Hinterhof by James Fenton (read by Tom O'Bedlam)
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- This poem is often read at weddings. It is from Yellow Tulips: Poems 1986-2011. © Faber & Faber, 2011. You can buy it here: www.amazon.co.u...
Hinterhof seems to mean backyard - but I don't know much German. In context I think it is a metaphor for "nearness". There are cosy little drinking clubs that call themselves Hinterhof. When my kids used to fall out with the neighbourhood kids the ultimate rejection was "Now you can't come and play round our back".
After recording it I found a reading by Garrison Keillor, no less, in the Writer's Almanac. He reads the poem at about 3.15 minutes into the transmission: bit.ly/N4RBo2
The girl reading is from a website about how to choose wedding readings: getbeautytoday....
Stay near to me and I'll stay near to you -
As near as you are dear to me will do,
Near as the rainbow to the rain,
The west wind to the windowpane,
As fire to the hearth, as dawn to dew.
Stay true to me and I'll stay true to you -
As true as you are new to me will do,
New as the rainbow in the spray,
Utterly new in every way,
New in the way that what you say is true.
Stay near to me, stay true to me. I'll stay
As near, as true to you as heart could pray.
Heart never hoped that one might be
Half of the things you are to me -
The dawn, the fire, the rainbow and the day
I found this two days ago, and I am besotted with it. To me this particular reading is the most treasured of all works of art. I listen and I listen, and when it ends I am always just hoping for more.
I am always impressed (often shocked) by Fenton's confidence in flirting with very mundane, even flat, language and imagery. Ending on: 'The dawn, the fire, the rainbow, and the day' might have come across as drippingly sentimental. (I can think of several contemporary American poetesses who would happily have delivered the line that way). It takes a moment to notice that the four nouns cover: inside, outside, morning, evening, bad weather, good weather, disappointment, and triumph. I suppose Fenton is just smarter than most poets.
Most beautiful. Thank you Professor Fenton.
Beautiful reading of a beautiful poem. Thank you!
This poem! Your voice! A match made in heaven. Thank you thank you thank you.
this will be read at my wedding
Your voice and you reading is out of this world, is there any chance I can use this reading in one of my wedding videos?
+Daniel Gollner Thanks, it's nice to br appreciated. There are wedding videos on Vimeo that use this reading - and I don't mind. You should be aware though that the poem itself is subject to copyright.
SpokenVerse awesome, thanks ^^
Great poem! Can you recite some of Benjamin Decasseres work?