john donne

Read by Christopher Kendrick

Production and Sound Design by Kevin Seaman

Read by Richard Burton

Production and Sound Design by Kevin Seaman

Production and Sound Design by Kevin Seaman

This episode of Planet Poetry sees us striding forth with our seriousness only outdone by the luminosity of our socks...   Caleb Parkin entices us with his seriously playful take on eco poetry with readings from his vibrant collection This Fruiting Body.  Meanwhile Peter wanders into the Roman ruins of Bath as we look at one of the earliest English poems The Ruin  (in its translation by Michael Alexander) while Robin contemplates John Donne's Woman's Constancy . Plus, prompted by a thoughtful piece in The Dark Horse by Maitreyabandhu we reflect on the rigour of criticism in contemporary poetry, and indeed on our own podcast itself. 

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Tonight’s show is about Suffering.  

I incorporate Metaphysics (philosophy and poetry) as the topic in group has come up before and I feel like it will return.

Suffering is relative or subjective and can be done through comparison rationale in the unnatural minds of the sufferer’s, but one must say “I” suffer in order for any healing to take place.  One cannnot say “we” as suffering is relative to each of us.  It doesn’t make if we were in the same car crash or in different car crashes; it doesn’t matter that all the men in the group are survivors of childhood rape and abuse as each of us dealt with the acts differently.

Suffering belongs in metaphysics and ontology as it is meant to be discussed but never setttled upon with any known form of certainty.

Read by Christopher Kendrick
Production and Sound Design by Kevin Seaman

Production and Sound Design by Kevin Seaman

In this twist on our regular series we dramatise a fictional interview with the father of metaphysical poetry, John Donne. We cover his love, his religion and his encounters with death and how all of these inspired his poetry and later his religious writings. 

Credits
Donne was played by Mark McCartney

Anne was played by Ellisha O’Donnell

Lucy and Raleigh were played by Catriona Scott

Drury was played by Lorne Scott-Kerr 

The presenter and additional roles were played by Rosie Beech 

John Donne is one of history's great poets. He taught us that "no man is an island" and to not ask "for whom the bell tolls". Yet he is often overlooked by Protestants as a Protestant. This week Onsi, Colin, and Rhys talk about Donne's life and divine poetry, the limits of language, and what we can learn from him as a Protestant poet.

NOTE: most books below are linked via Bookshop.org. Any purchases you make via these links give The Davenant Institute a 10% commission, and support local bookshops against chainstores/Amazon.

Currently Reading
Onsi: If You Love Me: Serving the Church of Christ in Spirit and Truth by Matthew the Poor
The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine Vol. 2 - The Spirit of Eastern Christendom by Jaroslav Pelikan
Rhys: Simply Christian by Tom Wright

Texts Discussed
"Retrieving John Donne: Poetic Companion for Conflict Protestants" by Rhys Laverty
"Holy Sonnet XI (Spit in my face you Jews)" by John Donne
"Holy Sonnet XIV (Batter my heart three person'd God)" by John Donne
"Holy Sonnet XVIII (Show me, deare Christ)" by John Donne
"Satire III" by John Donne
"A Litany" by John Donne
Theo-Poetics: Hans Urs Von Balthasar and the Risk and Art of Being by Anne M. Carpenter


Davenant Spotlight
If you buy books we recommed, buy via the links above to Bookshop.org!

Theme Music
"Midnight Stroll" by Ghostrifter. Free to use under Creative Commons. Available here.

1. Time Will End - Nightingale (MA and VT). Nightingale is Keith Murphy, Becky Tracy, and Jeremiah McLane. This tune by Jeremiah can be found on The Coming Dawn, Nightingale’s first album. https://www.nightingalevt.org  

2. Memory of Cape Cod, by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT).  

3. Great Memories - New England Tradition. This waltz is the final track on Farewell to the Hollow. New England Tradition is Bob McQuillen, April Limber, and Peter Colby. https://www.greatmeadowmusic.com/mcquillen.html    

4. A valediction: Forbidding mourning, by John Donne. Read by Margaret Youngberg (Greenfield, MA).  

5. All the Salt - Arrowsmith:Robb Trio (Ottawa, ON and Sheffield, UK). The Arrowsmith:Robb Trio is Jess Arrowsmith, Richard Arrrowsmith, and Ian Robb. Jess wrote this song and describes it as “a non-religious spiritual—a Humanist hymn perhaps.” https://www.artrio.co.uk/  

6. Old tunes, by Sara Teasdale. Read by Ben Williams (Northampton, MA).  

7. Portsmouth - Bare Necessities (MA and VT). Bare Necessities is Jacqueline Schwab, Mary Lea, Earl Gaddis, and Kate Barnes. This Playford tune from 1701 is on their album Nightcap. https://barenecessities.bandcamp.com   

The opening music is “The Pearl in Sorrow’s Hand” by Julie Vallimont, from her album Dark Sky, Bright Stars. Produced by Julie Vallimont. Mixed and mastered by Dana Billings. All content courtesy of the artists, all rights reserved. This series is supported in part by the Country Dance and Song Society, NEFFA, CDS-Boston, and Pinewoods Camp. If you enjoy this podcast, please consider supporting it via Patreon: www.patreon.com/starsintherafters

Unlike typical "Songs, Spirituality and Stuff" episodes, which run about 30 minutes, this one is brief, featuring an update on a Sacred & Secular project and the recitation of a John Donne poem being considered for musical adaptation by program host/Sacred & Secular founder Shawn Roney.

Notes:
For text of Donne's sonnet, visit https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/holy-sonnet-xvi-father/.

The music featured in this episode is an excerpt from "St. Adele's Waltz," an original composition by host/Sacred & Secular founder Shawn Roney.

There’s something unsettling about seeing ourselves in the mirror. Throughout history, across cultures and in scores of horror films, the reflected world can be a portal into the unknown. But what happens when these mirror selves take on a life of their own? Today, we’re delving into a few strange and eerie accounts of doppelgangers. 

Danielle shares Brenda Shaughnessy’s brutally clever poem “Drift” with Max. Topics touched upon include metaphysical poets, paradox, and staying in bad relationships.