“For I bless the PRINCE of PEACE and pray that all the guns may be nail’d up, save such are for the rejoicing days.”
–Christopher Smart, Jubilate Agno
Wow! Here’s a reading of Christopher Smart’s long, crazy, devotional poem “Jubilate Agno.” The readers are Frank Key and Germander Speedwell.
“It was written between 1758 and 1763, during which time Smart was incarcerated in Mr Potter’s private madhouse in Bethnal Green.”
Mr. Key’s Hooting Yard is at present my favorite podcast. If you like his reading voice but not his original writing, he’s also read a couple stories as part of the Escape Pod series, How Lonesome a Life Without Nerve Gas and Hesperia and Glory, both of them worth a listen.
Good call – Hooting Yard is a truly splendid and sensible show. I’m also a fan.
I’m curious – other than Escape Pod and Hooting Yard (both of which I subscribe to), what other podcasts would you recommend?
Most of the podcasts I listen to are about specialized non-fiction topics, and I hesitate to recommend them. One non-fiction podcast I would recommend is Christopher Lydon’s Open Source. Some of the episodes from a few months back, when it was still on the radio as well, are especially dynamic.
I also listen to a couple general-interest people-babbling podcasts, Jordan, Jesse, Go! and Moldawer in the Morning. Listen for 60 seconds and you’ll know if you like these or not.
Speaking as the host of Moldawer in the Morning, I’d say you should probably listen to 65 or 66 episodes before really deciding if you like the show or not.
Anyone who enjoys Smart’s composition might also give a listen to Benjamin Britten’s musical setting of it, which he entitled “Rejoice in the Lamb.” It’s a fantastic, dramatic piece, great fun for singers and listeners.
But more importantly, thank you for making this podcast available, and in useful formats. I have been looking for such a recording for a while, and the original page either no longer has the podcast up or it is not working.