COMPLETE Poems and Songs by Richard Middleton -ck

Post by **Kitty** » May 27th, 2017, 3:57 pm

and my final two:

https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_71_middleton_128kb.mp3
Recording time: 2:30 min.

https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_76_middleton_128kb.mp3
Recording time: 1:35 min.

and I guess I could take some 5 more:

30 The Song of the Glad Woman
39 Love's Mortality
43 A. C. M.
47 Last Year's Love
51 After Love

Sonia

NemoR · Post by **NemoR** » May 27th, 2017, 6:15 pm

Kitty wrote:and my final two:

https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_71_middleton_128kb.mp3
Recording time: 2:30 min.

https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_76_middleton_128kb.mp3
Recording time: 1:35 min.

and I guess I could take some 5 more:

30 The Song of the Glad Woman
39 Love's Mortality
43 A. C. M.
47 Last Year's Love
51 After Love

Sonia

As usual, PL OK (and lovely).

Nemo

Carolin · Post by **Carolin** » May 28th, 2017, 12:04 am

Thank you all!

Jude1972 · Post by **Jude1972** » May 28th, 2017, 11:02 am

sorry for the bit of a delay folks..... here's mine..... and my recording is dedicated to the 22 who lost their lives in the Manchester Arena bombing last week... I had only been there a few days before it happened.

https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_62_middleton_128kb.mp3 (01:47)

RecordingPerson · Post by **RecordingPerson** » May 28th, 2017, 2:49 pm

https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_56_middleton_128kb.mp3 1m32s

I, and I'm sure others as well, appreciate the dedication, Jude.

EDIT: I did a fair amount of recording last night which I found tough going. However, I've found that before I deleted it all, I had edited and exported this:

https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_16_middleton_128kb.mp3 1m16s

It sounds a bit forced, and the de-noising hasn't been done that well. But, it's not TOO bad. So, I'll post it here. If the PL, or anyone, would prefer a better version, just ask.

EDIT: What is 'To H.S.' about? There seems to be something that outlasts even 'the Immortal', born of love, and to do with flowers. The ... personified immortal concept (?) can gather flowers from the firmament which will not fade like flowers from the physical world. Erm, but I don't get an obvious meaning from the poem. If I had a choice I would prefer to not be ignorant, but I can't work out what the poem is about. This will make it hard to read it. Does anyone have a consistent interpretation?

NemoR · Post by **NemoR** » May 28th, 2017, 3:37 pm

Jude1972 wrote:sorry for the bit of a delay folks..... here's mine..... and my recording is dedicated to the 22 who lost their lives in the Manchester Arena bombing last week... I had only been there a few days before it happened.

https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_62_middleton_128kb.mp3 (01:47)

Thanks Jude!

Your voice sounds fine, I hope you are feeling better!

This is PL OK!

I love listening to your accent and the lyrical way you say "love" ...... although I know that to you, I'd be the one with the accent!!

Nemo

NemoR · Post by **NemoR** » May 28th, 2017, 3:54 pm

RecordingPerson wrote:https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_56_middleton_128kb.mp3 1m32s

https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_16_middleton_128kb.mp3 1m16s

Section 16 is PL OK.

In section 56, At time of around 0:25, you repeated these two lines:

And I saw the sun of beauty shine out in the eyes
of girls
Who bowed their limbs to the morning, for love
of the primrose way.

Nemo

RecordingPerson · Post by **RecordingPerson** » May 28th, 2017, 4:16 pm

Thank you. I've fixed the problem. I hope.

https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_56_middleton_128kb.mp3 1m24s

NemoR · Post by **NemoR** » May 28th, 2017, 4:59 pm

RecordingPerson wrote:Thank you. I've fixed the problem. I hope.

https://librivox.org/uploads/carolin/poemsandsongs_56_middleton_128kb.mp3 1m24s

This is now PL OK.

Nemo

bluechien · Post by **bluechien** » May 28th, 2017, 7:07 pm

RecordingPerson wrote:
EDIT: What is 'To H.S.' about? There seems to be something that outlasts even 'the Immortal', born of love, and to do with flowers. The ... personified immortal concept (?) can gather flowers from the firmament which will not fade like flowers from the physical world. Erm, but I don't get an obvious meaning from the poem. If I had a choice I would prefer to not be ignorant, but I can't work out what the poem is about. This will make it hard to read it. Does anyone have a consistent interpretation?

If you don't want it, I will take it happily

If you do want it, enjoy!

RecordingPerson · Post by **RecordingPerson** » May 28th, 2017, 10:01 pm

bluechien wrote:
RecordingPerson wrote:
EDIT: What is 'To H.S.' about? There seems to be something that outlasts even 'the Immortal', born of love, and to do with flowers. The ... personified immortal concept (?) can gather flowers from the firmament which will not fade like flowers from the physical world. Erm, but I don't get an obvious meaning from the poem. If I had a choice I would prefer to not be ignorant, but I can't work out what the poem is about. This will make it hard to read it. Does anyone have a consistent interpretation?

If you don't want it, I will take it happily

If you do want it, enjoy!

Erm, I'll do it. I just wondered how others interpreted the poem.

Carolin · Post by **Carolin** » May 29th, 2017, 12:31 am

thank you all!

Carolin · Post by **Carolin** » May 29th, 2017, 12:37 am

RecordingPerson wrote:EDIT: What is 'To H.S.' about? There seems to be something that outlasts even 'the Immortal', born of love, and to do with flowers. The ... personified immortal concept (?) can gather flowers from the firmament which will not fade like flowers from the physical world. Erm, but I don't get an obvious meaning from the poem. If I had a choice I would prefer to not be ignorant, but I can't work out what the poem is about. This will make it hard to read it. Does anyone have a consistent interpretation?

i guess there are many possible readings of this one poem. i personally read it as a love poem, to whoever the lucky h.s. may have been. it ties love and death together, but to catch the meaning properly i am afraid one would have to know who h.s. was and what his or her connection was with richard middleton. the text makes me think that this love was unhappy.

Post by **Kitty** » May 29th, 2017, 12:43 am

Carolin wrote:i guess there are many possible readings of this one poem. i personally read it as a love poem, to whoever the lucky h.s. may have been. it ties love and death together, but to catch the meaning properly i am afraid one would have to know who h.s. was and what his or her connection was with richard middleton. the text makes me think that this love was unhappy.

I love poetry discussions

Yes I agree with Carolin here, the poem seems to be hinting at an unhappy love, but nevertheless that any love would make people dream, and even if the current dreamers die, the objects of their dreams, the stars and love, will survive and make other dreamers dream in their turn. And in the end, he seems to suggest that even if all mankind has gone, the remnants of these dreams, or songs, will live on, even if unheard, because there is nobody anymore.

That's my take of it, but I think a poem can have as many interpretations as it has readers, that's the beauty of it

Sonia

RecordingPerson · Post by **RecordingPerson** » May 29th, 2017, 12:52 am

Thanks. My take is closer to that of Sonia's. (Not that I'm saying that there's a right or wrong interpretation - as Sonia says, it's all individual.) It's as if love, and dreams, create something which remains on the world long after the people who loved are gone. The poem personifies these thoughts which part of the everlasting stream of love.

I think I can read the poem now without it being just mechanical. I can't put the depth of emotion into it that others can. But at least it won't be a purely mechanical reading of words without thinking of a bigger context. Which is an error I've made before.