Singing Old Poems to Life

I am not that big a fan of poetry — I prefer prose and especially the novel. But every now and then you come across something that makes you appreciate poems — something like a Natalie Merchant singing songs set to the poetry of forgotten poets of long ago. There's Gerald Manley Hopkins (Spring and Fall: to a young child), and there's e.e.cummings (maggie and milly and molly and may) and many more in this amazing performance at the TED. Those of you who studied (or are studying) literature, remember the poems (or read them again) and see what Natalie does with them:

In case you are unable to watch the video here, visit this page: TED Talks: Natalie Merchant sings old poems to life.

Wordsworth's Daffodils as a Rap Song

Two hundred years after its publication, Wordsworth's Daffodils has been "updated" a bit and given a 21st century upgrade with a pop video and rap version.

Read by a zany red squirrel in a series of dramatic mountain and lakeside locations, the hip take on the 24 lines of verse aims to lure more young people to the national park this summer.

Bouncing past tearooms and hotel discos, as well as the bay on Ullswater where the poem was inspired, the rapping rodent - a local busker in red fur - marks the bicentenary of the poem's publication.

Listen to the Daffodils rap and watch the video here.