Audiobook · read by volunteers
Snow Song
Sara Teasdale (1884–1933)
Read by Alan Davis Drake (1945-2010), Caitlin Teresa, Clarica, Elizabeth Palmer, Jc Guan, Kristin Hughes (1974-2021), Lee Ann Howlett, Mark F. Smith, Michelle White, Sean McGaughey · 11 chapters · 9 min
About the book
Sara Teasdale’s “Snow Song” is a small winter poem, and in this recording it is heard eleven times. Eleven LibriVox recordings give the same short lyric, each in its own voice. Teasdale was an American poet known for clear, musical lyrics, which suits being heard aloud. Because the poem is so brief, the differences between the readings are easy to notice: a slower voice, a brighter one, a more thoughtful pause. Together they make a gentle experiment in how a few lines of verse take on different colours in different mouths. The whole collection lasts barely a quarter of an hour, so it can be heard in one sitting, on a snowy afternoon, or sampled one reading at a time. It is an easy way to enjoy a poem and its many faces.
Introduction
Sara Teasdale was born in 1884 and died in 1933. She was an American poet from St. Louis, Missouri, and she wrote short, musical lyrics, mostly on love, nature and the passing of time. Her poems were popular during her lifetime, and in 1918 her collection Love Songs was honoured with a prize that was a forerunner of the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. “Snow Song” belongs to her early lyrics.
The poem is a good example of her manner: clear words, a regular rhythm and a single mood followed from beginning to end. Teasdale was an admirer of the lyrical tradition, and she trusted the quiet power of simplicity. Her work has in recent years been rediscovered by readers who value her precision and her quiet emotional honesty.
This recording belongs to the LibriVox weekly poetry project for the week of 9 December 2007, in which volunteers each record the same poem and the recordings are then gathered together. Here there are 11 readings, each given in its own chapter and identified by the initials of its reader. The total length is about twelve minutes.
Hearing a poem many times in a row can be revealing. A poem that seems plain on the page turns out to be open to different interpretations, and a note of sadness in one voice may become a note of calm in another. It is a pleasant way to get to know a poet who deserves attention, and an easy way to give a winter day a little poetry. Teasdale’s lyrics are known for their clarity, a quality that suits being read aloud.
Public domain
Sara Teasdale died in 1933: 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