Last Thursday at the Wyoming Arts Summit in Casper, Dana Gioia opened his keynote speech with a poem. This is only right, as Gioia is a poet when he's not at the helm of the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. He chose a classic poem from the on-line vaults of Poetry Out Loud, a national recitation project co-sponsored by the Arts Endowment and the Poetry Foundation. "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls," is by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In his introduction, Gioia noted that the U.S. is celebrating the bicentennial of Longfellow's birth this year (see Oct. 11 wyomingarts post). In celebration, Gioia recited the poem POL-style for the audience. Here's the text:The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
Note to Wyoming students in grades 9-12: You can participate in Poetry Out Loud this year. Advise your English or drama or speech teacher to contact Mike Shay or Camellia El-Antably at the WAC and sign up. It's free, and students whose recitations win their school competitions are eligible to compete in the state finals in Cheyenne in March 2008. Winner of that contest goes on to the national finals in D.C. Big prizes!
So brush up on your Longfellow or Zora Neale Hurston or e.e. cummings for the 2007-2008 session of Wyoming Poetry Out Loud.
FMI: Mike Shay at 307-777-5234 or mshay@state.wy.us.
