God's Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins performed by Lance Pierson

[TheROCKapple]

I'm going to perform it!

[MegaMeisawsome]

is he a puppet?

[MegaMeisawsome]

haha ya wtf?

[jacero10]

This reading displays all of the subtlety of a circus clown interpreting Shakespeare with a kazoo. It is melodramatic and silly.

For a profound reading by someone who actually understands this poem, watch the youtube video of the poem read by Stanley Kunitz.

[steph144000]

WOOOOOW ! that was really good! 

[paulpellicci]

aint my cup of tea...

[abearson]

Great performance. You've been slammified!

slammit.org

[Weirdohkjsfd]

Win.

[dadasopher]

wonderful voice, wonderful interpretation

[waterheartsong]

"The Holy Ghost, over the bent world broods!" I love GMH. Good job Lance! Look forward to seeing you in Nantwich on November 6th!!

[MasterFreespirit]

I feel the diction was ruined. A shame, i really love this poem.

[Stoopchow]

What the fuck are you doing? Sorry lance, but I can't agree with this interpretation at all.

[xblackxsailsx]

@Stoopchow

hahaha...it's funny to see someone say "what the fuck are you doing?" on this conservative christian poem video that's all elegant and stuff...and like, people are talking about "diction" and calling it "lovely" and saying all this fancy stuff...and you're just like "what the fuck are you doing??" hahaha

[Stoopchow]

@xblackxsailsx glad you like my comment. I think that they were the best words for it.

[xblackxsailsx]

@Stoopchow

=)

since you apparently know about poetry, can you tell me how i can learn? any online resources or youtube videos or books or anythiing?

i'm a highschool sophomore and i really wanna learn how i can judge a poem or reading of a poem like you did...cuz i don't understand how you can tell that the "diction is ruined" and all that.

thanks!

[Stoopchow]

@xblackxsailsx I hope I know a little bit about poetry, I'm half way through a degree in English literature! In this video I was just commenting on what I thought about the poem from reading it. Although the word grandeur is in the title the poem seems somewhat dark, as does a lot of Hopkins work. I thought this performance of it was very flamboyant and even comments like Lovely!! seem wrong for what is not, to me, a lovely poem.

[yatkook]

@Stoopchow I agree. This way of "dramatizing" the poem seems to lack all the melancholy lament that appears to be the dominant mood and tone of the poem. The presentation is not so much flamboyant (though that is somewhat true), but rather it simply does not adequately convey what you rightly call the "somewhat dark" nature of the poem. Perhaps it's his voice quality, but it seems to be mostly a failed effort. Good to know, however, that people are discussing this poem.

[megansspark]

Lovely!!!

[dadasopher]

@megansspark I agree with you, megansspark

[megansspark]

@dadasopher thank you, surprising to read others thoughts.... maybe its a question of being older? I stand by 'lovely' and think it well conveyed. :)

[dadasopher]

@megansspark I agree with you. Being older, I hope, means a growing appreciation for different interpretations. There's no one right or wrong reading of this poem, and there is certainly no competition.

[megansspark]

@dadasopher amen to that... :)

[000Adel]

Very nice performance of one of my favorite poems ever. I simply love it! Thanks for posting.

[moorerock]

very nice, showed a theatrical element to reading poetry that you forget when studying them. many thanks for uploading.