudpuddle, thanks for sharing this on Lewis Carroll, your input is greatly appreciated
ReplyDeletePrashant, I agree totally. Thanks for your comments, they help keep me going.
ReplyDelete