words that sing

Out of nostalgia, we recently bought a copy of The Wind in the Willows, and we've been reading it to each other these last several weeks. It's a charming little book, deliciously written and with characters who are fully alive.

Grahame strings words together lyrically - each paragraph is like a stand-alone poem. This book, more than any other, is a book that's meant to be read out loud. There is a rhythm and musicality to his writing that can only be fully appreciated when read aloud.

For instance, the Mole's first-ever glimpse of The River:

"He thought his happiness was complete, when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before - this sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again. All was a-shake and a-shiver - glints and gleams and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and bubble. The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spellbound by exciting stories, and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea."

Oh! Wonderful.