598. The Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy

598. The Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy

Author: Classic Poetry Aloud November 18, 2013 Duration: 1:44
Thomas Hardy read by Classic Poetry Aloud www.classicpoetryaloud.com Twitter: @classicpoetry Facebook: www.facebook.com/poetryaloud Giving voice to the poetry of the past. -------------------------------------- The Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy (1840 – 1928) I leant upon a coppice gate When Frost was spectre-gray, And Winter’s dregs made desolate The weakening eye of day. The tangled bine-stems scored the sky Like strings of broken lyres, And all mankind that haunted nigh Had sought their household fires. The land’s sharp features seem’d to be The Century’s corpse outleant, His crypt the cloudy canopy, The wind his death-lament. The ancient pulse of germ and birth Was shrunken hard and dry, And every spirit upon earth Seem'd fervourless as I. At once a voice arose among The bleak twigs overhead In a full-hearted evensong Of joy illimited; An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small, In blast-beruffled plume, Had chosen thus to fling his soul Upon the growing gloom. So little cause for carollings Of such ecstatic sound Was written on terrestrial things Afar or nigh around, That I could think there trembled through His happy good-night air Some blessèd Hope, whereof he knew And I was unaware. Reading © Classic Poetry Aloud 2007.

There’s a particular magic that happens when a great poem is spoken aloud, a texture and rhythm that can sometimes be missed on the page. Classic Poetry Aloud is built on that simple, powerful idea. Each episode is a quiet moment devoted to a single, timeless work, read clearly and without distraction. You’ll hear the familiar cadences of Shakespeare and Wordsworth alongside perhaps lesser-known voices from centuries past, all selected from a growing library that serves as a rich resource for aficionados and newcomers alike. This podcast strips away analysis and commentary, focusing purely on the spoken word. The intention is to make these works more accessible, allowing the listener to be swept up in the original language, the metre, and the emotion as intended by the poet. It’s an experience that often deepens appreciation, revealing new layers in a sonnet you thought you knew or introducing you to a stunning piece you’d never encountered. Tuning in to Classic Poetry Aloud is like having a private, ever-expanding anthology of the world’s finest verse, ready to be heard whenever you need a moment of reflection, beauty, or solace.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 50

Classic Poetry Aloud
Podcast Episodes
611. Winter Nightfall by Robert Bridges [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21
Robert Bridges read by Classic Poetry Aloud www.classicpoetryaloud.com Twitter: @classicpoetry Facebook: www.facebook.com/poetryaloud Giving voice to the poetry of the past. -------------------------------------------- W…
610. Remember by Christina Georgina Rossetti [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12
Christina Georgina Rossetti read by Classic Poetry Aloud www.classicpoetryaloud.com Twitter: @classicpoetry Facebook: www.facebook.com/poetryaloud Giving voice to the poetry of the past. ---------------------------------…
609. Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:48
John Keats read by Classic Poetry Aloud www.classicpoetryaloud.com Twitter: @classicpoetry Facebook: www.facebook.com/poetryaloud Giving voice to poetry of the past. --------------------------------------------------- Od…
608. A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03
Robert Burns read by Classic Poetry Aloud www.classicpoetryaloud.com Twitter: @classicpoetry Facebook: www.facebook.com/poetryaloud Giving voice to the poetry of the past. -------------------------------------------- My…
607. The Lost Mistress by Robert Browning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20
Robert Browning read by Classic Poetry Aloud www.classicpoetryaloud.com Twitter: @classicpoetry Facebook: www.facebook.com/poetryaloud Giving voice to the poetry of the past. ---------------------------------------------…
606. The Rhodora by Ralph Waldo Emerson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16
Ralph Waldo Emerson read by Classic Poetry Aloud www.classicpoetryaloud.com Twitter: @classicpoetry Facebook: www.facebook.com/poetryaloud Giving voice to the poetry of the past. -----------------------------------------…
605. The Garden of Love by William Blake [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:52
William Blake read by Classic Poetry Aloud www.classicpoetryaloud.com Twitter: @classicpoetry Facebook: www.facebook.com/poetryaloud Giving voice to the poetry of the past. -----------------------------------------------…
604. Forget Not Yet by Sir Thomas Wyatt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18
Sir Thomas Wyatt read by Classic Poetry Aloud www.classicpoetryaloud.com Twitter: @classicpoetry Facebook: www.facebook.com/poetryaloud Giving voice to the poetry of the past. --------------------------------------------…
603. Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:45
Matthew Arnold read by Classic Poetry Aloud www.classicpoetryaloud.com Twitter: @classicpoetry Facebook: www.facebook.com/poetryaloud Giving voice to the poetry of the past. ----------------------------------------------…
602. The Drum by John Scott [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20
John Scott read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com Twitter: @classicpoetry Facebook: www.facebook.com/poetryaloud Giving voice to the poetry of the past. ------------------------------------------…