Thursday 3 September 2009

A Little Light Reading

I love poetry and poets. I love the heart that articulates the soul and mind. You are all so sweet to share with me, I wanted to share one of my favourite poets with you, E.E. Cummings: Truth seeker and pacifist, genius and exuberant heart. I normally recite silently; this is my reading I taped lo-fi into a mobile phone and mingled with some photographs you may have seen and some that are new to you. Feel free to tell me what you think on here or on youtube. May all your days be filled with poetry.



Peace,
x

48 comments:

TheChicGeek said...

Oh, so beautiful! I love E.E. Cummings too :)
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful gift with us today! May we all experience a love like this :D

Have a Beautiful Day!

French Fancy... said...

I'm the opposite of you with your silent reading. I pace about the house with my book of Byron poems voicing them as if I am on a stage

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

This was such a treat. You should record wonderful books so I could listen to them under the trees.

Unknown said...

I have to admit the truth, despite studying English, I have never really had a great understanding for poetry, but the way you put it together was fantastic. You fascinate me, I must say :)

Renee said...

Clarity I am so blown away by your voice. You sound so beautiful and you read so beautifully.

I could listen to you read all day, every day.

I have read that poem before but it never really touched me.

This was a new and wonderful experience.

You sound like you should read for movies.

Beautiful my friend.

Compared to how you speak I sound like a screech owl.

xoxox

Laurel said...

Oh My Darling Girl- This is so so beautiful. I adore ee -my fave quote is on my blog sidebar...I love hearing your beautiful sweet voice. You are so lovely. Thank You for all your wonderful comments and I really hope someday you do come to San Francisco and we will dine together. You are a gift.
I am going now to listen again. Made my day! I was missing you!
Love Love Love

Shell said...

This is a beautiful poem. Another poem for me to learn. I loved your reading and felt you through E.E.'s words.
Thank you for sharing. Now, you make me want to do a video. I haven't done one for a while of me with poetry.
Thank you once again.

Anonymous said...

...uuhh....I read a lot of poems, but now I want you here in my house, in front of my bookshelf to read them all for me. Could you please, pretty please????? I live in Italy remember?! (Hint, hint)..Dear Lord, Peace with you my dear!!!!

Lola said...

This was truly a wonderful experience - thank you so much for sharing!

Have wonderful day too!

xxLOLA:)

PS thanks for yr lovely comment! xx

Elizabeth said...

So glad that there are poetry lovers out there.
a very important part of my life.

Cafe Fashionista said...

How lovely. I adore poetry and poets, but this was the first time I ever read (or rather, heard) anything by E.E. Cummings. It was beautiful. What a lovely way to end the week! :)

Clarity said...

ChicGeek, he is special and I concur with your fervent prayer :)

French fancy - would love to hear that!

As well as your reading, Shell and thank you for the warming compliment.

Pamela and Renee, hugely sweet and flattering compliments that had me bow my head in shyness.

HH - thank you so much, Visuals and words go hand in hand with me, a great poet helps too.

Laurel darling, so glad you like him too, a unique voice, and I shall remember dinner in SF, love, x.

Nora, welcome and thank you too, x.

Elizabeth, mine as well, thank you for visiting.

CF - glad to share him, I recommend "maggie and milly and molly and may" and "If Freedom is a Breakfast Food" as introductions to E.E., x.

la cuisine bourgeois said...

ohhh i love cummings!!!! thanks so much for reminding me of it. and i love that you watched that thing on camels! oh and as for "go prawns"-- the aliens in the film looks like prawns so that is what people continually refer to them as...kind of derrogatory in the film, but it is really interesting, please do see it :)

have a wonderful weekend!

LITTLE BROWN DOG said...

That was beautiful, Clarity. I love poetry, but I don't know enough and tend to return to the same poets again and again. One of my dearest friends had an ee cummings poem at her wedding - unfortunately I can't remember which one - but it was just so perfect. Loved your recording. And I enjoyed your insightful post below on forgiveness, too. Thank you for visiting my blog - I hope to be back here, too. Wonderful, thoughtful stuff.

Micki said...

I love E.E. Cummings too. Thanks for sharing all of it!
Micki

agnes said...

I think I have heard from her before. forgot where it was though. anyway, this is very beautifully written. thought-provoking and just sooo sweet. love it wholeheartedly. thanks a lot for ur sharing. :)

Clarity said...

Bel - happy you enjoy him too. That film is on the list, thanks.

Littlebrown - thank you, much appreciated on both counts.

Micki - fantastic, this is unearthing E.E. appreciaters.

agnes - glad you like it too, that is pleasing.

Honor Woodard said...

Thank you, Clarity, for continuing to remind us all of the purity, clarity, depth and peace in the world. How lovely of you to share such a profound loving poem with your own voice.

Unknown said...

This is beautiful Clarity. It's such a lovely poem by EE Cummings but when you add your own touch to it with images and your voice it becomes a beautiful expression of you through her words, your interpretation of what the poem is for you. It's brilliant. I hope you will do or have done more and shre some.

I think poetry comes alive in new and different ways each time somebody expresses how the poem makes them feel, what it does for them as you have done here.

Thank you.

And thenk you for your comment about my mini forgiveness rant. I forgot about your post and the comments here and came back to read them. Thank you =o)

Marie said...

Dear Clarity,

Bummer. I can't hear the
sound on this vingette. Do you
have a link for this on utube?


Marie

Renee said...

Hello dream reader. I just want you to know that I am having a bit of trouble with the email. I am seeing that you commented but it doesn't come through on my email and I had to go through the dashboard, I am having trouble with a couple of other friends too.

So just know I am not ignoring you.

Thank you for your love all the time Clarity and for your sweet words.

Love Renee xoxo

Giovanna said...

This is so beautiful and very inspiring!! Thank you for sharing it!
Hope you're having a lovely weekend! Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for the sweet comment! I really appreciate it ♥
xoxo
Giovanna

Marie said...

Dear Clarity,

A lovely treat to hear your
delicate voice reading ee cummings.
Your voice lends a holiness to
his Heart poem.


Marie

Marie said...

Dear Clarity,

A lovely treat to hear your
delicate voice reading ee cummings.
Your voice lends a holiness to
his Heart poem.


Marie

Anika said...

Love E.E.Cummings' work.
Thanks for sharing what inspires you with us.

Have a lovely week too :)

Queen Of The Armchair aka Dzintra Stitcheries said...

Dear Sweet Clarity...thank you so much for popping over and leaving me your lovely comments...so very much appreciated...
I feel you truly speak from the Heart♥ This poem is just so full of love...your voice coming through so full of emotion..I am like some of the others...I could sit and listen to a book read by you...
And to come upon the words...those we love and those we miss...so very very heartfelt and touching, just beautiful♥Thank you for this post...Happy Poetry Reading to you...Dzintra♥x

Clarity said...

Honor, dear I'm humbled, thank you.
Amy, you are so sweet.
Giovanna, much thanks and I'm happy to see the drawings.
Marie, super humbled, again.
Anika, pleased another likes him.
Dzintra, wow and thank you, I felt unsure putting this up, thank you for that.

ceecee said...

And may all your days be filled with poetry too, Clarity.
Thank you so much for your kind comment.
Catherine

Lori ann said...

Oh MY GOSH! how did you do that? I am just astounded at the loveliness of it all. Your voice, the photos, your voice, the poem. Clarity, you are so gifted and precious.

What an absolute treat. I am so impressed. You are so generous to share this with us. Thank you.

my goodness...
love,
lori

Willow said...

I seldom recite poetry aloud but I am being challenged by my friend the writing teacher to memorize and recite poetry and encourage others, especially children, to do so, also.

I so enjoyed listening to you rectie e.e. cummings!

Oh, and yes, the moonrise photo was part of the 180 sequence :)

Courtney said...

What a lovely, lovely video. I hadn't read that poem before, so it was wonderful to experience it. Thanks for sharing.

Vivian said...

The sound of your voice is so sweet, and I'm loving your accent! You should do more readings. I enjoy poetry readings a lot, there is something so delightful about it.

Penny Lane said...

that's beautiful. i really like it, dear.
i've been thinking of making a dylan entry, i think you would like it ^^

PL ♥

Dream Sequins said...

That was a beautiful way to start my Labor Day. :) You have such a lovely voice (I echo what the others have said-- you should consider doing books on tape :))and ee cummings is a great choice.

Rebecca Corvese said...

Very beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Also... thanks for visiting my blog... wanted to let you know that the dresses are all from Blanka.com. They have the most beautiful creations, don't they? I would have nowhere to wear them, but I like looking at them! :)

Unknown said...

Your voice fills the space between us, the poem carries true love for all things around us, such beauty in both.
Your gentleness shows!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

debra@dustjacket said...

I found that enormously touching, I could listen to you all day. You have the most beautiful voice for reading.

re comment thank you for your lovely comments, most is magazine scans and other things I come across by accident actually. Though perhaps I spend too much time dilly dallying on the computer.

Laurel said...

Hello My Darling Girl- I just am so happy I have you in my life. Your little message of love made my morning so much better.
Love you Sweets and cannot wait to see your autumn post. xxoo

Winchester Manor said...

Thank you for sharing this! I loved it and you have such a beautiful soothing voice!

Hugs to you sweet lady!

Sierra said...

Hi love, I love poetry and especially E.E. Cummings! Thanks for your good luck wishes on my race, it went very well! I hope you had a lovely weekend and enjoy your week!

tishjett@yahoo.com said...

Oh, dear, I don't know what to say. So beautiful I have tears in my eyes.

Your blog is extraordinary. I shall visit you often.

How you found me I shall never know, but that is how I found you. Thank you. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

hello :)

thank you for your lovely comments :)

the music that used to play on the blog, the piano piece, is called bella's lullaby by carter burwell.

after i do my honours degree, i want to train as a teacher in either english or history. i don't mind either because they're both my favourite subjects.

your choice in poets is unparrelled. e.e cummings is a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

x

Clarity said...

Thank you truly, gosh I can never get tired of sweetness, ever. Love, peace, xxx.

Anonymous said...

What an outstanding reading. You have such a wonderful voice. I agree that E.E. Cummings is brilliant, and there is something fantastic about reading poetry out loud.

Jennifer said...

This is wonderful and your voice so sweet. Thank you for sharing this!!

indigotangerine said...

ee cumming is my favorite! Just the way he arranges the words can just break my heart. "life is not a paragraph, and death I think, is no parenthesis," may be one of my all time favorite quotes. And anyone lives in a pretty how town is such a gorgeous one.
-indigo

VanessasRunway said...

Thank you for this! It's brightened my day! I love poetry. It's been so long since I've held the pen and just let the words dance around my paper. That would be a nice way to relax. :)

Jessica Coody said...

I loved this. I love poetry, as well, and this is one of my favorites.
Another favorite of mine from cummings is 'in just-' (I once had a boy recite it to me from memory while we were watching the rain... be still, my heart!)
Thank you for the birthday wishes, as well as your concern for my grandfather :)