You need Flash to listen to this track.
Download (mp3)
A moth ate words— I thought it strange to hear, and a wonder of fate, that a worm in darkness can thieve a man’s fine riddle, swallow his song, sip eloquence and feast on its foundation, And yet that stealthy guest who dines on stolen words will leave no wiser. Listen to more readings from The Word Exchange »
The Word ExchangeThe dazzling variety of Anglo-Saxon poetry brought to life by an all-star cast of contemporary poets in an authoritative bilingual edition. more »
Jane Hirshfield is the author of six poetry collections, most recently After, named a “best book of 2006” by the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and England’s Financial Times. She is also the author of a now-classic essay collection Nine Gates: Entering The Mind of Poetry and three books collecting and co-translating the work of women poets from the past.
Elizabeth Powell 
