(Sonnet 151 from 33 Church St, Blackpool FY1 1HT)

Love is too young to know what conscience is; 
Yet who knows not, conscience is born of love? 
Then, gentle cheater, urge not my amiss, 
Lest guilty of my faults thy sweet self prove. 
For thou betraying me, I do betray 
My nobler part to my gross body's treason; 
My soul doth tell my body that he may 
Triumph in love; flesh stays no farther reason, 
But rising at thy name, doth point out thee 
As his triumphant prize. Proud of this pride, 
He is contented thy poor drudge to be, 
To stand in thy affairs, fall by thy side. 
No want of conscience hold it that I call 
Her 'love,' for whose dear love I rise and fall. 


Blackpool Grand Theatre Young Company recites Sonnet 151 by William Shakespeare

(Sonnet 152 from The Swan Steps of the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon)

In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn,
But thou art twice forsworn, to me love swearing;
In act thy bed-vow broke, and new faith torn,
In vowing new hate after new love bearing:
But why of two oaths' breach do I accuse thee, 
When I break twenty? I am perjured most;
For all my vows are oaths but to misuse thee,
And all my honest faith in thee is lost:
For I have sworn deep oaths of thy deep kindness,
Oaths of thy love, thy truth, thy constancy;
And, to enlighten thee, gave eyes to blindness,
Or made them swear against the thing they see;
   For I have sworn thee fair; more perjured eye,
   To swear against the truth so foul a lie!

Tracy Irish recites "In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn" by William Shakespeare

(Sonnet 152 from the entrance of Olympic Sculpture Park)

In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn,
But thou art twice forsworn, to me love swearing;
In act thy bed-vow broke, and new faith torn,
In vowing new hate after new love bearing:
But why of two oaths' breach do I accuse thee, 
When I break twenty? I am perjured most;
For all my vows are oaths but to misuse thee,
And all my honest faith in thee is lost:
For I have sworn deep oaths of thy deep kindness,
Oaths of thy love, thy truth, thy constancy;
And, to enlighten thee, gave eyes to blindness,
Or made them swear against the thing they see;
   For I have sworn thee fair; more perjured eye,
   To swear against the truth so foul a lie!

Lola E Peters reads "In loving thee" by William Shakespeare

(Sonnet 153 from Rainier Beach Library, Seattle, WA)

Cupid laid by his brand and fell asleep:
A maid of Dian's this advantage found,
And his love-kindling fire did quickly steep
In a cold valley-fountain of that ground;
Which borrowed from this holy fire of Love,
A dateless lively heat, still to endure,
And grew a seething bath, which yet men prove
Against strange maladies a sovereign cure.
But at my mistress' eye Love's brand new-fired, 
The boy for trial needs would touch my breast;
I, sick withal, the help of bath desired,
And thither hied, a sad distempered guest,
   But found no cure, the bath for my help lies
   Where Cupid got new fire; my mistress' eyes.

Dr. Georgia McDade recites "Against strange maladies a sovereign cure" by William Shakespeare

(Last sonnet No. 154 on the 400 year anniversary of Shakespeare's death from David H. Koch Theater (New York City Ballet), Lincoln Center, NY)

The little Love-god lying once asleep,
Laid by his side his heart-inflaming brand,
Whilst many nymphs that vowed chaste life to keep
Came tripping by; but in her maiden hand
The fairest votary took up that fire
Which many legions of true hearts had warmed;
And so the General of hot desire
Was, sleeping, by a virgin hand disarmed.
This brand she quenched in a cool well by,
Which from Love's fire took heat perpetual,
Growing a bath and healthful remedy,
For men diseased; but I, my mistress' thrall,
   Came there for cure and this by that I prove, 
   Love's fire heats water, water cools not love.


Campbell Thibo recites "The little Love-god lying once asleep" by William Shakespeare

(Sonnet 154 on the 400 year anniversary of Shakespeare from the original porch/balcony where a year ago Porchlit started in Seattle, WA)


The little Love-god lying once asleep,
Laid by his side his heart-inflaming brand,
Whilst many nymphs that vowed chaste life to keep
Came tripping by; but in her maiden hand
The fairest votary took up that fire
Which many legions of true hearts had warmed;
And so the General of hot desire
Was, sleeping, by a virgin hand disarmed.
This brand she quenched in a cool well by,
Which from Love's fire took heat perpetual,
Growing a bath and healthful remedy,
For men diseased; but I, my mistress' thrall,
   Came there for cure and this by that I prove, 
   Love's fire heats water, water cools not love.


Yonnas Getahun recites  "Came there for cure"by William Shakespeare

(Sonnet 154 from Town Hall, Seattle, WA after Seattle Poetry Grand Slam)
The little Love-god lying once asleep,
Laid by his side his heart-inflaming brand,
Whilst many nymphs that vowed chaste life to keep
Came tripping by; but in her maiden hand
The fairest votary took up that fire
Which many legions of true hearts had warmed;
And so the General of hot desire
Was, sleeping, by a virgin hand disarmed.
This brand she quenched in a cool well by,
Which from Love's fire took heat perpetual,
Growing a bath and healthful remedy,
For men diseased; but I, my mistress' thrall,
   Came there for cure and this by that I prove, 
   Love's fire heats water, water cools not love.


Jessica Charlton recites Sonnet 154 by William Shakespeare

Once a quarter a volunteer from Porchlit reads poems from the Poetry Garden located at Seattle Center.  This time Yonnas recites the poems etched and found on the stones of the garden from poets such as Margie Piercy, Pablo Neruda, Margaret Atwood, Hildegard of Bingen and Annie Sexton.  

Especial thanks to Seattle Center, Office of Arts & Culture and Elisheba Johnson for working with Porchlit.  






Poem from the Poetry Garden recited by Yonnas Getahun

Oh dead bird come live here
next to this dictionary. 
We will take walks 
by the edges of trauma.

by Maged Zaher
recited by Campbell Thibo for Porchlit from 12th Avenue S & King St in Seattle, WA.

An Untitled Poem By Maged Zaher recited by Campbell Thibo

Thank you Seattle Center and Office of Arts & Culture for partnering with Porchilt(http://porchlit.org/)!  This is the fourth installment, or quarterly reading, for 2016.   Special thank you to Laura Randall for inspiring this selection.  Enjoy!!! 

That time of year thou may'st in me behold 
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, 
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. 
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day, 
As after sunset fadeth in the west, 
Which by-and-by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. 
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire 
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, 
As the death-bed whereon it must expire 
Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by. 
   This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
   To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang by William Shakespeare

Porchlit was initially a site-specific, time duration Arts & History project taking place from April 23, 2015 to April 23, 2016 started by Yonnas Getahun, Campbell Thibo and Omar Willey.
Beyond the Porch is the Seattle History podcast series by Omar Willey.

Jessica Charlton recites Sonnet 154 by William Shakespeare

Porchlit

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