COMPLETE [Fortnightly Poetry] Lines, On Hearing That Lady Byron Was Ill - dl

Solo or group recordings that are finished and fully available for listeners
msfry
Posts: 11663
Joined: June 4th, 2013, 9:09 am
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by msfry »

Lines, On Hearing That Lady Byron Was Ill by George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824).

All audio files can be found on our catalog page: https://librivox.org/lines-on-hearing-that-lady-byron-was-ill-by-george-gordon-lord-byron/
Here is a bitterly sarcastic poem wherein a jilted Lord Byron spits out his distain for his estranged wife, Lady Byron, laying a curse upon her, accusing her of being a "moral Clytemnestra" (wife of Agamemnon, who conspired with her lover Aegisthus to murder her husband). The Byrons were only together 2 years before she fled to the safety of her parents' estate with their infant daughter and refused to see him henceforth, due to his debauchery, cruelty, and profligate spending of her money. Lord Byron was run out of Parlaiment and fled England for his scandalous behavior, and especially for having had an incestuous affair with his half-sister (with whom he had another daughter). But as he was a Lord, (and as he was a typical man of the period who considered himself his wife's Lord to do with as he pleased), he always blamed Lady Byron's high morals, unwillingness to speak up for him in public (he considered her silence treason), and what he perceived as her "unforgiveness" for his downfall. He often waged war with her in public through his poetry. Lord Byron left such a large body of letters, essays and "worlds' best" poetry, some don't realize he died at age 36. (Summary by Michele Fry)
Each fortnight a poem is chosen to be recorded by as many LibriVox volunteers as possible!
This fortnight's poem can be found here (page 480)

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!
Lines, On Hearing That Lady Byron Was Ill by George Gordon, Lord Byron, read for LibriVox.org by [your name].
[Add, if you wish, date, your location, and/or your personal url.]
Then read the poem:
And thou wert sad—yet I was not with thee!
And thou wert sick, and yet I was not near;
Methought that joy and health alone could be
Where I was not—and pain and sorrow here.
And is it thus?—it is as I foretold,
And shall be more so; for the mind recoils
Upon itself, and the wrecked heart lies cold,
While heaviness collects the shattered spoils.
It is not in the storm nor in the strife
We feel benumbed, and wish to be no more,
But in the after-silence on the shore,
When all is lost, except a little life.

I am too well avenged!—but 'twas my right;
Whate'er my sins might be, thou wert not sent
To be the Nemesis who should requite—
Nor did heaven choose so near an instrument.
Mercy is for the merciful!—if thou
Hast been of such, 'twill be accorded now.
Thy nights are banished from the realms of sleep!—
Yes! they may flatter thee, but thou shalt feel
A hollow agony which will not heal,
For thou art pillowed on a curse too deep;
Thou hast sown in my sorrow, and must reap
The bitter harvest in a woe as real!
I have had many foes, but none like thee;
For 'gainst the rest myself I could defend,
And be avenged, or turn them into friend;
But thou in safe implacability
Hadst nought to dread—in thy own weakness shielded,
And in my love which hath but too much yielded,
And spared, for thy sake, some I should not spare—
And thus upon the world—trust in thy truth—
And the wild fame of my ungoverned youth—
On things that were not, and on things that are—
Even upon such a basis hast thou built
A monument whose cement hath been guilt!
The moral Clytemnestra of thy lord,
And hewed down, with an unsuspected sword,
Fame, peace, and hope—and all the better life
Which, but for this cold treason of thy heart,
Might still have risen from out the grave of strife,
And found a nobler duty than to part.
But of thy virtues didst thou make a vice,
Trafficking with them in a purpose cold,
For present anger, and for future gold—
And buying other's grief at any price.
And thus once entered into crooked ways,
The early truth, which was thy proper praise,
Did not still walk beside thee—but at times,
And with a breast unknowing its own crimes,
Deceit, averments incompatible,
Equivocations, and the thoughts which dwell
In Janus-spirits—the significant eye
Which learns to lie with silence—the pretext
Of Prudence, with advantages annexed—
The acquiescence in all things which tend,
No matter how, to the desired end—
All found a place in thy philosophy.
The means were worthy, and the end is won—
I would not do by thee as thou hast done!

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: linesonhearingthatladybyronwasill_byron_your initials_128kb.mp3

ID3 tags (Version 2):
Artist Name: George Gordon, Lord Byron
Track Title: Lines, On Hearing That Lady Byron Was Ill - Read by YOUR INITIALS (e.g. Lines, On Hearing That Lady Byron Was Ill - Read by KLH)
Album Title: LibriVox Fortnightly Poetry
Comments: (optional) Recorded by [your name]

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 Image
    (If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin)
  • You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: aradlaw
  • When your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread.
  • If this doesn't work, or you have questions, please check our How To Send Your Recording wiki page.
When you post your link, please include your name as you would like it credited on the catalogue page and any URL by which you would like it accompanied. (Note: This is only necessary if you have not done so for another project.)
(If you wish to contribute, please have your readings submitted by 0600 GMT Sunday, June 3, 2018 (by around midnight Saturday Night CDT)

Please don't download files belonging to projects in process (unless you are the BC or PL). Our servers are not set up to handle the greater volume of traffic. Please wait until the project has been completed. Thanks!<p>

Magic Window:



BC Admin
(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.)
Last edited by msfry on May 22nd, 2018, 7:02 pm, edited 8 times in total.
tovarisch
Posts: 2936
Joined: February 24th, 2013, 7:14 am
Location: New Hampshire, USA

Post by tovarisch »

Hoping that David is going to be the MC, I've uploaded my attempt to his collection:

https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/linesonhearingthatladybyronwasill_byron_vb_128kb.mp3 4:33

Thank you.
tovarisch
  • reality prompts me to scale down my reading, sorry to say
    to PLers: do correct my pronunciation please
pschempf
Posts: 2065
Joined: April 5th, 2013, 8:28 pm
Location: Coastal Alaska Rainforest
Contact:

Post by pschempf »

Following tovarisch's lead -

https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/linesonhearingthatladybyronwasill_byron_ps_128kb.mp3
Track length: 3:39

Impetuous fellows :roll:
Fritz

"A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labors of a spasmodic Hercules."

Trollope
msfry
Posts: 11663
Joined: June 4th, 2013, 9:09 am
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by msfry »

Thank you David and Fritz. Both are PL OK. Going to put you in the MW now. :)
tovarisch
Posts: 2936
Joined: February 24th, 2013, 7:14 am
Location: New Hampshire, USA

Post by tovarisch »

Hi, Michele. If it's PL OK, you might want to mark it as such in the MW... :wink:
tovarisch
  • reality prompts me to scale down my reading, sorry to say
    to PLers: do correct my pronunciation please
msfry
Posts: 11663
Joined: June 4th, 2013, 9:09 am
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by msfry »

msfry
Posts: 11663
Joined: June 4th, 2013, 9:09 am
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by msfry »

tovarisch wrote: May 21st, 2018, 3:39 pm Hi, Michele. If it's PL OK, you might want to mark it as such in the MW... :wink:
I was getting around to it, then my husband demanded my attention. All is well now. :lol:
pschempf
Posts: 2065
Joined: April 5th, 2013, 8:28 pm
Location: Coastal Alaska Rainforest
Contact:

Post by pschempf »

Michele -

Your reading is PL OK!
Fritz

"A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labors of a spasmodic Hercules."

Trollope
Foon
Posts: 2848
Joined: May 10th, 2018, 2:33 pm

Post by Foon »

Foon - Real life is getting in the way of LV, will be slow until all is back on track, please bear with me!


Readers needed:
Dramatic Reading: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Folklore/legends: Arabian Nights Vol. 11
Play: Zeus the Tragedian
williamjones
Posts: 2248
Joined: April 26th, 2016, 7:47 pm
Location: Florida

Post by williamjones »

Uploaded:
Lines on Hearing that Lady Byron was Ill by George Gordon Lord Byron (1788-1824)
https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/linesonhearingthatladybyronwasill_byron_waj_128kb.mp3
4:08
-- Bill Jones

When you think that you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven't.
--- Thomas Edison
msfry
Posts: 11663
Joined: June 4th, 2013, 9:09 am
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by msfry »

Foon,
2:07 there is a skip in the phrase "ungoverned youth", sounds kind of like ungoverd or uncovered. All else PL OK.
Last edited by msfry on May 22nd, 2018, 6:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
msfry
Posts: 11663
Joined: June 4th, 2013, 9:09 am
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by msfry »

Bill
:28 You read the statement "it is as I foretold". as a question Is it as I foretold? This changes the point he is making. All else is PL OK.
RajVO
Posts: 405
Joined: January 24th, 2018, 12:25 am
Location: California, USA

Post by RajVO »

My Project Catalog
Cheers, Raj.
msfry
Posts: 11663
Joined: June 4th, 2013, 9:09 am
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by msfry »

Thank you Raj. One item needs your attention:

2:13 Repeat "a monument whose cement hath been guilt!
RajVO
Posts: 405
Joined: January 24th, 2018, 12:25 am
Location: California, USA

Post by RajVO »

msfry wrote: May 23rd, 2018, 9:52 am Thank you Raj. One item needs your attention:

2:13 Repeat "a monument whose cement hath been guilt!
Thanks Michele. I'll fix it and resend. :)
My Project Catalog
Cheers, Raj.
Post Reply