What is the right , way, of reading poetry over the
micro- phone ? I think the first essential is that the reader shall not impose his personality between the listener and the poetry. After all, the poetry is the thing. Mr. David Tennant, who last Sunday gave the first of a new series of, poetry-readings, comes very near to possessing the-right manner.: with him the reader is finely subordinated to the reading. His voice-is full and clear and his enunciation is good-though his sense of rhythm is sometimes at fault. But where was the need, in announcing these readings, to explain that the B.B.C. was " following its rule of giving a musical interlude between Bible- readings " ? (I hope I quote accurately.) . I welcome these Sunday readings. There is room in the programmes for much more poetry ; but let it be poetry for poetry's own sake-not as a suitable link between religious broadcasts. The Pleasant- Sunday-Afternoon air which pervaded the announcements preceding Mr. Tennant's reading seemed to affect even the reader himself ; or else where was the need to speak, in paren- thetical apology, of the wanton " quality of some of Herrick's verse in contrast to his more religious numbers ? Herrick is
quite without the need of any apology.
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