In this recording, one of several poetry readings and talks from M.I.T. that aired on WGBH in 1963, David Ferry reads almost two dozen original poems, some of which would not be published in book form for decades to come. After a brief introduction, and with limited remarks by way of contextualization, Ferry reads poems titled "Descriptive," "The Embarcation for Cytherea," "On the Way to the Island," "The Sage by the Seashore," For the Birthday of Miss Marianne Moore, Whenever Her Birthday Is, Jonson on Pope, "What It Does," "Out of the Sea," "The Bird," "The Soldier," "Out in the Cold," "In the Dark," "The Late Hour Poem," "At a Low Bar," "The Twin," later retitled and published as "The Charm," "Seen Through a Window," "Musings of Mind and Body," and "Aubade (If the Early Morning)," as well as a translation from the French of Pierre de Ronsard titled "Quand vous serez bien vielle." In the question and answer period following the reading, Ferry addresses issues including the relationship between his practice as a poet and as a scholar, his compositional process, his scholarly book on Wordsworth, and his influences, among which he includes James Merrill and John Crowe Ransom. Some Poems in this recording were omitted at the poet's request. Summary and select metadata for this record was submitted by Jim Cocola.
