Ancient Chinese Poetry: This show features the work of two poets. Do they express concerns many of us think about in the 21st century? Do they suggest how to adjust certain of our attitudes? All the poems are from A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems, translated by Arthur Waley (Knopf, 1919). (Many poems by these same authors may be found in a variety of translations.) T'ao Ch'ien (362-427): "Returning to the Fields," "Moving House," "In the quiet of the morning I heard a knock at my door," "Reading the Book of Hills and Seas." Po-Chu-I (772-846): "The Letter," "Being Visited by a Friend During Illness," "A Dream of Mountaineering." The show's theme music is Philip Aaberg's "Going-to-the-Sun," from his CD Live from Montana (Sweetgrassmusic.com).
“Gifts”: One poet recalls her complex strategies as a teen gift-giver, a second recalls the gift his parents bestowed on him when he was...
“Three Controversial Musicians”: Today’s three poems spotlight three individuals known for their musical talents, as well as the controversy they provoked. Naomi Shihab Nye,...
“Children Thinking”: This episode features the voices of children–filtered through adult poets–in three poems that express a variety of insights. These poems may prompt...