This project is now complete! All audio files can be found on our catalog page: https://librivox.org/the-chambered-nautilus-by-oliver-wendell-holmes-sr/
Each fortnight a poem is chosen to be recorded by as many LibriVox volunteers as possible!The poet discovers an abandoned nautilus shell on the beach, and examining it, muses metaphorically about the beauty and precision of nature, the benefits of struggle, and the motive power of passion which propelled this creature through its life to build this magnificent edifice. It is through the example of the tiny nautilus, growing bigger each year, vacating his old space to enjoy expanding quarters with mathematical precision, and finally leaving an exquisite shell on the beach as a memento of his life; the speaker discovers the best way to live. (Summary by )
This fortnight's poem can be found here.
NO NEED TO PRECLAIM. JUST RECORD, EDIT, UPLOAD, POST and wait for any PL NOTES until you get a PL OK.
New to recording? Please see our Newbie Guide to Recording for further instructions. A quick guide to our required technical settings can be found here. When you post your file, please tell the BC what name you would like to use in our catalog.
LibriVox recording settings: mono (1 channel), 44100 Hz sample rate, 128 kbps constant bit rate MP3. See the Tech Specs
Begin your reading with the abbreviated LibriVox disclaimer:
Leave 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning.
Then read the poem:The Chambered Nautilus, by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., read for librivox.org by [your name].
[Add, if you wish, date, and/or your location.]
At the end of your reading, leave a space and then say:This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sails the unshadowed main,—
The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.
Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
Wrecked is the ship of pearl!
And every chambered cell,
Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
Before thee lies revealed,—
Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!
Year after year beheld the silent toil
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spiral grew,
He left the past year’s dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.
Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
Child of the wandering sea,
Cast from her lap, forlorn!
From thy dead lips a clearer note is born
Than ever Triton blew from wreathèd horn!
While on mine ear it rings,
Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:—
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea!
Leave 5 seconds of silence at the end.End of poem. This recording is in the public domain.
Filename: chamberednautilus_holmessr_your initials in lowercase_128kb.mp3 (e.g. chamberednautilus_holmessr_mtf_128kb.mp3)
Upload to the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader
(If you have trouble reading the image above, please contact an admin)
MC to select: TriciaG
Copy and paste the file link generated by the uploader into a new post in this thread along with the file duration (mm:ss). Watch this thread for prooflistening notes.
When you post your link, please include your name as you would like it credited on the catalog 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.)
Check back in a day or so for any feedback regarding your reading.
Deadline: Please submit your recording by 0600 GMT Sunday, July 17th (12:00 AM CST) - That's Saturday midnight, for those of us who can't tell time this way.
Please don't download or listen to 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!
Magic Window:
BC Admin
Project Code: amIL3Yuj
And remember, anyone can suggest a poem or coordinate an upcoming Fortnightly Poetry project! If you'd like to suggest a poem or coordinate a future project, please visit this thread.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Just post in this thread.
