Phaedra and other Poems and Ballads
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Read by 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)
Chapters
| PHÆDRA | 14:13 | Read by LibriVox Volunteers |
| A Ballad of Life | 6:07 | Read by Alan Mapstone |
| A Ballad of Death | 8:45 | Read by Alan Mapstone |
| A Leave-Taking | 3:21 | Read by Bruce Kachuk |
| Rondel | 1:26 | Read by Barty Begley |
| Satia te Sanguine | 4:26 | Read by Alan Mapstone |
| Anima Anceps | 1:48 | Read by Algy Pug |
| In the Orchard | 4:07 | Read by Larry Wilson |
| A Match | 2:07 | Read by Arnav Darnal |
| A Cameo | 1:15 | Read by David Lawrence |
| Song before Death | 1:13 | Read by Douglas Wood |
| Stage Love | 1:46 | Read by Bruce Kachuk |
| Rondel | 1:05 | Read by David Lawrence |
| Before the Mirror | 3:01 | Read by dc |
| Erotion | 3:12 | Read by dc |
| In Memory of Walter Savage Landor | 2:18 | Read by dc |
| A Song in Time of Order, 1852 | 3:30 | Read by Bruce Kachuk |
| A Song in Time of Revolution, 1860 | 5:26 | Read by Alan Mapstone |
| Before Dawn | 3:24 | Read by Larry Wilson |
| The Garden of Proserpine | 5:36 | Read by Alan Mapstone |
| Love at Sea | 1:36 | Read by ShrimpPhish |
| April | 3:03 | Read by Adrian Stephens |
| Before Parting | 2:27 | Read by Adrian Stephens |
| The Sundew | 2:37 | Read by Adrian Stephens |
| An Interlude | 2:52 | Read by Adrian Stephens |
| Hendecasyllabics | 2:28 | Read by Adrian Stephens |
| Sapphics | 5:58 | Read by Alan Mapstone |
| August | 2:58 | Read by ShrimpPhish |
| A Christmas Carol | 3:03 | Read by Larry Wilson |
| Love and Sleep | 1:05 | Read by Arnav Darnal |
| Madonna Mia | 3:03 | Read by Larry Wilson |
| The King's Daughter | 3:01 | Read by ShrimpPhish |
| After Death | 2:26 | Read by Douglas Wood |
| May Janet | 2:45 | Read by Alan Mapstone |
| The Sea-Swallows | 3:36 | Read by Dave Silva |
| The Year of Love | 3:07 | Read by Alan Mapstone |