Audiobook · read by volunteers
Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight
Vachel Lindsay (1879–1931)
Read by Alan Davis Drake (1945-2010), Ancilla, Cori Samuel, JemmaBlythe, Kristin Hughes (1974-2021), Lucy Burgoyne (1950-2014), Mark F. Smith, Brother Patrick, Sean McKinley · 9 chapters · 21 min
About the book
Vachel Lindsay's poem imagines the ghost of Abraham Lincoln walking the streets of Springfield, Illinois, at midnight, troubled by the world's violence and unable to rest. It is a short poem built on rhythm and repetition, with a tolling, almost hypnotic beat that rewards being heard aloud. Here, LibriVox volunteers offer nine different recordings of it, made for a weekly poetry project in February 2007. Each reader finds a different tempo, a different degree of solemnity and a different way of letting the lines gather weight. Together they make a small experiment in interpretation: the same words, nine voices. At around twenty-five minutes in total, this is a quick listen, perfect for comparing the readings back to back or for choosing the voice you prefer. It is a compact, atmospheric poem, and hearing it nine times in a row turns a few minutes of verse into a lesson in how a reader shapes a text.
Introduction
Vachel Lindsay (1879 to 1931) was an American poet from Springfield, Illinois, the same town where Abraham Lincoln had lived. He became well known for performing his poems aloud, with a strong sense of rhythm that was closer to chant and song than to quiet reading. Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight is among his best known pieces, and it has often been included in anthologies of American verse.
The poem was written in the shadow of war, and it pictures a president who cannot find peace because the world has once again turned to violence. The image of the tall, solitary figure pacing through the town, passing the courthouse and the quiet houses, has made the poem a favorite for readers and for classrooms. Lindsay was publishing at a time when poetry was still read aloud in public halls, and his work was meant for the ear as much as for the page.
This collection is part of LibriVox's weekly poetry project. Nine volunteers each recorded the poem, so the listener has the unusual chance to hear how voice, pace and emphasis change a short text. The total running time is only about twenty-five minutes. You might listen to all nine in one sitting, as a study of interpretation, or pick one that suits your mood. For anyone interested in American poetry of the early twentieth century, or in Lincoln's afterlife in the national imagination, it is a compact and memorable introduction. For teachers, students and lovers of poetry who wish to compare approaches to reading aloud, the project is a ready-made workshop.
Public domain
Vachel Lindsay died in 1931: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text