Verses In Vox

This piece is one of Dickinson's most recognizable works and it is one of the few which has been titled by an editor as Emily Dickinson did not title her poems. "Chartless" was first published in 1890 after her death in 1886 by a few of her personal acquaintances. The version of the poem we used here is the edited text which is slightly different from Dickinson's original.

Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem “If—“ in 1895, but it was not published until 15 years later. The piece is consistently listed among the best poems ever written by British poets and sections of it have been quoted or referenced in popular culture numerous times over the decades.

Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem “If—“ in 1895, but it was not published until 15 years later. The piece is consistently listed among the best poems ever written by British poets and sections of it have been quoted or referenced in popular culture numerous times over the decades. Click Here to Download this Program Program CreditsAnnouncer: Thomas Lamar Narrator: J.D. Sutter Composer: Jared DePasquale Sound Design & Mixing: Roy Allison Photography: EdwinRS Producer/Director: J.D. Sutter Entry on Wikipedia for "If—" Entry on Wikipedia for Rudyard Kipling Story Behind the Poem on The Daily Mail Rudyard Kipling, circa 1899 - image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/ "If—" by Rudyard KiplingIf you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!” If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son. Producer's Note: We had two composers work on the "If" production and we decided to produce two versions to showcase the work of both of them. Since this is our first offering in the Verses In Vox series we thought it would be a bonus to see how two different folks would interpret this piece musically. This bonus version of "If" was scored by Kevin Duncan.

Imagine classic works of poetry from the likes of Dickinson, Kipling and Tennyson fused with original music scores and enhanced with sound effects.

Verses In Vox™ is a short-form, dramatic poetry program produced collaboratively by an international team of creatives. Each member brings their individual talents to this project to create an audible image of timeless poems. We want you to encounter these rich literary works in a way you never have before.

Verses In Vox.

Experience Poetry™.