Ballad Of The Thames At Reading
The river runs for joy
The river runs for sorrow
It claims the distant past
It flows towards tomorrow
It hears the lion’s roar
And the sad man in his cell
It writes bright words on water
And sounds the funeral bell
The river runs for sorrow
The river runs for joy
It fills the heart with plenty
It undoes both man and boy
It sings the heart so loving
And sighs with love’s despair
Is wild with springtime folly
And dark with winter care
READING
Reading is famous poetically for Oscar Wilde’s Ballad of Reading Gaol, written when he was imprisoned there for homosexuality. Here, the same rhyming ballad form evokes the river at Reading to contemplate the turbulent passage of life. Banksy has created artwork on the wall of the prison, 'Create Escape'.
Ask anyone who has visited Reading recently, and they will tell you about the shopping, the restaurants and the nightlife. Talk to someone who has lived here a while and they will praise the beautiful stretches of river, the acres of parkland and ancient woodland.
Reading is surprising in so many ways: Michelin Star restaurants; over eight hundred listed buildings and monuments; boutique hotels; a world-renowned red-brick university; family friendly museums; two National Trails and two great rivers on our doorstep.
