Ted Hughes

10/3/22: Tonight I read twelve essential poems from the British poet Ted Hughes (1930-1998). They can all be found in his Collected Poems (smaller selections of his poetry include Selected Poems 1957-1994 and A Ted Hughes Bestiary). In this episode I also read from The Letters of Ted Hughes.

The poems are:

  • Wind (from the Hawk in the Rain, 1957)
  • Six Young Men (from the Hawk in the Rain, 1957)
  • Crow’s Song About God (from Crow, 1970-71)
  • “I skin the skin” (from Gaudete, 1977)
  • A Green Mother (from Cave Birds, 1978)
  • Bride and Groom Lie Hidden for Three Days (from Cave Birds, 1978)
  • Cock-Crows (from Remains of Elmet, 1979)
  • Rain (from Moortown Diary, 1979)
  • February 17th (from Moortown Diary, 1979)
  • Four March Watercolours (from River, 1983)
  • October Salmon (from River, 1983)
  • Life After Death (from Birthday Letters, 1998)
  • This is followed by a reading Hughes gave of his poem, “October Salmon.”