Blake Jon Stallworthy's Reading of

Blake Jon Stallworthy's reading of William Blake's "London" emphasizes the meter and rhythm of the poem. Stallworthy's reading stresses the raw sounds of syllables and the emphasis also draws attention to key words, phrases, and images in the poem. Viewing the poem on the printed page has its own merits: our eyes perceive patterns in Blake's arrangement of words such as "mark" in the first stanza.

The repetition seems more noticeable in print because each instance of the word signifies a different meaning of "mark." Also, Stallworthy imparts his own tone into the reading. The quality of his voice: its timber, the way he enunciates, and the way he pronounces words affects the listening experience. Listening to a poem being read aloud and reading a poem on the printed page are two totally different experiences. The listening enhances the musical qualities of the poem.

However, listening to the speaker can also blur many of the details of the poem including figures of speech, poetic devices, and purposeful patterns. Stallworthy's reading offers insight into the way some of Blake's poems should be heard.

Because both are British, Stallworthy is likely to know what type of rhythm and rhyme schemes Blake had intended for "London." Stallworthy also enunciates well, such as in words like "where," in which he aspirates the "h." The fact that Blake's poem is about English society also helps Stallworthy convey an appropriate emotional tone based on a common history. Historical knowledge and context might enhance both the reader's and the listener's understanding of Blake's verse. The somber tone of the poem emerges especially well in Stallworthy's voice while he reads.

The audio version of "London" encourages a rhythmic understanding of the poem. Stallworthy reads "London" almost strictly in iambs, stressing every second syllable. Yet in the second stanza, Stallworthy stresses every third syllable instead of every second one. Stallworthy also tends to stress the last syllable of each line and achieves his rhythm without becoming monotonous. A visual reading of the printed poem is bound to be looser before hearing Stallworthy's interpretation. Internalizing Stallworthy's voice improves the ability to read Blake's poem with rhythm when viewing it on the page.

A visual reading offers an appreciation for several elements Blake purposefully incorporates into his poem. For example, Blake capitalizes words such as "Palace," "Soldier," "Infant," and "Marriage." The capitalization is for emphasis, not grammatical correctness. The capitalization also connotes the importance of the words. Listening to Stallworthy read the poem cannot impart the capitalization. Similarly, only a visual reading can signal Blake's punctuation. Stallworthy reads rhythmically but not necessarily in keeping with the punctuation marks.

One notable instance in which Stallworthy imbues his own rhythm in spite of the punctuation is in the last line of the second stanza. Blake inserts a period after the word "hear," whereas Stallworthy noticeably and deliberately pauses, lingering with hesitation to welcome the beginning of the following stanza. The effect enhances the tone and rhythm of the poem, which is quite differently experienced when reading from print. Reading the poem visually also assists with content and meaning.

Listening to Stallworthy is much more of a purely musical experience, a lot like listening to a song but ignoring the lyrics. The lyrics and the vocal character of the singer are two separate things. Likewise, Blake's words and how the words sound are also two very different things. Both aspects of the poetry are meaningful and integral to a thorough understanding of the poem. Reading the poem in print offers much more of an opportunity to linger and spend time with individual words, phrases, and patterns of words.

The audio encounter flies by, and unless the listener stops the recording it is impossible to focus on one particular aspect of the poem. Reading the poem visually allows the reader to spend time examining the diction, the arrangement of words, and also the patterns that make "London" a joy to read. The second stanza, for example, contains four lines like all the other stanzas do.

Ye the second stanza is the only one in which the first three lines begin with the same two words." Repetition is a skillful poetic device and does come across in the audio version but only after the reader becomes familiar with the placement of the words on the page. Seeing the words in print, the reader cannot miss the repetition. When listening to Stallworthy, listeners may get caught up in the aural experience. On the contrary, some instances of repetition might emerge more powerfully in the audio.