All audio files can be found on our catalog page: http://librivox.org/the-men-who-live-it-down-by-henry-lawson/
MANY of the verses in this volume (When I Was King (1906)) appeared originally in the SYDNEY Bulletin, others in the Daily Telegraph, Town and Country Journal, Evening News, World's News, Australian Star, Amateur Gardener, and KALGOORLIE Sun, while eleven are reprinted from The Children of the Bush, published by Messrs. Methuen and Co., London. ( from the Introduction)
Each fortnight a poem is chosen to be recorded by as many LibriVox volunteers as possible!
This poem was suggested by SonOfTheExiles.
This fortnight's poem can be found here.
[*] Project Code: yYUkOUHl
Set your recording software to:
Channels: 1 (Mono)
Bit Rate: 128 kbps
Sample Rate: 44100 kHz
Have questions on "how"?
Check LV's Recording Notes thread before recording. If this is your first recording, you'll also find this Newbie Guide to Recording useful.
Begin your reading with the abbreviated LibriVox disclaimer:
No more than 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning of the recording!
Then read the poem:The Men Who Live It Down by Henry Lawson, read for LibriVox.org by [your name].
[Add, if you wish, date, your location, and/or your personal url.]
I HAVE sinned, like others, blindly, without thought and without fear,
And my best friends say it kindly, 'You should go away from here.'
Shall I fly the paltry spirit of a narrow little town,
While the battle-drums are beating for the men who live it down?
Down the street where all men know me I can walk with level eyes,
They believe the lies about me, they can sneer, but I despise.
From my black and bitter childhood, from my dull and joyless youth,
It is I who--it is I who--I and Christ who know the truth!
I have sinned, but as a man might; like a man I'll rise again
From long nights of mental torture, from long days of care and pain.
Pass me by with eyes averted, with a shrug or with a frown,
But their heads shall bow in ashes long ere my head shall go down!
Ah! the curs, who dare not trespass, quick to sneer and quick to blame;
But the wider world is kinder--it takes long to damn a name.
There's a heart that's worth a million and a head that's worth a crown,
And the flash of bright eyes sometimes for the men who live it down.
There's a hand-grip close and silent, firm in trust and sympathy,
Sends the old thrill through my being, sends the old hopes up in me.
There is one who'll stand beside me when the screen is round my bed,
And the godly pass their stricture on the sinner who is dead.
When the crape is round my picture and my mad, wild spirit's free--
And you realise how little you have ever known of me
When the worst is said and printed by the coward and the clown,
Then, I trust, a friend might answer--'There lies one who lived it down.'
At the end of your reading, leave a space and then say:
End of poem. This recording is in the public domain.
Please leave 5 seconds of silence at the end of your recording.
Save your recording as an mp3 file using the following filename and ID3 tag format:
File name - all in lowercase: liveitdown_lawson_your initials in lowercase_128kb.mp3
(e.g. liveitdown_lawson_klh_128kb.mp3 )
ID3 tags (Version 2.30): (ID tags are completed during cataloging)
Transfer of files (completed recordings) Please always post in this forum thread when you've sent a file. Also, post the length of the recording (file duration: mm:ss) together with the link.
- Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader
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(If you wish to contribute, please have your readings submitted by 0600 GMT Sunday, June 19, 2016. (12:00AM CDT)
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(And remember, anyone can suggest a poem for a certain week and/or coordinate an upcoming fortnightly poem! If you'd like to suggest a poem or coordinate a future Fortnightly Poetry project, please visit this thread.)