Audiobook · read by volunteers
Fisher's Boy
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
Read by Betsie Bush, Catherine Fitz, Jenilee, Jeanette Ferguson, Karen Savage, Lee Ann Howlett, Lucy Burgoyne (1950-2014), Leon Mire, R. Robertson, Travis E. Phillips · 11 chapters · 13 min
About the book
Henry David Thoreau is remembered above all for Walden, but he also wrote poems, and his short poem The Fisher's Boy is the subject of this set of recordings. Eleven recordings, each by a different volunteer, make a miniature anthology of voices, and the interest lies in hearing the same words in eleven different mouths, from the slow and meditative to the quick and plain. In a poem this brief, every pause counts, and you will notice how one reader lingers over a line while another moves on briskly. Each recording takes about a minute, so the whole collection can be played in a single short break. Listen to one, or listen to all, and decide which interpretation you prefer. It is a small and simple pleasure for anyone who loves poetry read aloud. A tiny poem is heard here in many shades.
Introduction
Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1817 and died there in 1862. He is best known for Walden, his account of two years spent living in a cabin by a pond, and for the essay on civil disobedience, which has influenced reformers around the world. Fewer readers know that he also wrote poetry throughout his life, often on themes of nature, work and solitude. His verse is less famous than his prose, but it shares its plain, observant character. Some of his poems were printed in his lifetime in magazines such as The Dial, and others only after his death.
The poem heard here, about a fisher's boy, belongs to that body of poetry. It is the kind of piece that suits a short reading, with a simple scene at its centre and a thoughtful tone. The poem rewards attention to rhythm and wording, and the choice of what to emphasise is left to each reader.
This recording was made as a weekly poetry project by LibriVox volunteers in May 2007. In projects of this type, many readers record the same text, and the results are collected. Here there are eleven versions, running to a total of around twelve minutes. They give a pleasing example of how the same words may take on different shades, depending on who speaks them.
Hearing the same short poem several times is a pleasure that print rarely offers. You begin to notice small details, a word that gains weight, a line that opens out, a pause that suddenly says something. It is a useful exercise for anyone who enjoys reading aloud.
Public domain
Henry David Thoreau died in 1862: 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