Songs, Merry and Sad

audiobook

Songs, Merry and Sad

by John Charles McNeill

EN·~1 hours·64 chapters

Chapters

64 total
1

by John Charles McNeill - [American (North Carolina) poet. 1874-1907.]

0:04
2

To JOSEPH P. CALDWELL ("The Old Man")

0:02
3

SONGS, MERRY AND SAD

0:01
4

The Bride

1:15
5

"Oh, Ask Me Not"

1:05
6

Isabel

0:44
7

To ———

0:57
8

To Melvin Gardner: Suicide

1:04
9

Away Down Home

1:27
10

For Jane's Birthday

1:13

Description

A tender chorus of verses opens with a quiet bride standing alone in a dim hall, her thoughts drifting between sweet memories and a quiet, nameless yearning. The poet moves from intimate confession to broader reflections on love, ambition, and the fragile pull of youth, letting each line echo with both celebration and sigh. Through vivid images of flowers, autumn’s hush, and fleeting summer skies, the work captures moments of joy that sit beside deeper, sometimes somber, meditations on loss and the passage of time.

Later poems turn the ear toward the countryside, where bullfrogs, swallows, and buttercups animate a landscape that feels both familiar and timeless. The voice shifts between lively portraiture of everyday scenes and a contemplative whisper about mortality, inviting listeners to linger on the delicate balance of laughter and grief. In an effortless flow, the collection offers a lyrical journey that feels like a gentle walk through memory, perfect for those who cherish poetry that sings both merrily and mournfully.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~1 hours (57K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Alan R. Light, and David Widger

Release date

1999-08-01

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

John Charles McNeill

John Charles McNeill

1874–1907

Remembered as one of North Carolina's most beloved early poets, this writer turned the woods, fields, and river country of his boyhood into clear, musical verse. His career was brief, but poems like "Sunburnt Boys" and the 1906 collection "Songs, Merry and Sad" helped secure his lasting place in Southern literature.

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