A Donne A Day 25: The Relique (First Take)

My first set of attempts at recording and commenting on “The Relique” was spoiled by a technical problem: I thought I was using one microphone, but in fact was using the built-in microphone on my tablet PC. I redid the recording to get a better-sounding podcast. So why podcast the spoiled attempt? Because I think the reading is usefully different and perhaps better, and because the commentary is fuller and more exploratory. By the time of the re-take, I had more of an idea of how I was going to say what I wanted to say. That led to a more concise and perhaps better commentary, but the first take is much fuller and more searching, even in its rambles.

Comparing the two takes is interesting. Comparing two takes of a student performance would also be interesting. Anything that enhances mindfulness while preserving discovery and delightful, serendipitous surprise is a good strategy for education, in my view. And thus I am bold enough to tax the listener’s patience with an inferior recording of the very same poem.

The Relic

BY JOHN DONNE

When my grave is broke up again
       Some second guest to entertain,
       (For graves have learn’d that woman head,
       To be to more than one a bed)
                And he that digs it, spies
A bracelet of bright hair about the bone,
                Will he not let’us alone,
And think that there a loving couple lies,
Who thought that this device might be some way
To make their souls, at the last busy day,
Meet at this grave, and make a little stay?
         If this fall in a time, or land,
         Where mis-devotion doth command,
         Then he, that digs us up, will bring
         Us to the bishop, and the king,
                To make us relics; then
Thou shalt be a Mary Magdalen, and I
                A something else thereby;
All women shall adore us, and some men;
And since at such time miracles are sought,
I would have that age by this paper taught
What miracles we harmless lovers wrought.
         First, we lov’d well and faithfully,
         Yet knew not what we lov’d, nor why;
         Difference of sex no more we knew
         Than our guardian angels do;
                Coming and going, we
Perchance might kiss, but not between those meals;
                Our hands ne’er touch’d the seals
Which nature, injur’d by late law, sets free;
These miracles we did, but now alas,
All measure, and all language, I should pass,
Should I tell what a miracle she was.

 

From Poetryfoundation.org

6 thoughts on “A Donne A Day 25: The Relique (First Take)

  1. Gardner,

    I listened to both of these for comparisons sake. Here is what I thought: The first take reminds me of what it is like to listen to Gardner Campbell. The second take reminds me of what it is like to read Gardner Campbell. They are both compelling, but the experience is very different.

    Interesting that in the process of doing the first take, something happened to the ideas you were mulling over to make them feel more solid and textual (at least to this listener).

  2. Martha,

    Interesting indeed. I take it the biggest difference was in the commentary (and its presentation)? Did the Donne feel more textual the second time as well? Did the quality (and varying reverberance and presence) of the audio shape the experience differently?

    I was less patient with my own thoughts in the second take commentary, as I had a meeting to get to, and also because I was a little tired at that point of hearing myself talk. Or perhaps the second time I had grown more self-conscious about the rambling and took a more severe tack with myself. But it may also be that the first take was a rehearsal that solidified the direction of the improv, so to speak. Maybe I was just surer about what I must say and how I must end. (The first ending was kind of “found” in that respect.) A useful bit of knowledge, that.

    Thanks for the kind words and thoughtful response.

  3. Gardner,

    I was explaining blogs to my mom today, and decided to show her this site. (No idea why, maybe because interrupting your recordings is my specialty). However, I noticed when playing the podcast for her, that the acutal text on the page would be extremely helpful. Is there any way to do this oh guru of the podcast?

    Hope Thanksgiving went well; love to Fred, Alice, Ian, Genny, and you.

    Ter

  4. Ter,

    Couple of ideas here. One would be to put the text into the blog post. For longer poems, that might not be ideal. Another would be to put the text into the “comments” field of the mp3 file itself. You’d be able to see it on an iPod or within iTunes (and presumably, other podcatching software).

    One more idea: I could link off to a page that collects all the text.

    Great question–thanks.

    Gardo

  5. Just stumbled on this post, and the rationale you have for posting this version is a nice capsule of why I dig you so much.

  6. So pleased to hear someone pronounce “Magdalen” correctly in this poem (i.e. as “Maudlin”). As three syllables it destroys the meter.

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