It helps immensely to hear poetry read, particularly if it's read well. I didn't understand how important the sound is until I started listening - it changed th

It helps immensely to hear poetry read, particularly if it's read well. I didn't understand how important the sound is until I started listening - it changed the way I view poetry. If I can't find a recording of a poem, I'll even try reciting it myself. Years ago I started sticking a cassette (!) of Eliot reading "The Waste Land" in my Walkman (I did say "years ago") before walking to work. It was around 20 minutes each way. I could expect to hear "Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead ..." as I was walking in the front door of the math building. I'd get to the end of the poem around halfway on my way home. Eliot is (to my ears) a good reader, and after months of doing this I'd memorized large chunks of the poem. There are also recordings of him reading "Prufrock" and "Four Quartets" which are very good. One drawback to this is that I can't multitask while listening to poetry (though now, even music is a problem). So it has to wait till I'm doing something which doesn't require too much attention (which may not be a good thing). Other good readers of their own poetry - Yeats (though the recordings are very old), Dylan Thomas. Professional readers can sometimes do a good job - I have a recording of Michael Sheen doing "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" which is completely over the top. Best to listen to a sample before you buy.