"Night Mail" by W.H. Auden (poetry reading)

[TimBrewin]

Lol - and it's Flying Scotsman with a cowcatcher and floodlight.

[Inkyminkyzizwoz]

When it was announced that postal trains were to be scrapped (they've since been reinstated) there was a parody in The Railway Magazine:

This is the mail lorry crossing the border

Bringing the cheque and the postal order

Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,

The shop at the corner and the girl next door.

Pulling up the M6 a sticky climb,

The traffic's against it and she's well behind time

[GMCobh]

16, dislikes, only 1 like. Wow! Why? Does a poetry-loving Mafia have something against you??? I have no interest in poetry, but your reading sounds somewhat good to me, although I prefer the way YT user "FilmPoems" matches the reading to the piston-beat of a steam loco.

[SpokenVerse]

@GMCobh All poems get about the same number of dislikes, often in rapid succession. I think it's a computer program - no human would have the patience. Just one of the vagaries of YouTube. Nothing I do makes any difference.

Sound effects and background music do help in pieces like this one because they sustain interest. When it's just a voice, pauses get awkward. Thanks for commenting., regards, Tom.

[scotsman125]

At 0:26, why are you using Flying Scotsman hauling the Night Mail?! She's a LNER steam engine not a LMS steam engine.

[MegaNalts]

thanks this is my homework

[simonawatts]

One of the great, enduring documentaries. The synthesis of film, music and poetry is totally absorbing. Even the archival quality of the film adds to it's impact but the dialogue is sometimes difficult to grasp. If ever a film deserved to be re-mastered this is it.

Simon Watts, San Francisco.

[Femmenition]

Makes me wonder. What was the last steam loco to haul the mail train?

[x0xSwatSnipex0x]

Im doing questions on this and idk what the hell the answers like one is, In verse 3 the poet imagines the scene below him I the countryside to be like a chessboard.

What could the sqaures on the chessboard be.....I think the fields.....What do you guys think?

[silver760]

Do you ever think that he would have thought that mail carried by rail would ever come to an end? I think it was 1981 that the last rail post office where they sorted post on the night trains was retired.Sad state of affairs it all goes by road and air now.

[maceachen123]

awsomee !!

[rosesredvioletsblue]

Brilliant! Auden's poetry touches my heart. Thank you!

[Pandorthegreat]

A meaningful, mature poem that rhymes. You don't get too many of those.

[bigeeezy]

excellent