azforeman

In which I read Nathan Alterman's poem "Moon" in Hebrew & then in my English translation

"Even an old landscape has a moment of its birth.
The strange, impregnable
And birdless skies.
Under your window, moonlit on the earth,
Your city bathes in cricket-cries...."

https://youtu.be/WB8e1t2ZAC0

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Me reading "To the Virgins" (Gather ye rose-buds while ye may...) by Robert Herrick in a reconstruction of mid-to-late 17th century London pronunciation

https://youtu.be/I2WDbnGAClU

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@languagelovers

In which I read the beginning of Shanfara's Lāmiyyah in a reconstruction of Early Classical Arabic pronunciation

https://youtu.be/Un7L5RSSwQM

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In which I read Mahmoud Darwish's poem "We have the right to love autumn" in my English blank verse translation, and then in the original Arabic.

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In which I read Shakespeare's Sonnet 81 in a reconstruction of early 17th century pronunciation, and also in my normal accent for comparison.

Note, in this reading, that the words "grave" and "have" are full rhymes, as are "o'er-read" (inf.) and "dead". You can read more about this on the entry at my patreon page for this sonnet:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/shakespeares-81-86549825

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My readings of Shakespeare's sonnets continue.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

Here's sonnets 18 and 19 in a reconstruction of early 17th century London pronunciation. Note the rhyme of "blood"/"brood", and the preserved /æ:/ under secondary stress in "temperate".

I included readings in my normal accent for comparison.

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More #Shakespeare in Early Modern pronunciation

"Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears"

Antony speaks to the crowd from Julius Caesar, read in early 17th century pronunciation by yours truly

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A reading of Firdawsi's account of the world's creation from the beginning of the Shahnama, read in a reconstruction of (10th century Khorasani) Early New Persian pronunciation. Accompanied by my own verse-translation

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Here's a reading of Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale" in a reconstruction of early 19th century London pronunciation.

The historical mid-vowels are still undiphthongized. Rhoticity has been lost. The BATH vowel is in full swing, the PRICE and MOUTH diphthongs do not have their modern-sounding onsets yet. Unaccented final <-ing> is [ɪn], and some historical weak forms of words like "my" survive.

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In which I read Jacob Glatstein's poem "Mozart" in Yiddish and in my English translation

"I had a dream:
The Goyim crucified Mozart..."

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My readings of Shakespeare in reconstructed early 17th century pronunciation continue with Sonnet 64 ("When I have seen by time's fell hand defac'd...")

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A recording in which I read Shakespeare's Sonnet 17 ("Who will believe my verse...") in a reconstruction of one form of early 17th century London pronunciation.

Note that "tongue"/"song", "parts"/"deserts" and "come"/'tomb" are all full rhymes.

If you like this video and want to help me make more things like it, check out my patreon at patreon.com/azforeman

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