Audiobook · read by volunteers
Old and New Year Ditties
Christina Rossetti (1830–1894)
Read by Caitlin Teresa, Clarica, Cori Samuel · 3 chapters · 11 min
About the book
The end of one year and the beginning of the next have always invited reflection, and Christina Rossetti, a devout poet, made the turning of the year the subject of a set of short lyrics, her Old and New Year Ditties. A ditty is a simple song, and her plain, almost hymn-like language carries a deep seriousness beneath it. In this recording three LibriVox volunteers each give their own reading, so that you can hear the same words in three voices and three moods. A slow reading will not feel like a brisker one, and each will draw out something different in the words. The entire collection lasts only about a quarter of an hour, and it is a fitting companion for the last evening of December or for any quiet moment of reflection.
Introduction
Christina Rossetti, born in London in 1830 and died in 1894, is counted among the finest English poets of the Victorian age. She was the sister of the painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and she published her first major collection, Goblin Market and Other Poems, in 1862. That volume made her name and remains her best-known work. She also wrote devotional verse, children’s rhymes and prose, and her poetry is admired for its clear form, musical rhythm and emotional depth.
The Old and New Year Ditties are short religious lyrics. A ditty is a simple song, and Rossetti uses the form to explore feelings that are anything but simple: the passing of time, the hope of renewal and the quiet faith that underlies her work. Readers have often found in her poems a combination of gentleness and strength, and these three are good examples.
This collection is part of the weekly poetry project at LibriVox, in which volunteers record the same short work, so that listeners can compare their interpretations. Here there are three versions, with a total of about twelve minutes of listening. It is an easy and rewarding way to meet one of the great Victorian voices, and a lovely choice for the turn of the year.
Short as they are, the poems reward more than one hearing. The first time you may notice the sound and the images; the second time, the quiet faith behind them. They are a lovely choice for the last evening of the year, when the mind naturally turns to what has passed and what lies ahead.
Public domain
Christina Rossetti died in 1894: 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