An Audio Guide to Poetry Recitation - 9. "anyone lived in a pret

An Audio Guide to Poetry Recitation - 9. "anyone lived in a pretty how town"



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Poetry is the art most closely related to music. One of the things that poetry does best is to create an emotional mood in the listener. If you ever doubt the importance of learning to recite poetry think of how often in your own life you want to use words to change someone's mood, to cheer someone who's sad, to calm someone who is angry, to take someone who is indifferent and make them like and trust you. In the following poem, E. E. Cummings not only fractures conventional word order, he uses words in unexpected ways, and notice that the forward refrain throughout the poem that operate in a musical way. Here again is David Mason.

anyone lived in a pretty how town
by E. E. Cummings
[Read by David Mason]

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn’t he danced his did.

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that no one loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone’s any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and no one stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
no one and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain