Favourite poems
As promised in an earlier post, here are readings of some of my favourite poems (by people with a gift for bringing them to life)
First off the glorious Maggie Smith lending her cut glass tones along with the nasal rolls of the engaging Kenneth Williams reading a poem from the lovely John Betjemen. In interviews he always comes across as such a gentle, self-effacing, warmhearted man.
Also by the same poet, a toast to Oscar Wilde (read by Tom O'Bedlam).
Speaking of whom, the glorious Vincent Price reads the sumptuous The Harlot's House by Oscar Wilde. Fantastic arabesques indeed.
Stevie Smith reads one of her poems and talks about the inspiration for it.
I am including Robert Browning's murderous My Last Duchess more, I must admit, for the wonderful voice of the late James Mason than for the poem itself (though it is a great example of narrative, first person poetry).
In a similar vein, here is the equally late Richard Burton reciting John Donne's Go and Catch a Falling Star (many people of my spiritual outlook will enjoy the mythical images at the beginning, if not the somewhat embittered conclusion - one assumes Donne had been stood up once too often when he wrote the poem!)
First off the glorious Maggie Smith lending her cut glass tones along with the nasal rolls of the engaging Kenneth Williams reading a poem from the lovely John Betjemen. In interviews he always comes across as such a gentle, self-effacing, warmhearted man.
Also by the same poet, a toast to Oscar Wilde (read by Tom O'Bedlam).
Speaking of whom, the glorious Vincent Price reads the sumptuous The Harlot's House by Oscar Wilde. Fantastic arabesques indeed.
Stevie Smith reads one of her poems and talks about the inspiration for it.
I am including Robert Browning's murderous My Last Duchess more, I must admit, for the wonderful voice of the late James Mason than for the poem itself (though it is a great example of narrative, first person poetry).
In a similar vein, here is the equally late Richard Burton reciting John Donne's Go and Catch a Falling Star (many people of my spiritual outlook will enjoy the mythical images at the beginning, if not the somewhat embittered conclusion - one assumes Donne had been stood up once too often when he wrote the poem!)
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