Remembering Snow
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Night Snow. Photo by drew leavy/flickr
It is very cold here in England, and there is lots of snow on the ground. What do you think about snow? Yes, snow can be cold and wet and miserable. But it can also can change familiar things – our houses and gardens, our streets and our cities – into something strange and new and beautiful.
Good poetry is like snow – it too can change familiar things into something strange and new and beautiful. So I looked for a poem about snow to read you, and I have found one by a poet called Brian Patten.
Brian Patten
Brian Patten was born in Liverpool in 1946, which means that he is nearly as old as I am! In the 1960s, he was one of a group of young poets from Liverpool whose poems became very popular and widely read. It is easy to understand why – the poems are direct, simple and often funny. Brian Patten is today one of Britain’s leading poets, and he has written lots of poems both for adults and for children. There are links to some of his poems, and to more information, on the website. I sent him an e-mail, to say that I would like to use this poem in a podcast, and he has kindly agreed that I can. So here it is, Remembering Snow.
I did not sleep last night.
The falling snow was beautiful and white.
I dressed, sneaked down the stairs
And opened wide the door.
I had not seen such snow before.
Our grubby little street had gone.
The world was brand-new, and everywhere
There was a pureness in the air.
I felt such peace.
Watching every flake
I felt more and more awake.
I thought I had learned all there was to know
About the trillion million different kinds
Of swirling frosty flakes of snow.
That was not so.
I did not know how vividly it lit
The world with such a peaceful glow.
Upstairs my mother slept.
I could not drag myself away from that sight
To call her down and have her share
The mute miracle of the snow.
It seemed to fall for me alone.
How beautiful our grubby little street had grown!
(Copyright Brian Patten. Used here with permission.)
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Comments (22)
This file has been downloaded 43581 times
11 March 2010
Thank you for positive emotion! Just beautiful!..22 February 2010
Thank you.
I use this podcast as one of my materials in teaching and improving my students' listening skill at my school in Indonesia. It's really helpful.
7 February 2010
Hello Peter! hello everybody!
So great to read this poem! It`s filled of sense n seems u can feel the atmosphere of the night..
I read it again n again…
Pls, add such nice things, it`s really joyfull to read!!
Thanks,
Julia
6 February 2010
god bles you peter. you are useful for us leran engli?h new
6 February 2010
god bles you peter. you are useful for us leran engli?h new
1 February 2010
Hi Peter,
I live in Canary Island. Here never snow, only snow sometimes on the top of Teide, but I have closed my eyes and have listened to you reading the Brian's poem and I have been able to enjoy the snow.
Kisses,
Pilar
29 January 2010
Hello, I have just found this amazing blog and I'm so excited with everything, congratulations for this excellent "place" you have created. How nice to listen to such a clear British accent.
27 January 2010
So a beautiful posdcast!
Thank you a lot, Peter
22 January 2010
Thank you for beautiful british accent
12 January 2010
Hi Peter,
snow…. I've been waitinig for it since 1988! In Rome dosn't snow:-( When I was a little girl and I lieved in Poland I used to play on the snow in the winter. It was wonderful.
11 January 2010
Snow make things look beautiful, special and magical.
Nice podcast.
11 January 2010
Congratulations all of you, all over the world. Receive my best. I enjoyed this wonderful poem. For me is as a beautiful present just when Magi recently have arrived. It complete my Christmas spiritual days because I was listening Dylan Thomas short story, "A child's christmas in Wales". I recommend you. Thanks for sharing us such interesting web site, it is impressive.
10 January 2010
beautiful poem, when I listened to it I felt like I was child, when the snow was such a joy for us, I was happy while snowing :) thank you Peter, still, your podcast was nice and pleasant to hear :)
10 January 2010
Hello,
This is a beautiful poem. I never heard of Brian Patten before. I love poetry and i already ordered a book by him. I can't wait to read it.
regards
10 January 2010
Hello,
This is a beautiful poem. I never heard of Brian Patten before. I love poetry and i already ordered a book by him. I can't wait to read it.
regards
10 January 2010
Siberian snow is a real snow!!
10 January 2010
hello, everyone ,i find a very good website 2 learn english, proper british accent!!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/01/100107_6min_resolution_page.shtml
9 January 2010
love british accent so much!
Thank you for everything!!!
9 January 2010
oh, btw, could i link ur web add. to my blog so that more people from china can see this great web….?
9 January 2010
Such a nice podcast!
Happy 2010
Thanks
8 January 2010
how quick you are Peter. I have not memorize the old one. Thanks
8 January 2010
Beautiful poem. I like snow but when it turns to ice it can be dangerous