Poems of Jonathan Swift, Volume One
Jonathan Swift
121 chapters · 9 h 22 min · English
Read by Arthur Krolman
Miscellaneous
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Sit back and listen to these light-hearted witty rhymes and see the world Jonathan Swift saw -- and maybe recognize your own. Think there is such a thing as corrupt rich guys who pretend they're God's gift to the world? So did Swift. Think some of these types strut around as if calls of nature don't apply to them? So did Swift. In one hilarious poem, he even describes gold diggers fighting over the loaded gentleman's gaseous offerings! His poem On Poetry, A Rhapsody, censored for treasonous mocking of the royal family, is in its rare uncensored form here. As free as he himself is with his sharp tongue against the blackened rich and corrupt , he knows others might have to kiss up to eat. So he includes many verses of advice on how to go about lying for a living, for example, "Your interest lies to learn the knack Of whitening what before was black." Despite the decay and hypocrisy he sees all around him he stays upbeat throughout -- even making fun out of his own tragic onset of deafness. You already know this giant of English literature for the great feast of prose he left us. Think of these delicious poems here as your sinful dessert. - Summary by Arthur Krolman
Chapters
1 Ode to Doctor William Sancroft 16 min 2 Ode to Sir William Temple 11 min 3 Ode to King William 3 min 4 Ode to the Athenian Society 18 min 5 To Mr. Congreve 14 min 6 Occasioned by Sir William Temple etc 10 min 7 Written in a Lady's Ivory Table Book 2 min 8 Mrs. Frances Harris's Petition 7 min 9 A Ballad on the Game of Traffic 1 min 10 A Ballad to the tune of Cutpurse 2 min 11 The Discovery 2 min 12 The Problem 4 min 13 The Description of a Salamander 4 min 14 To Charles Mordaunt, Earl of Peterborough 2 min 15 On the Union 1 min 16 On Mrs. Biddy Floyd 1 min 17 The Reverse 2 min 18 Apollo Outwitted 3 min 19 Answer to Lines from May Fair 1 min 20 Vanbrugh's House ver.1 4 min 21 Vanbrugh's House ver.2 6 min 22 Baucis and Philemon ver.1 11 min 23 Baucis and Philemon ver.2 8 min 24 The History of Vanbrugh's House 2 min 25 A Grub Street Elegy 4 min 26 The Epitaph 1 min 27 A Description of the Morning 1 min 28 A Description of a City Shower 4 min 29 On the Little House 3 min 30 A Town Eclogue 5 min 31 A Conference 4 min 32 To Lord Harley on his Marriage 4 min 33 Phyllis 5 min 34 Horace, Book IV, Ode ix 2 min 35 To Mr. Delany 5 min 36 An Elegy 4 min 37 To Mrs. Houghton and Window Verses 2 min 38 Apollo to the Dean 6 min 39 News from Parnassus 4 min 40 Apollo's Edict 4 min 41 The Description of an Irish Feast 3 min 42 The Progress of Beauty 6 min 43 The Progress of Marriage 8 min 44 The Progress of Poetry 2 min 45 The South Sea Project 11 min 46 A Prologue on Stroller Licensing 4 min 47 Epilogue to Mr. Hoppy 4 min 48 Prologue for the Weavers 3 min 49 Epilogue for the Weavers 3 min 50 Answer to Prologue and Epilogue 4 min 51 On Gaulstown House 1 min 52 The Country Life 6 min 53 Dr. Delany's Villa and Delville Window 3 min 54 Carbery Rocks 3 min 55 Copy of the Birthday Verses on Mr. Ford 5 min 56 On Dreams 3 min 57 Dr. Delany to Dr. Swift and The Answer 4 min 58 A Quiet Life and a Good Name and Advice 4 min 59 A Pastoral Dialogue 5 min 60 Desire and Possession 3 min 61 On Censure 2 min 62 The Furniture of a Woman's Mind 3 min 63 Clever Tom Clinch 2 min 64 Dr. Swift to Mr. Pope 1 min 65 A Love Poem 2 min 66 Bouts Rimez 2 min 67 Helter Skelter 2 min 68 The Puppet Show 4 min 69 The Journal of a Modern Lady 11 min 70 The Logicians Refuted 3 min 71 The Elephant; or the Parliament Man 2 min 72 Paulus Epigram and The Answer 7 min 73 A Dialogue 3 min 74 On Burning a Dull Poem 1 min 75 An Excellent New Ballad 4 min 76 On Stephen Duck 1 min 77 The Lady's Dressing Room 6 min 78 The Power of Time 1 min 79 Cassinus and Peter 5 min 80 A Beautiful Young Nymph 4 min 81 Strephon and Chloe 14 min 82 Apollo; or A Problem Solved 2 min 83 The Place of the Damned 1 min 84 The Day of Judgment 1 min 85 Judas 2 min 86 An Epistle to Mr. Gay 10 min 87 To a Lady 11 min 88 Epigrams on Busts in Richmond Hermitage 2 min 89 Swift's Birthday Presents 5 min 90 An Invitation, by Dr. Delany 1 min 91 The Beasts' Confession 9 min 92 The Parson's Case 2 min 93 The Hardship upon the Ladies 1 min 94 A Love Song 2 min 95 The Storm 4 min 96 Ode on Science 2 min 97 A Young Lady's Complaint 2 min 98 On the Death of Dr. Swift 22 min 99 On Poetry, a Rhapsody 22 min 100 Verses sent to the Dean on his Birthday 3 min 101 Epigram by Mr. Bowyer 1 min 102 On Psyche 1 min 103 The Dean and Duke 1 min 104 Swift on his own Deafness 2 min 105 The Dean's Manner of Living 1 min 106 Verses for Fruit Women 3 min 107 On Rover, a Lady's Spaniel 3 min 108 Epigrams on Windows 5 min 109 To Janus, on New Year's Day 2 min 110 Miscellaneous 10 min 111 An Apology to Lady Carteret 7 min 112 The Birth of Manly Virtue 6 min 113 On Paddy's Character 2 min 114 An Epistle to Lord Cartaret by Delany 6 min 115 An Epistle upon an Epistle 6 min 116 A Libel on Dr. Delany and Lord Carteret 8 min 117 To Dr. Delany on the Libels 7 min 118 Directions for a Birthday Song 11 min 119 The Pheasant and the Lark 11 min 120 Dean Smedley's Petition to the Duke 7 min 121 Parody on a Character of Dean Smedley 2 min
