Audiobook · read by volunteers
Song (Donne version)
John Donne (1572–1631)
Read by Annie Coleman Rothenberg, Catharine Eastman, Hammadkhan, Kayvan Sylvan, Martin Clifton, Peter Eastman, Peter Yearsley · 7 chapters · 10 min
About the book
“Go and catch a falling star.” Thus begins John Donne’s Song, a poem in which a bitter lover sends his listener off on a series of impossible tasks, each one easier than finding a woman who is both beautiful and true. It is witty, cynical and quick, and it has delighted readers for four centuries. In this recording, seven LibriVox volunteers each give their reading of the poem, and the differences between them show how a single text can sound sour, comic, rueful or wounded depending on the voice. Each version is only a minute or two long, so the whole set takes about twelve minutes. Donne, the great poet of the metaphysical school, later became a priest and Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral. A perfect listen for lovers of poetry, of wit and of vocal variety.
Introduction
John Donne, who lived from 1572 to 1631, was an English poet and later a priest, and he is one of the leading figures of the metaphysical poets. Most of his poems circulated in manuscript during his lifetime and were first printed in 1633, two years after his death; he ended his career as Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. His poem Song is a short work. It is a bitter little poem on the supposed falsity of women: search the world for ages, see marvels, and you still will not find one who is both true and fair.
Modern readers may find the sentiment amusingly extravagant, and the poem is certainly written with a sense of play. Donne piles up wonders and impossible tasks before delivering the sting in the last stanza, and the effect depends greatly on how the reader delivers the turn. That makes it a very good poem for a project like this one.
The recording was made as part of LibriVox’s weekly poetry project. Seven volunteers each recorded the poem, and the readings are listed as Version 1 to Version 7. The whole set lasts around twelve minutes, so it can be enjoyed in one sitting. Listening to the versions in sequence shows how rhythm and emphasis shape meaning: a reader may sound almost cheerful, another weary, another sharply accusing.
For anyone curious about Donne, this is a brief and accessible way to meet his voice, which combines argument, humour and emotion in a very few lines. If you would like a longer taste, his other love poems and religious sonnets are a natural next step.
Public domain
John Donne died in 1631: 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