Multilingual Short Works Collection 031 - Poetry & Prose

This is our 31st collection of short pieces, poetry or prose, fiction and non-fiction, in several different languages (except standard English) as listed below. All chosen and recorded by Librivox volunteers. (Summary by ToddHW)

Description of Readings:

1. Bengali - দুই পাখি [Dui Pakhi] - 3:03
Rabindranath Tagore
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Keywords: A conversation between two birds: one free and the other captive.

2. Chinese - 水調歌頭 [shui tiao ge tou] - 4:12
Su Shi
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3. French - Les fraises de décembre - 9:36
Claudius Ferrand
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Keywords: A fairytale about a young girl and her awful mother-in-law and step-sister, à la Vassilissa or Cinderella; Fables et légendes du Japon

4. French - Trésor-des-Fèves et Fleur-des-Pois: conte des fées - 52:58
Charles Nodier
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Keywords: Conte Fées Jeunesse; Un joli bébé arrive dans une famille, la vieille dame l’appelle Trésor des Fèves, il est vif et intelligent. Ses parents l’adorent. Il part un jour … et fait la connaissance d’une gentille et jolie mignonne, Fleur des Pois… qui a une calèche magique…

5. German - Ein stummer Bericht von einem Schiffbruch - 8:47
Holger Drachmann (1846 - 1908)
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Keywords: Deutsch, Kurzgeschichte, Mystisch, Übersetzt von Otto Hauser

6. Hebrew - פגישה, חצי פגישה [Pgisha, Khatzi Pgisha] - 1:05
Rachel Bluwstein
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Keywords: meeting; lovers; emotion; memories; love; Hebrew; Israel

7. Irish - Amhrán an Tae - 4:08
Colm de Bhailís
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Keywords: Colm de Bhailís, Amhrán an Tae, Conamara, Marriage, Tea, Tobacco, Galway

8. Italian - Decameron, Quarta Giornata, Prima Novella - 26:36
Giovanni Boccaccio
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Keywords: ancient Italian, compelling romance, father and daughter conflict, love and death, italian noble court of XIV century, tragic ending

9. Italian - Ninna-nanna - 2:06
Trilussa
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Keywords: poem in Italian dialect ("Romanesco"), anti-war feelings, poem written in 1917 but unluckily up to date even today as a comment to the tragic current events

10. Luxembourgish - Kê Barométer mě - 0:52
Michel Lentz
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Keywords: bad weather, farmers, fancy-fair, clothes, poem, fun

11. Polish - Przygrywka - 2:52
Maria Konopnicka
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Keywords: poezja, marzenia, podróź

12. Romanian - Bunica - 1:18
Ștefan Octavian Iosif
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Keywords: Ștefan Octavian Iosif, lyric poetry, poezie lirică, the longing for grandmather, dorul de bunica, blândețea și frumusețea bunicii

13. Romanian - De sărbători - 1:31
Ștefan Octavian Iosif
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Keywords: The Christmas celebration, the longing for the homeland, sărbătoarea Crăciunului

14. Romanian - E împărţită omenirea - 2:41
Mihai Eminescu
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Keywords: Mihai Eminescu, E împărțită omenirea, oameni simpli, înțelepti, căință, Dumnezeu

15. Russian - Кукушка [Kukushka] - 0:36
Анна Ахматова
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Keywords: неволя, принуждение

16. Spanish - Redondilla I: A los hombres - 3:08
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
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Keywords: Poesía colonial Poesía del siglo XVII

17. Spanish - Temprano y con sol - 10:58
Emilia Pardo Bazán
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Keywords: young love

18. Swedish - Ett halvt ark papper - 4:42
August Strindberg
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Keywords: death, grief, melancholia, nostalgia, starting over, light in the darkness

19. Swedish - På rakstugan - 1:41
Albert Ulrik Bååth
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Keywords: barbershop, gossip, scandal, suicide, morality, hypocrisy, judgmentalism, fear of death.

20. Ukrainian - Безсонна ніч [bezsonna nich] - 2:04
Леся Українка
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Keywords: важкі часи, hard times