by John Keats (1795 - 1821)
All audio files can be found on our catalog page: http://librivox.org/to-autumn-by-john-keats/
Each fortnight a poem is chosen to be recorded by as many LibriVox volunteers as possible!To Autumn" is the final work in a group of poems known as Keats's "1819 odes".
He composed "To Autumn" after a walk near Winchester one autumnal evening. The work marks the end of his poetic career as he needed to earn money and could no longer devote himself to the lifestyle of a poet. A little over a year following the publication of "To Autumn", Keats died in Rome.
"To Autumn" has been regarded by critics as one of the most perfect short poems in the English language and it is one of the most anthologised English lyric poems. (summary by Wikipedia)
~ suggested by doublemirrors
This fortnight’s poem can be found here.
Please be sure that your recording software is set to the following technical specifications:
Channels: 1 (Mono)
Bit Rate: 128 kbps
Sample Rate: 44100 kHz
Have questions on "how"?
Check LV's Recording Notes thread before recording: http://librivox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6427#6430
If this is your first recording, you'll also find this useful: http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/How_to_Send_Your_Recording
Begin your reading with the abbreviated LibriVox disclaimer:
(Please leave no more than 0.5 - 1 second of silence at the beginning of your recording!)
Then read the poem:To Autumn by John Keats, read for LibriVox.org by [your name].
[Add, if you wish, date, your location, and/or your personal url.]
At the end of your reading, leave a space and then say:Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.
Please leave 5 seconds of silence at the end of your recording.End of poem. This recording is in the public domain.
Save your recording as an mp3 file using the following filename and ID3 tag format:
File name - all in lowercase:toautumn_keats_[your initials in lowercase].mp3 (eg. toautumn_keats_klh.mp3)
ID3 tags (Version 2):
Artist: John Keats
Title: To Autumn - Read by [YOUR INITIALS] (eg. To Autumn - Read by KLH)
Album: LibriVox Fortnightly Poetry
Comments: (optional) Recorded by [your name]
Transfer of files (completed recordings)
Please upload with the LibriVox uploader:
http://upload.librivox.org
If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin
You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: dl - aradlaw
Please post a link to your file in this thread.
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, December 5th, 2010 (12:00am CDT)
MAGIC WINDOW:
(Admin link)
(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 Poetry project, please visit this thread.)
and a late thank you to Maria 
)
