Medieval Poetry

The ships of Europe explore the globe. The Age of Mercantilism sets the stage for centuries to come. The Reformation is underway, and scientific thinking begins to challenge the Church even as nation falls upon nation. In the Americas and Asia, ancient empires clash. Cultures resonate and express themselves with the fruit of the Ottoman, Safavid, Moghul and Chinese expansion. In England, the Elizabethan age of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Donne, Jonson and Spenser dawns.

Andrew Marvell was born in Winestead-in-Holderness, in the East Riding of Yorkshire on March 31st, 1621. He was educated at Hull Grammar School, and at the age of 13 he attended Trinity College, Cambridge, and eventually received his BA degree. It is thought that in 1642 Marvell travelled in Europe and, while England was embroiled in its civil war, remained there until 1647, mastering several languages including French, Italian and Spanish.

Anne Kingsmill was born in April 1661 (an exact date is not known) in Sydmonton, Hampshire. Throughout her life, Anne was involved in several Court cases that dragged on for years. These involved both a share of her parent’s estate for her education and later her and her husband’s share of an inheritance. In 1682, Anne became a maid of honour to Mary of Modena (wife of James, Duke of York, and later King James II) at St James’ Palace. Anne's interest in poetry began at the palace, and she started writing her own verse.

La nuit, les lames de son envie ne rasent plus que l'ennui... Les alcoolos sont gris. (Je ne crois pas faire ici quelconque prophétie.) J'avais, à cette occasion, dévié des nymphes de vent, contre marées et vendredi, dimanche, confins de cet océan. Maintenant que vous savez cela, tous les espoirs restent permis.

Cet audio est constitué de 19 poèmes...

El profeta da a todos los hombres, de acuerdo con las leyes de Dios, impulsos para reflexionar y respuesta sobre los sucesos y anomalías que tienen lugar en este mundo. Además habla también sobre su tarea y así también sobre sí mismo.

Cet audio est constitué de 30 poésies lues par Jean-Marc Tennberg.

I secoli XV° e XVI° in Italia videro il sorgere di una nuova concezione del mondo che si espresse in quei movimenti intellettuali che gli storici hanno chiamato Umanesimo e Rinascimento. Poeti, pittori, scultori e architetti dettero contributi importanti al pensiero morale, didattico, estetico e filosofico.

Cet audio est constitué de 10 histoires.

La Odisea se llama asi por las fantasticas e increíbles desventuras de Odiseo ocurridas entre su partida de los campos troyanos y su arribo en Itaca 33 años después. Junto con la Illiada, La Odisea constituye una de las piedras angulares de la cultura occidental. El relato que hace Homero de las aventuras de Odiseo en su camino de regreso desde Troya hasta su patria, Ítaca, ha sido desde siempre una mina inagotable de motivos e imágenes para escritores y artistas.

François Mauriac est né à Bordeaux en 1845. Il fit ses études chez les jésuites puis à la faculté de Bordeaux. À Paris, il s'inscrivit à l'école des Chartes, mais se consacra bientôt uniquement aux lettres. Dès 1906, il collaborait à la "Revue du Temps Présent" et publia en 1909 son premier livre, un recueil de poésie "Les Mains jointes". Il reçoit en 1925 le grand Prix du roman pour "Désert de l'amour". Président de la Société des Gens de Lettres en 1932, il est appelé à l'Académie française en 1933.

Cet audio est constitué de 28 poèmes.

Initialement appelé "Eau de vie" par Apollinaire, le projet d'Alcools est une anthologie retraçant son itinéraire poétique depuis 1888. Apollinaire y rassemble des poèmes anciens, aux accents symbolistes, mystérieux et faussement archaïques, des poèmes rhénans, des poèmes du renouveau écrits entre 1907 et 1911 et publiés dans diverses revues et des poèmes plus récents, encore inédits. Agencé selon un principe thématique et poétique plutôt que chronologique, dépourvu de toute ponctuation et orné d'un frontispice de Picasso, ce recueil connaît vite le succès.

Récité et commenté par Albert Millaire, apparié aux musiques de Couperin, Duphly ou Balbastre, et interprété au clavecin par Hélène Panneton...

L'art d'aimer, selon Ovide, c'est d'abord l'art de séduire. Bien avant que les agences de rencontres et les entreprises de séduction modernes existent, Ovide prodiguait ses conseils. C'était au 1er siècle de notre ère, mais lorsqu'on l'entend dire : " Qui que tu sois, n'aie qu'une faible confiance dans les charmes trompeurs de la beauté ; ajoute d'autres avantages à ces mérites du corps. Ce qui gagne surtout les cœurs, c'est une adroite complaisance".

Masterfully read by award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti, travel to the town of Hamelin suffering from a rat infestation, when a piper dressed in multicolored ("pied") clothing appeared, claiming to be a rat-catcher. He promised the mayor a solution to their problem with the rats. The mayor, in turn, promised to pay him for the removal of the rats (according to some versions of the story, the promised sum was 1,000 guilders). The piper accepted and played his pipe to lure the rats into the Weser River, where they all drowned. The rest is a legend enjoyed for centuries.

It’s a dark and stormy night, and “The Raven”, read by award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti, transports us to a lonely chamber illuminated by firelight. The inhabitant who becomes the narrator hears a gentle tapping at the chamber door. The tapping is a raven who speaks one word, “Nevermore."

This meditation on artistic creativity was written during the latter months of 1815, during a sojourn on the border of Windsor Forest. Critics have concurred in the opinion that the anonymous hero of the poem is Shelley himself, who feared that he too would become an "inheritor of unfulfilled renown". Today, the poem is considered to be the first major work of Shelley's maturity.

Count Lara returns home after a long absence abroad. He is accompanied by a single page, the faithful Kaled. In his youth, prior to his travels, Lara had led a dissolute life. On his return he is much changed - haughty, reserved, and world-weary. Nothing is known of his life in the interim. During an evening function given by the Count Otho, a local magnate, the host's cousin, Sir Ezzelin, angrily confronts Lara with accusations of unnamed crimes abroad. Otho intervenes and an appointment is made for the following day for the local nobles to hear and judge the accusations.

A Child's Garden of Verses is a book of poetry for children. Stevenson dedicated the poems to his nurse, Cummy (Alison Cunningham), who cared for him during his many childhood illnesses. The collection includes some of Stevenson's most famous poems, including “The Land of Counterpane”, “My Shadow", and “The Lamplighter”.