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
590. Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:26
Wilfred Owen read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://classicpoetryaloud.com Giving voice to poetry of the past. ----------------------------------- Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen Bent double, like old beggars under sa…
589. Invictus by William Ernest Henley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04
William Ernest Henley read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com Giving voice to the poetry of the past. --------------------------------------- Invictus by William Ernest Henley (1849 – 1903) Out of…
588. How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26
Elizabeth Barrett Browning read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com Giving voice to the poetry of the past. -------------------------------------- How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning…
587. O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:05
Walt Whitman read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com Giving voice to poetry of the past. ----------------------------------- O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman (1819 – 1892) O CAPTAIN! my Capt…
586. To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:44
Andrew Marvell read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com Giving voice to the poetry of the past. --------------------------------------- To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell Had we but world enough…
585. Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:20
Coleridge read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com Giving voice to the poetry of the past. --------------------------------------- Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A s…
584. Surrender by Emily Dickinson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:59
Emily Dickinson read by Classic Poetry Aloud http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com Giving voice to the poetry of the past. -------------------------------------- Surrender by Emily Dickinson (1830 – 1886) Doubt me, my dim co…
583. My True Love Hath My Heart by Sir Philip Sidney [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06
Sir Philip Sidney read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com Giving voice to the poetry of the past. -------------------------------------- My True Love Hath My Heart From Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidne…
582. Show me the Way by Ella Wheeler Wilcox [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:40
Wilcox read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com Giving voice to the poetry of the past. -------------------------------------- Show me the Way by Ella Wheeler Wilcox Show me the way that leads to t…
581. Nature and Art by Alexander Pope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:44
Alexander Pope read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com Giving voice to the poetry of the past. -------------------------------------- Nature and Art from An Essay on Criticism: Part 1 by Alexander…