So annoyed for missing these, especailly as I had planned on tuning into this one after checking on the Poetry Please website and wondering if there was any more Damo!
OOOOOOH! A special treat for Monday. Awesome find domino!
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
*le sigh* As usual my eyes glazed over, my brain stopped working, and all I could do was listen blissfully to that lulling voice. It will take me at least a dozen listens I'm sure to actually grasp the poems, if not more...
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
I'd missed this as I had to go out - thank you so much for the link, I've been able to sate both my Damien and poetry fix in one go! He reads beautifully. 'En route' is a terribly difficult poem to read properly.
You're both very welcome whimsy and ellie, it was delightful to find Damien's voice amongst the others. The whole programme is utterly enchanting, and there are a few other Poetry Please programmes currently available too (sans Damo) all are wonderful, with beautiful poems read beautifully.
I have Poetry Please and Damien to thank for rekindling my love of poetry and for providing these small but transcendent moments of pure escape, little islands of much welcomed pause in the sea of life.
I must admit I am more familiar with the work of Thomas Blackburn's daugher Julia and had never read or heard En Route before. It's profound and read incredibly well.
We're also treated to 2 accents again, English for En Route and the James Joyce poem in Irish.
I also love his delivery of the Joyce poem, not an easy one to read either! And, being about a father's protective love for his son, it seems a perfect counterpoint to the darkness of 'Me and The Devil' read by Damien earlier in the year.
On The Beach at Fontana
By James Joyce
Wind whines and whines the shingle, The crazy pierstakes groan; A senile sea numbers each single Slimesilvered stone.
From whining wind and colder Grey sea I wrap him warm And touch his trembling fineboned shoulder And boyish arm.
Around us fear, descending Darkness of fear above And in my heart how deep unending Ache of love!
I really like Joyce's poetry but find his books deadly boring. (Dubliners being the exception). I would really like Damien to record them all, but that is probably just me being greedy.
Interesting you find Joyce boring, there are many words I could use for Ulysses for example but boring would not be one - if only I found that simple enough to be boring when I first read it!
I am still mulling over the meaning of the first poem.. which is genius.
Such a treat to get a little bit more poetry! I like the Joyce...but it is what it is. I find En Route quite fascinating and have now listened to it a number of times. Domino - you said its profound before....yes! - but I also find it a little bit despairing...a bit depressing, and I can't figure out if it's supposed to be uplifting!
Must admit that I'd rather Damien mostly read in his natural accent. There are obviously exceptions - some poems need a certain cultural perspective to make them work. But most poetry is written for every voice, their truths are universal, and so can be read by/as anyone... Don't know if that makes sense....
fifi, I don't think it is meant to be uplifting.. but it is profound. It is soulful.. has that soulful pain that only art can try to capture... for me anyway.
I really enjoy the treat of the different accents with the different poems!
Alas, Damien wasn't a reader on the Valentine's BBC Poetry Please today (it was fabulous nonetheless), but here are the 2 poems he read on the 'Pot Luck' programme in October last year.