When A Merry Maiden Marries Comments

My Columbia University speech professor, Lee Raney, in the summer of 1962 (evening class) chose this poem for us to practice our diction - mostly for the alliteration. I would go to the first car of the NYC #1 (IRT) subway train and from 242nd street to 116th street shout this poem out into the darkness from the front window. The train made so much noise that I couldn't hear myself shouting so I wasn't worried about bothering the other passengers.

I love this poem. I printed it out for my graddaughter as soon as she became engaged. Pity she never studed Gilbert and Sullivan in school. My father used to take us to the Jan Hus Theater in New York City whenever there was a production by G & S. That was my introduction at a very early age - maybe 7 or 8 years old.