Phaedra and other Poems and Ballads
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Lu par LibriVox Volunteers
Phædra was the wife of Theseus, the King of Athens, but she developed a passion for her step-son Hippolytus. His rejection of her declaration of love leads to tragedy and death.
The Poems read here are from Swinburne's Poems and Ballads (First series) published in 1866. The poems were popular on publication but also controversial as Swinburne wrote about topics which were considered taboo at the time such as Lesbianism (or Sapphism), Sado-masochism and Anti-theism. Many of the poems have the common themes of love and death and there are several references to the Greek poet Sappho whose work Swinburne admired. - Summary by Alan Mapstone
Cast List for the Phædra play:
Phædra: laurakgibbs
Hippolytus: Alan Mapstone
Chorus of Trœzenian Women: ShrimpPhish
(2 hr 4 min)
Chapitres
| PHÆDRA | 14:13 | Lu par LibriVox Volunteers |
| A Ballad of Life | 6:07 | Lu par Alan Mapstone |
| A Ballad of Death | 8:45 | Lu par Alan Mapstone |
| A Leave-Taking | 3:21 | Lu par Bruce Kachuk |
| Rondel | 1:26 | Lu par Barty Begley |
| Satia te Sanguine | 4:26 | Lu par Alan Mapstone |
| Anima Anceps | 1:48 | Lu par Algy Pug |
| In the Orchard | 4:07 | Lu par Larry Wilson |
| A Match | 2:07 | Lu par Arnav Darnal |
| A Cameo | 1:15 | Lu par David Lawrence |
| Song before Death | 1:13 | Lu par Douglas Wood |
| Stage Love | 1:46 | Lu par Bruce Kachuk |
| Rondel | 1:05 | Lu par David Lawrence |
| Before the Mirror | 3:01 | Lu par dc |
| Erotion | 3:12 | Lu par dc |
| In Memory of Walter Savage Landor | 2:18 | Lu par dc |
| A Song in Time of Order, 1852 | 3:30 | Lu par Bruce Kachuk |
| A Song in Time of Revolution, 1860 | 5:26 | Lu par Alan Mapstone |
| Before Dawn | 3:24 | Lu par Larry Wilson |
| The Garden of Proserpine | 5:36 | Lu par Alan Mapstone |
| Love at Sea | 1:36 | Lu par ShrimpPhish |
| April | 3:03 | Lu par Adrian Stephens |
| Before Parting | 2:27 | Lu par Adrian Stephens |
| The Sundew | 2:37 | Lu par Adrian Stephens |
| An Interlude | 2:52 | Lu par Adrian Stephens |
| Hendecasyllabics | 2:28 | Lu par Adrian Stephens |
| Sapphics | 5:58 | Lu par Alan Mapstone |
| August | 2:58 | Lu par ShrimpPhish |
| A Christmas Carol | 3:03 | Lu par Larry Wilson |
| Love and Sleep | 1:05 | Lu par Arnav Darnal |
| Madonna Mia | 3:03 | Lu par Larry Wilson |
| The King's Daughter | 3:01 | Lu par ShrimpPhish |
| After Death | 2:26 | Lu par Douglas Wood |
| May Janet | 2:45 | Lu par Alan Mapstone |
| The Sea-Swallows | 3:36 | Lu par Dave Silva |
| The Year of Love | 3:07 | Lu par Alan Mapstone |