10 More Famous Poems Recited by Famous People
While we at the Riot are taking this lovely summer week off to rest (translation: read by the pool/ocean/on our couches), we’re re-running some of our favorite posts from the last several months. Enjoy our highlight reel, and we’ll be back with new stuff on Wednesday, July 8th.
This post originally ran April 7, 2015.
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April is National Poetry Month, so I thought the time was ripe for another round of famous poems read by famous people (see previous round here). It didn’t hurt that I found this little gem in my various social media feeds:
Benedict Cumberbatch reads a poem for Richard III by Carol Ann Duffy
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPis7FXJlSg[/youtube]
Here are nine more performances worth a watch. It’s a mix of actors and musicians, the familiar and the lesser known. Do you have any favorites? Let me know in the comments below.
Marilyn Manson reads “The Proverbs of Hell” by William Blake
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xghpb_myA0E[/youtube]
Sandra Oh reads “Absolutely Clear” by Hafiz
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6DV4qXhseA[/youtube]
Patti Smith reads “The Tiger” by William Blake
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSLjYScyaBo[/youtube]
Meryl Streep reads ‘Luchai’ by Wang Wei and ‘A Letter to Agnes DeMille’ by Martha Graham
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6rxE01XPbA[/youtube]
Tom Waits reads “The Laughing Heart” by Charles Bukowski
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txe6NDt7DHU[/youtube]
Maya Angelou recites her poem “And Still I Rise”
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOqo50LSZ0[/youtube]
The Cast of Interstellar recites “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H68l9Q3Ejo0[/youtube]
Sean Bean recites “Anthem for Doomed Youth” by Wilfred Owen
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRj4DR5JTdY[/youtube]
Daniel Craig, Will.i.am, Stephen Fry, and others recite “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmLJAIQZv_Y[/youtube]