Audiobook · read by volunteers
Lie
Sir Walter Raleigh (1554–1618)
Read by Caitlin Teresa, Clarica, Délibáb, D.E. Wittkower, Durant Haire, Jc Guan · 6 chapters · 22 min
About the book
“The Lie” is one of the sharpest poems in the English language, a direct address in which the speaker sends his soul on an errand and tells it to say what it sees. Court, church, the powerful, the learned: all are named, and all are told that they are false at heart. Sir Walter Raleigh’s poem has the force of a spoken challenge, with short lines, a driving rhythm and a refrain that carries its anger forward. In this recording, six different LibriVox volunteers read the same poem, each in their own way. Each reading finds a tone of its own. Hearing them in sequence turns a famous poem into a small study of voices, and makes its strength easy to feel in only a few minutes. It is a poem that gains from every new voice.
Introduction
Sir Walter Raleigh lived from 1554 to 1618. He was a courtier, an explorer, a soldier and a poet at the court of Elizabeth I, and his life was as adventurous as any romance. He became a favourite of the queen, led expeditions across the Atlantic, and eventually fell from favour. After the accession of James I he was imprisoned in the Tower of London, and he was executed in 1618. Poems were only a part of his many activities, but some of them have lasted, and “The Lie” is among the best known.
The date and circumstances of its composition are debated, but it has long been read as the bitter verdict of a man who knew the court from the inside. Its theme is the hypocrisy of institutions and the vanity of worldly honours. The soul is told to go to the court, the church and the schools, and to give each the lie. The argument is simple and the language is strong, which is why the poem has been loved by readers who enjoy a plain, bold statement.
This recording is a multi-version project. LibriVox volunteers each recorded the poem, and six readings are gathered here, one in each chapter, for a total of about twenty-five minutes. The format lets you compare interpretations and appreciate how much a poem changes with the tone of its speaker. It is a good way to meet a classic piece of Elizabethan and Jacobean verse. The poem’s boldness remains striking after four centuries, and its refrain, repeated in every stanza, gives the readings a natural shape. Because each version is only a few minutes long, you can easily listen to all six in one sitting, and then choose the reading you prefer.
Public domain
Sir Walter Raleigh died in 1618: 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