"Go quietly, Carry little."

Poetry, quotations, personal reflections from a lover of the wilderness, a lover of the silence....


Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Testing Utterli/Bees by Jane Hirshfield



Mobile post sent by forestwisdom using Utterli.


Update (2:50 PM): As per Northland's excellent suggestion in the comments, and owing to the fact that the audio on this turned out a bit indistinct in a few places, I'm posting the text of the poem below.

Bees
Jane Hirshfield

In every instant, two gates.
One opens to fragrant paradise, one to hell.
Mostly we go through neither.

Mostly we nod to our neighbor,
lean down to pick up the paper,
go back into the house.

But the faint cries—ecstasy? horror?
Or did you think it the sound
of distant bees,
making only the thick honey of this good life?

From The Lives of the Heart

18 comments:

  1. Great find! This is promising. I would like to try using this on my blog. It's so nice to hear your voice FW! I feel a much deeper connection now, and everything I read here henceforth will be in the sound of your voice. Just great!

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  2. Alice,
    Thank you. Yes, this is why I like an application like Utterli. There is a warmth and a personality in the human voice that doesn't come through in print, no matter who good a writer one might be. Your comment says to me that this post accomplished what I had hoped it would. :)

    Peace to you today

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  3. I second Alice! Very neat!
    Good poem too.
    :-)

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  4. Thanks Amy; I know Jane Hirshfield is one of your favs too. :)

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  5. Gosh, what's next? Live video feeds straight from our brains?

    Granted, it was kind of nice to assign the proper voice to the words, but it's also weird to hear a voice without a face.

    When I first joined the state leadership group of Washington's Green Party (treasurer), I met with my comrades for the first 6 months ONLY via conference calls. I didn't feel that I really knew any of them until I was able to match voices with faces.

    My two cents worth which, in constant dollars, ain't worth that much anymore. :)

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  6. RT,
    I don't know why you say that. Your two cents is worth at least 3.5 here. ;)

    Seriously, I do always appreciate your input.

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  7. Hello! I'm glad you commented on my blog so I could find yours - thanks :)

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  8. Did you use your cell phone for posting?
    I think this is an interesting way to expand a blog. I would suggest that you also post poems in print as the audio was a bit indistinct (could be my laptop with small remote speakers) and by having the poem in print, the listening pleasure (for me at least) would be enhanced.

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  9. Northland,
    Yes, I used my cell phone. You make a good point and you're absolutely right; the audio is a bit indistinct in places. I will update the post and post the text of the pem also. Thanks, Northland! :)

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  10. Amazing, or should I say "everything is amazing". Just like flying, it is amazing how technology can enrich communication - certainly does take blogging to another level. The sound recording was excellent and particularly so for some-one living on a different continent and hemisphere.

    As RT said - whats next!

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  11. Bella,
    So glad it worked in your part of the world. :)

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  12. I second RT ~ FW, show thy face!

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  13. Alice,
    You're quite the encourager. :)
    Thanks.

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  14. Susann and I are going to a Jane Hirshfield reading in Seattle tomorrow night! Yowsa!

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  15. Barry, I'm envious....

    Enjoy! :)

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  16. Seem to be reading your posts non-chronologically so have just come to this one. Great to hear the voice! It does add resonance to the poem.

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  17. SW,
    Whatever way you read them that works for you, I am glad you do read, and in this case listen too. :)
    Thank you.

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