Pristine Prosody - GramoVox: Recent Episodes
Graham DSouza
This podcast is to share my love of literature and bring to life a written text through narration and recitation. These texts are literary works ranging from Medieval to Modern time.
This is one of John Clare's most famous poems. It is deeply reflective and somber... quite different from the others I have done before. Happy listening.
Picture retrieved from: https://www.saatchiart.com
Presenting to you my humble attempt at voicing a prose poem by the great Khalil Gibran. "The Criminal" is a piece out of his collection of poems titled "A Tear & a Smile". This is a short yet powerful story of profound importance! I hope you like it.
A piece equally pretty in language as well as its imagery. Here's a sonnet by the phenomenal John Clare which speaks of the beauty of Spring. As we approach the month of May, what better poem to upload that brings out the lush beauty of God's creation!
This beautiful verse is number 35 from Tagore's beloved Gitanjali. My country, India, is in dire straits with regard to the pandemic of the corona virus. I have lost loved ones and continue to watch friends and family drown in some measure. The entire nation is swarming in hopelessness and I have recited these powerful words by our very own visionary - Tagore; which rings throughout the world as a famous song offering of human unity and strength. May my country awake - brave, united, and hopeful!
I took a little different turn with this one; Her Voice is ideally supposedly to be spoken by a female... but is fully open to male narration. I thoroughly enjoyed voicing this piece as it is brimming in charm! Do listen and tell me what you think.
This beautiful song was written by Thomas Hood(1799 - 1845): a poet and humourist who reigned supreme in Victorian England. Known for his other poems like "The Song of the Shirt" and "The Bridge of Sighs". I stumbled across this lesser known Quatern (4 quartrains = 4 stanzas of 4 lines each = 4 x 4 = 16 lines) of his while surfing through his complete works. It speaks about how love stands the test of time. I hope you like it!
A great poet of the pre romantic era and one of my personal favourites, this particular piece is chosen from William Cowper's 'Olney Hymns', a series of stunning lyrics(hymns) he composed along with John Newton. They still live on as popular quoted verses and sung hymns around the world even today; their lyrics often unmatched in their simple wisdom. This episode is particularly special as it marks a week short of a year from a severe illness I had undergone in Feb, 2020, where I was on the critical brink of leaving life itself. This was a verse I would recite on my hospital bed and remains a vital memory and reminder of my spiritual strength. I am very thankful to be alive and well again! I hope you enjoy this.
This poem is a universal favourite written by Rudyard Kipling in 1895. It is popularly quoted and and often a part of school syllabuses around the world. The poem, first published in Rewards and Fairies (1910), ch. 'Brother Square-Toes,' is written in the form of paternal advice to the poet's son, John.
The Indian writer Khushwant Singh considered the poem "the essence of the message of The Gita in English.
I hope you enjoy my humble rendition of a classic that lives on in every mind that reads it!
This beautiful song of hope is by my favourite musician, Stevie Wonder. It is written by Ron Miller & Bryan Wells. Its lyrics are powerful and while some may say its leans on utopia, Christmas is the mystic reason for us to believe in ourselves and in each other. This is my last episode for 2020... I hope it fills your heart with love! Merry Christmas & a Happy new year!
John Dryden (1631 – 1700) was a poet, playwright and literary critic; mostly known for being the first Poet Laureate of England. He was a leading literary figure during the English Restoration era and was revered by several of his compatriots. Interestingly, he was also the second cousin of one of my favourite essayists - Jonathan Swift. His subject matter was often factual, and he aimed at expressing his thoughts in the most precise and concentrated manner.
After enduring 2020 and learning huge lessons from it, this short poem which could be viewed as two Quartrain stanzas (4 lines each) sums what I feel about living in the present, perfectly. Here's to John Dryden and his mastery in verse!
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) was born into a family of slaves in Baltimore; her parents and immediate family were however free of slavery. Her mother tragically died when Frances was just 3 years old. She was then brought up by her aunt and studied in her uncle's school that stored a wide range of scattered 2nd hand literature which she deeply fancied. She studied, then taught in a couple of states and more importantly thereafter stood as an abolishinist speaker; so respected was she and her work that she was published aged 21!
I bring to you this week: Frances Harper. A woman who opened the path for countless African Americans ahead. A true unsung heroine.
This sonnet was first published in 1609. Its structure and form are a typical example of the Shakespearean sonnet (3 quartrains + 1 couplet) = 14 lines. This Sonnet talks about how the forge of true minds and love can stand the test of time despite any hurdle it may face in between; it stands as one of my favourite Shakespearean Sonnets. May you feel a sense of strength and hope towards love and life after listening to this verse!
Here's my spoken rendition of this classic love song that looks to forever stand the test of time. I hope speaking this would put a smile on Billy Joel's face.
Lines Written in Early Spring is one of the opening verses of "Lyrical Ballads"; a revolutionary publication composed but Wordsworth and Coleridge. This poem was composed in 1798 by W. Wordsworth. In this poem he speaks of how happy thoughts are prompted by the flowers, birds, etc. Nature has forged a strong connection between itself and the soul of mankind, but man has returned the favour by destroying his relations with his fellow man.
One of her best loved verses, this song of Rossetti's is from the speaker to a beloved one. It may come across as simple but it isn't as straightforward. Rossetti implies how there is an afterlife and once gone is not gone forever, even though the speaker maybe forgotten post his/her death. It is implied that though both parties may forget each other after the demise, the soul of the speaker always lives and dreams in the twilight. Recorded with love for my beloved departed ones.
Perhaps Love is one of my favourite lyrical ballads of the 80's. It was written by John Denver and besides being a gorgeous song - it makes for a beautiful recitation. A rich text like this can be dabbled with in so many ways. I deeply believe in the lyrics of this song, and I hope it inspires your view of it in some way.
Do check out the original track on spotify. Perhaps Love - John Denver. ( I challenge you not to fall in love with it!) You're welcome.
This was initially recorded for a dear friend. Popularly known as Gaiman's Sonnet of Love, it is composed in the style of the English sonnet and makes for a beautiful recitation. I hope you resonate with it!
This is simply a narration of Longfellow's "The Day is Done" ; a gorgeous piece of verse. I have voiced this for pleasure.