Wednesday 8 June 2016

Interlude: A return to the Island in the Lake

I know, I know for a blog called the Talking Oak I have been silent since December. My PhD schedule has been crazy and finding inspiration for blogging when your mind is on academic stuff is really hard. But I have my annual review on Monday so will be back blogging during the lull in studies after that. The good news is my thesis 'The Celticist Infulences of Tennyson' is coming a long really well, I'm really proud of it.

For now though I would like to have a little return to musical versions of The Stolen Child by Yeats that I covered in chapter 6

Recently a beautiful new version by the fabulous American Cellist/Singer Unwoman as part of a collection of poems put to music.

Photo from facebook
I have been a fan of her's for a long time and it is really cool to hear her tackle one of my favourite poems. I also love how different it is to the versions I have already talked about. It is amazing that the same words can be used in so many different ways. While maybe not as mornful as The Waterboys or Loreena McKennitt's versions, there is still a sinister darkness that befits the intent of the Faeries in the poem. 
Take a listen for yourself:











1 comment:

  1. I've only heard the one by Loreena McKennitt, on one of her albums, which I must dig out soon. Lovely singer! I think it's the one they played on that episode of Torchwood in which angry fairies were killing off anyone who hurt their chosen children. Scary! I didn't know there were so many other versions. Thanks for sharing! Are you hoping to get your thesis commercially published once it's finished and marked? Some theses are, if they're of interest to anyone who isn't academic. I saw one about some aspect of Georgette Heyer once.

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