J Keats read by Classic Poetry Aloud:

http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com/

Giving voice to the poetry of the past.

---------------------------------------------------

Oh thou whose face hath felt the Winter's wind

by John Keats (1795 – 1821)

Oh thou whose face hath felt the Winter's wind,

Whose eye has seen the snow-clouds hung in mist,

And the black elm tops, 'mong the freezing stars,

To thee the spring will be a harvest-time.

O thou, whose only book has been the light,

Of supreme darkness which thou feddest on

Night after night when Phoebus was away,

To thee the Spring shall be a triple morn.

O fret not after knowledge - I have none,

And yet my song comes native with the warmth.

O fret not after knowledge - I have none,

And yet the Evening listens. He who saddens

At thought of idleness cannot be idle,

And he's awake who thinks himself asleep.

First aired: 15 December 2008

For hundreds more poetry readings, visit the Classic Poetry Aloud index.

Reading © Classic Poetry Aloud 2008