The Poems of Jonathan Swift, Volume Two
Jonathan Swift
Read by Arthur Krolman
He lived simply, loved his walks and craved the company of fellow poetical wits as they craved his company in return. With his pal Dr. Sheridan, for one, Jonathan Swift delighted in the 18th century equivalent of a rap off – going back and forth in dueling verse repartee. This second volume is a cornucopia of biting, iconoclastic humor and earnest criticism of injustice. Poems herein concerning Wood’s Halfpence are the companion to his famous Drapier’s Letters and trumpet his achievement in stirring up sufficient outcry to spare Ireland from damaging monetary debasement. He knew what real money was: “For in all the leases that ever we hold We must pay our rent in good silver and gold, And not in brass tokens of such a base mould.” And he didn’t think much of monetary debasement’s evil twin, fractional reserve banking, either: “We want our money on the nail The Banker’s ruin’d if he pays”. There’s a healthy smattering here of bums and urination references too – just so you know these are genuine Swift poems -- and all manner of other topics too. In Death and Daphne, written for a favorite grisette, we learn of Death’s sagging libido due to the skinniness of his human bride. And the last poem excoriating Sheridan for comparing base women to noble clouds is a heavenly coup de grâce for any challenger who would dare to top his politically incorrect and thunderous wit:
Some critic may object, perhaps,
That clouds are blamed for giving claps;
But what, alas! are claps ethereal,
Compared for mischief to venereal?
- Summary by Arthur Krolman (9 hr 53 min)
Chapters
Cadenus and Vanessa | 39:36 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
To Love | 3:09 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Rebus by Vanessa and Answer | 2:50 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Stella's Birthday | 3:48 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
To Stella the Transcriber | 7:07 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
To Stella While Sick | 6:16 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Stella's Birthday | 5:07 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Stella at Wood Park | 4:32 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A New Year's Gift for Bec and Dingley and Brent | 2:22 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Stella's Birthday | 2:19 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Receipt to Restore Stella's Youth | 3:01 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Stella's Birthday etc. | 10:13 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Death and Daphne | 4:43 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Daphne | 2:26 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Pethox the Great | 4:32 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On a Pen | 2:25 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On Gold | 1:47 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On the Posteriors | 2:21 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On a Horn | 1:59 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On a Corkscrew | 2:03 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Gulf of All Human Possessions | 5:17 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Louisa to Strephon | 2:37 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Maypole and On Moon, Circle, Ink | 4:08 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On the Five Senses | 1:36 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Fontinella to Florinda | 1:35 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On Echo, Glass, Time, Gallows, Vowels, Snow, Cannon, Dice, Candle | 10:06 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
To Lady Cartaret, Answer etc. | 4:32 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On Cutting Down the Thorn | 4:31 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Dean Swift at Sir Arthur Acheson's | 2:25 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On a Very Old Glass at Market Hill etc. | 1:19 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
My Lady's Lamentation | 7:38 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Pastoral Dialogue | 4:35 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Grand Question Debated | 11:29 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Drapier's Hill | 1:23 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Dean's Reasons | 5:17 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Revolution at Market Hill | 5:11 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Robin and Harry | 2:48 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Panegyric on the Dean | 16:38 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Twelve Articles | 2:09 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Crowe's Address to Her Majesty | 2:50 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Jack Frenchman's Lamentation | 3:02 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Garden Plot and Sid Hamet's Rod | 5:38 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Famous Speech-Maker | 8:53 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Parody on the Recorder's Speech | 2:39 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Ballad | 2:57 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Atlas Minister of State and Harley Stabbed | 1:48 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
An Excellent New Song | 3:34 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Windsor Prophecy | 1:52 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Corinna, a Ballad | 1:49 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Fable of Midas | 4:13 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Toland's Invitation to Dismal | 3:28 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Peace and Dunkirk | 2:13 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Imitation of Horace, Epist. I, vii | 6:18 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Author upon Himself | 5:02 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Fagot | 2:40 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Imitation of Horace, Sat.VI, ii | 5:30 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Horace paraphrased, Odes II, i | 5:35 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Dennis' Invitation to Steele | 10:22 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
In Sickness | 1:58 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Fable of the Bitches | 2:47 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
To the Earl of Oxford in the Tower | 2:08 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On the Church's Danger and On High Church | 1:36 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Story of Phaethon | 2:45 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Tale of a Nettle | 3:16 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Satirical Elegy | 1:57 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Parody on Pratt's Speech | 4:23 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
An Excellent New Song | 2:18 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Run upon the Bankers | 3:17 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Upon the Horrid Plot | 3:47 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Quibbling Elegy on Judge Boat | 3:13 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Verses on Whitshed's Motto | 1:38 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Prometheus | 3:57 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Verses on the Order of the Bath and Epigram on Wood's Brass Money | 1:33 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Simile | 1:53 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Wood an Insect | 2:43 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Wood the Ironmonger | 2:07 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Wood's Petition | 2:12 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A New Song on Wood's Halfpence | 4:26 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Serious Poem | 6:59 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
An Excellent New Song | 4:55 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Verses on the Judge Who Condemned the Drapier's Printer | 1:44 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Horace paraphrased, Odes I, xiv | 5:19 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Verses on St. Patrick's Well | 7:38 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On Reading Dr. Young's Satire | 2:43 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Dog and Thief | 1:24 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Mad Mullinix and Timothy | 12:09 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Tim and the Fables | 1:54 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Tom and Dick | 1:48 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Dick, a Maggot | 0:59 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Clad All in Brown | 1:45 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Dick's Variety | 2:00 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Traulus, Part I | 4:49 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Traulus, Part II | 2:27 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Fable of the Lion | 3:20 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On the Irish Bishops | 3:43 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Horace, Odes Iv, ix | 4:01 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On Walpole and Pulteney | 3:14 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Brother Protestants | 3:08 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Bettesworth's Exultation and Epigram to Sergeant Kite | 3:20 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Yahoo's Overthrow | 4:27 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On Cashel and Bettesworth, Irish Club, Noisy Tom | 3:48 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On Dr. Rundle and Epigram | 3:18 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Legion Club | 10:24 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On Printer's to Newgate, Libel Vindication, Apology, Ay and No, Ballad, Wicked … | 8:24 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Epigrams against Carthy | 5:25 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Poetical Epistle to Sheridan | 3:23 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Upstart | 1:49 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Waterford and Blenheim | 1:24 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
An Excellent new Song on the Grand Jury | 2:16 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Archbishop of Dublin | 5:13 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
To the Citizens | 2:27 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Punch's Petition and Epigrams | 4:46 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
George Rochfort's Verses | 1:25 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Left-Handed Letter and Replies | 4:53 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
To the Dean of St. Patrick's and Replies | 20:39 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Mr. Thomas Sheridan and Replies | 5:35 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On Dr. Sheridan's Circular Verses | 3:09 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On Dan Jackson's Picture and Replies | 14:16 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Pardon | 2:36 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Last Speech and Dying Words of Daniel Jackson | 3:24 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
To the Rev. Daniel Jackson | 2:59 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Sheridan to Swift and Reply | 3:04 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Mary the Cook Maid's Letter | 3:29 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A Portrait from the Life | 0:57 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On Stealing a Crown when the Dean was asleep | 1:47 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Prologue and Epilogue to a Play | 2:55 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
The Song | 1:46 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A New Year's Gift for the Dean of St. Patrick's | 3:22 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
To Quilca, Country Life and A Faithful Inventory | 3:19 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Palinodia | 2:33 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Letter to the Dean and Invitation to Dinner | 4:23 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
On the Five Ladies and Replies | 3:41 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
Ballad on Ballyspellin and Reply | 5:43 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
An Epistle to Two Friends etc. | 4:57 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A True and Faithful Inventory | 1:30 | Read by Arthur Krolman |
A New Simile for the Ladies and Answer | 12:41 | Read by Arthur Krolman |