June 22, 2025
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Ruth Leon recommends… Woods – W. H. Auden: An Optical Poem

Ruth Leon recommends… Woods – W. H. Auden: An Optical Poem

W. H. Auden

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“The trees encountered on a country stroll / Reveal a lot about a country’s soul.”

On February 23, 1956, W.H. Auden  delivered a poetry reading at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Here, the British-American poet recites “Woods,” his ode to “sylvan nature” and plea for conservation in an era of rapid deforestation.

This optical poem illustrates Auden’s recitation with artworks from The Met’s collection juxtaposed with footage of wildlife in Kingston, New York. The event, originally recorded on reel-to-reel audio tape, was digitized in 2020.

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The post Ruth Leon recommends… Woods – W. H. Auden: An Optical Poem appeared first on Slippedisc.

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