Reading Poetry Aloud
Lots of us decide to give a poetry reading - whether it's our
own poetry, a poem we've had written for a special occasion or a
famous poem, there are times when we would like to read it aloud
and share it with other people.
Poetry readings take place at weddings, funerals, poetry clubs
and concerts.
There are a few different rules for poetry reading than for
prose reading and these rules help us to keep the shape of the
poem.
First you have to be heard. The sound has to get out of your
mouth and for this to happen you have to open your mouth.
If you have written the poem yourself or if you've had it
written for you, you will know the emotion the poem is trying to
convey. You will know what is coming next but remember your
listeners don't know. They've never heard it before so they have
to get in the right mood and then they have to listen to the
words and they will need time to take in what you've read.
It might come as a surprise to know that there are different
kinds of pauses. Some of these pauses are used when reading
prose and poetry and some are used in poetry only.
Pauses used in prose and poetry
Grammatical pauses - used when punctuation dictates such as a
comma or fullstop.
Sense pauses - used when our common sense says we need a pause.
Rhetorical - this is a longer pause that comes at the end of
paragraphs and some verses.
Emphatic - this is used before an important word or after an
important word or before and after an important word.
Emotional pause - this is used to give an emotional effect such
as when a person is crying.
Dramatic pause - a pause used to give a dramatic effect.
Pauses used only in poetry reading
The main pause is the suspensory pause. This occurs at the end
of an enjambment line where the sense carries on into the next
line of the poem. There must be a slight puase on the last word
of the line but no breath must be taken.
An example is taken form Sea Fairies by Eileen Mathias
They're hiding by the pebbles,
They're running round the
rocks
Each of them, and all of them
In dazzling sea green frocks.
There is a pause at the end of the first line and the next
place for a breath is halfway through the third line. However at
the end of the second line you must hold on to the word 'rocks'
so that the shape of the poem is kept.
Caesura pause - This can come anywhere in the line of poetry but
it always coincides with sense.
Metrical pause - Lines of poetry are made up of metrical feet.
These feet are very similar to bars of music. Each foot is made
up of 2, 3 or 4 syllables. A metrical pause occurs when part of
a foot or a whole foot is missing.
Why pausing is important
Pausing allows the listener to take in what you've just said.
It shows you have confidence in your ability to read the poem
aloud.
Gives you a chance to breathe.
Keeps the shape of the poem.
Pace and Power
Try to alter the speed at which you read the poem. If you want
to sound angry or excited speed up a little and raise the pitch
of your voice. When you want to sound more serious lower the
pitch and slow down. A higher pitched voice can also be used
when talking about things which are high up - the sky, angels,
tall buildings and a lower pitch for things lower such as the
soil, graves, underwater etc.
Facial Expressions
Your facial expressions and gestures are important. If you are
reading a serious poem try not to smile! Any movements you make
must look natural and not rehearsed, you want the whole
experience to look and sound natural and relaxed.
If the poem wasn't written by you, you'll need to read through
the poem a few times to try and gauge the feelijg of the poem
and also try to pick out the important words and phrases. These
important words and phrases can then be emphasised using the
methods outlined above.