- Poetry / Elegies & Odes / Free Verse / Lyric / Sonnets
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Three Sunsets and Other Poems
Lewis Carroll's most enduring works are the Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, but he also wrote some very interesting poetry. The poems in this particular volume are called "serious" in the preface, and though they are written in Lewis Carroll's accessible style, they are addressed to adults, with many of the poems having themes such as love and death. -
Farm Ballads
Farm Ballads is a rather influential volume of poetry by American poet Will Carleton. The poems are concerning rural life in Michigan, where the poet grew up and spent much of his life before eventually moving to Boston. -
Poems
In May, 1910, Mrs. Eddy requested her publisher to prepare a few bound volumes of her poems, for private distribution. When this became known to her friends, they urged her to allow a popular edition to be issued, to which she assented. With grateful acknowledgment, therefore, of this permission, this little volume is presented to the public, in the hope that these gems of purest thought from this spiritually-minded author will prove a joy to the heavy laden and a balm to the weary heart. -
Horse Shoe
An hilarious telling in verse of the tale of St. Dunstan and the Devil, in which the Saint, angered by the Devil's mocking of his music-making, responds by shoeing Old Clootie forcibly which, despite the fact he has a hoof, causes him extreme pain. Thereafter every place that shows a horseshoe over its door is safe from the doings of the Devil. Brilliantly lively illustrations by Cruickshank for those who follow the link to the text. -
Seven Seas
This is a collection of some of the poetry of Rudyard Kipling, These poems are centered around travelling, many of which may have been written by Kipling during his various travels. -
Kingdom of Love
This is a volume of poetry by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, named after the poem 'the Kingdom of Love'. -
Helen of Troy and Other Poems
Sara Teasdale was an American poet, originally from Missouri, later attaching herself more to New York. Helen of Troy was one of her first great successes. This volume also contains the small drama On the Tower, which is recorded here with a full cast. -
Birds, Vol. II, No 2, August 1897
Birds, Illustrated by Color Photography was a monthly publication of the Nature Study Publishing Company of Chicago. It includes short poems, anecdotes and factual descriptions of birds with accompanying color plates. The magazine was published from 1897-1907 under the various titles, "Birds," "Birds and all Nature," "Nature and Art" and "Birds and Nature." Later issues were expanded to include animals, plants, etc -
Impertinent Poems
A Pre-Impertinence:
Anticipating the intelligent critic of "Impertinent Poems," it may well be remarked that the chief impertinence is in calling them poems. Be that as it may, the editors and publishers of "The Saturday Evening Post," "Success" and "Ainslee's," and, in a lesser degree, "Metropolitan," "Independent," "Booklovers'" and "New York Herald" share with the author the reproach of first promoting their publicity. That they are now willing to further reduce their share of the burden by dividing it with the present publishers entitles them to the thanks of the author and the gratitude of the book-buying public.
E.V.C. -
Poems and Ballads
This is a volume of poetry by Heinrich Heine, translated by Emma Lazarus. The poetry of Heinrich Heine is still widely read today within Germany, and this fine translation by Emma Lazarus has added to a greater readership in English-speaking countries at the time it was published (1881). -
Humour of the North
Some day an enterprising editor may find time to glean from the whole field of Canadian literature a representative collection of wit and humour. . . . The present little collection obviously makes no such ambitious claim. It embraces, however, what are believed to be representative examples of the work of some of our better-known writers, many of which will no doubt be quite familiar to Canadian readers, but perhaps none the less welcome on that account. -
Bible (KJV) 19: Psalms
The Book of Psalms, commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible. Taken together, its 150 poems "express virtually the full range of Israel's religious faith." They each have a poetic character with frequent use of parallelism. In addition to the title of the collection, which translates as "song" or "hymns" from both Hebrew and Greek, superscriptions (or headings) in many of the Psalms provide musical references and some direction, in some cases even references to melodies that would have been well known by early congregations. Songs that can be identified as such in the Psalms include songs of thanksgiving (e.g., Ps 30), hymns of praise (e.g., Ps 117) and royal psalms, which may have been used in coronations and weddings. Identification of some psalms as prayers is also seen within the text, for example in the conclusion to Psalm 72, "The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended." The largest category of Psalms, though not grouped as such in the text, is that of lament (expressions of complaint and pleas for help from God). There appears to also have been an instructional function of the psalms as seen in their references to the law (e.g., Ps 1 and 119). -
Harp-Weaver, and Other Poems
Although Edna St. Vincent Millay was gaining recognition for her lyrical poems since 1920, it was winning the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923 for "The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver" that established her career as a poet. In 1943, Millay was the sixth person and the second woman to be awarded the Frost Medal for her lifetime contribution to American poetry. -
Ballad of St. Barbara and Other Verses, The
This book of poetry by G.K. Chesterton, originally published in 1922, contain 35 poems on a variety of subjects. -
Calendar of Sonnets (Version 2)
Helen Hunt Jackson is probably most famous for her work on behalf of Native Americans’ rights. However, this short volume presents a sonnet for each month of the year, devoted simply and beautifully to the shifting wonder of nature through the seasons. -
Verses
Susan Coolidge was the pen name of Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, who is best known for her What Katy Did series. This is the first of three volumes of her verse. -
Young Adventure, A Book of Poems
Stephen Vincent Benét (July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943) was an American author, poet, short story writer and novelist. He is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body (1928), for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929, and for two short stories, "The Devil and Daniel Webster" and "By the Waters of Babylon".
It was a line of Benet's poetry that gave the title to Dee Brown's famous history of the destruction of Native American tribes by the United States: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. (Summary excerpted from Wikipedia)
This recording includes the Dedication, Foreword and first 16 poems from Young Adventure, A Book of Poems. -
Birds, Vol. III, No 4, April 1898
Birds, Illustrated by Color Photography was a monthly publication of the Nature Study Publishing Company of Chicago. It includes short poems, anecdotes and factual descriptions of birds with accompanying color plates. The magazine was published from 1898-1907 under the various titles, "Birds," "Birds and all Nature," "Nature and Art" and "Birds and Nature." Later issues were expanded to include animals, plants, etc -
Poems by Edward Thomas
Born in 1878, Thomas published his first book when he was 18. Having married while still at university, he supported his family by writing articles and books, some in the form of what we might call slow travel writing, compiled on walks throughout England and Wales. He came to poetry late, encouraged by Robert Frost, and wrote 144 poems between 1914, and 1917 when he was killed, two years after enlisting, and shortly after arriving in France.
His poetic life coincided with WW1, and though not a war poet, his is the poetry of loss, of life as it would never be again. What is powerful to the English imagination is his depiction of the fragility of the English countryside. This is inseparable from his deep understanding of the longings and regrets of those who would die. Transience and mortality are at the heart of his work. This is true in one of the country’s favourite poems, to be found on this recording: Adlestrop. He is important to other poets in that, at his best, his poetry is quietly, sometimes coldly, conversational, with a slow beat that takes us with him as he thinks through from line to line, and wraps us in his vision of life and the natural world. -
Some Poems of Roger Casement
This is a small volume of poetry by Roger Casement. Casement was a diplomat for years, active especially in Africa, where he witnessed the dark side of British Imperialism. He began to devote his life to human rights, and is still recognised for his important work particularly in the Congo and in Peru. -
Path of Dreams
This is a volume of poetry by American poet Leigh Gordon Giltner. -
Rape of Lucrece
The Rape of Lucrece (1594) is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare about the legendary Lucretia. Lucrece draws on the story described in both Ovid's Fasti and Livy's history of Rome. In 509 BC, Sextus Tarquinius, son of Tarquin, the king of Rome, raped Lucretia (Lucrece), wife of Collatinus, one of the king's aristocratic retainers. As a result, Lucrece committed suicide. Her body was paraded in the Roman Forum by the king's nephew. This incited a full-scale revolt against the Tarquins led by Lucius Junius Brutus, the banishment of the royal family, and the founding of the Roman republic. -
Kings and Queens of England with Other Poems
This is a volume of poems by Mary Ann Bigelow, who turned her historical research into a poem in "the Kings and Queens of England". This volume also contains a number of her other poems, especially acrostics, many of which are dedicated to friends and family members. -
Poems
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was an influential female African American poet. Her poetry often deals with themes of freedom, discrimination, hatred, and injustice. Her poetry remains relevant to this day, and is still widely read. -
Fairy Changeling and Other Poems
This is a volume of poetry by Dora Sigerson Shorter. As much of her other poetry, this volume also succeeds in connecting a modern style of poetry with deep emotion and themes of Irish mythology. -
Rainbow and the Rose (Version 2)
Although Edith Nesbit is best known for her innovative children's books and classic ghost stories, she was at heart a poet. She began writing poetry at the age of 14 and published over 20 volumes of poetry during her lifetime. Her poetry was praised by authors and poets such as Algernon Swinburne, Oscar Wilde, and literary critic, Andrew Lang. Although her timeless poetry is little read today, she still ranks at 323 of the top 500 poets. -
Wild Knight and Other Poems
A collection of poems that tend to revolve around the theme of the wonder of the world. It includes the short, poetic play, "The Wild Knight" -
Greybeards at Play
G.K. Chesterton's first publication, "Greybeards at Play" is a collection of poetry and accompanying illustrations. The work is marked by the irreverent whimsy and ancient delight that would eventually be recognized as Chesterton's signature style. Short (only four poems long and a dedication), playful, and with a touch of awe, Chesterton's first piece (written at 26) is appropriately titled: it is the work of an amateur, mature in his spirit, young in his play. - -
Verses Popular and Humorous
This is a volume of humorous poems by Australian poet Henry Lawson. -
Fifty Years & Other Poems
This is a collection of poems by James Weldon Johnson. Johnson was an early civil rights activist, and this theme is the basis for many of the poems in this collection as well. This volume also contains an introduction by Brander Matthews.The first half of this volume contains poems in classical style and form, the second half of this collection is a set of "Jingles & Croons". -
Perverted Proverbs: A Manual of Immorals for the Many
This is a volume of humorous poems by Harry Graham, writing under his pseudonym Col. D. Streamer. In this volume, Graham brings us a unique and original view of popular proverbs, in his own peculiar humorous verse. -
Silhouettes
This is a collection of verses by British poet, critic and magazine editor Arthur Symons, which, as some reviewers assure us, was "'unwholesome," because, he said, they had "a faint smell of Patchouli about them."' Modern readers may value the poetry in this volume differently. -
Birds, Vol. II, No 6, December 1897
Birds, Illustrated by Color Photography was a monthly publication of the Nature Study Publishing Company of Chicago. It includes short poems, anecdotes and factual descriptions of birds with accompanying color plates. The magazine was published from 1897-1907 under the various titles, "Birds," "Birds and all Nature," "Nature and Art" and "Birds and Nature." Later issues were expanded to include animals, plants, etc -
Birds and All Nature, Vol. IV, No 1, July 1898
"Birds and All Nature" was a monthly publication of the Nature Study Publishing Company of Chicago. It includes short poems and articles describing birds, animals and other natural subjects with accompanying color plates. The magazine was published from 1897-1907 under the various titles, "Birds," "Birds and all Nature," "Nature and Art" and "Birds and Nature." These short pieces are perfect for a first recording or for anyone with a love of nature. -
Poems of To-Day: an Anthology
This is a book of more modern poetry by various authors. -
Poems & Parodies
Tom Kettle was an Irish economist, journalist, barrister, writer, poet, soldier and Home Rule politician. All these varied interests helped him compose beautiful and very witty poetry, until his death at the Western Front in World War I. This volume was published immediately after his death, and may give a good overview over the work and the many talents of this now almost forgotten writer. -
Katydid's Poems
This is a volume of poems by Kate Slaughter McKinney, poet laureate of the State of Alabama of 1931, who often went by the pen-name Katydid. The poems are cute and amusing, children will enjoy them. -
May Flower and Miscellaneous Writings
Included herein are 35 charming short stories or humorous sketches, some written as exercises for the literary Semi-Colon Club of Cincinnati which Stowe belonged to for years, others published in magazines of the time, and 7 religious poems. Stowe honed her expressive skills on many of these before writing her first serious novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and 30 other books that followed. They showcase her considerable skill even as a young writer, and she made good money doing it, often supporting her family. This collection, named after a flower native to the east coast, likely the Anemone hepatica, or 'May flower', should not to be confused with another collection by Stowe, The Mayflower, which provides sketches of several descendants of the Pilgrims. -
Ardours and Endurances
This is a volume of war poetry by English poet and playwright Robert Nichols. To quote Wikipedia: "On 11 November 1985, Nichols was among 16 Great War poets commemorated on a slate stone unveiled in Westminster Abbey's Poet's Corner. The inscription on the stone was written by a fellow Great War poet, Wilfred Owen. It reads: 'My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity.'" This particular volume of poetry contains his most well-known poems, and is also perhaps one of the most haunting collections of war poetry in the English language. -
Captain Sword and Captain Pen: A Poem
This Poem is the result of a sense of duty, which has taken the Author from quieter studies during a great public crisis. He obeyed the impulse with joy, because it took the shape of verse; but with more pain, on some accounts, than he chooses to express. However, he has done what he conceived himself bound to do; and if every zealous lover of his species were to express his feelings in like manner, to the best of his ability, individual opinions, little in themselves, would soon amount to an overwhelming authority, and hasten the day of reason and beneficence. -
Poems of Pleasure
This is another volume in Ella Wheeler Wilcox's famous series of poetry. This volume bears the topic "pleasure". -
Tides
This is a volume of poetry by John Drinkwater. The English poet and playwright was a close associate of, among others, Rupert Brooke, before World War I, and continued a successful career as author and playwright after the war and until his death in 1937. This is a small collection of only 19 of his earlier poems. -
Birds and All Nature, Vol. IV, No 2, August 1898
"Birds and All Nature" was a monthly publication of the Nature Study Publishing Company of Chicago. It includes short poems and brief descriptions of birds, animals and other natural subjects with accompanying color plates. The magazine was published from 1897-1907 under the various titles, "Birds," "Birds and all Nature," "Nature and Art" and "Birds and Nature." Good listening for anyone with a love of nature! -
Coming to the King
A collection of poems by Frances Ridley Havergal and others, all describing different aspects of our walk with God, from 'Coming to the King' to 'Under the Shadow.' Summary by Esther ben Simonides. -
Hero and Leander
“Who ever lov’d, that lov’d not at first sight?”
The wonder-decade of the English drama was suddenly interrupted in 1592, when serious plague broke out in London, forcing the closure of the theatres. Leading playwrights took to penning languorously erotic poetry to make ends meet: so we have Venus and Adonis, The Rape of Lucrece - and Marlowe’s blazing masterpiece, Hero and Leander.
Marlowe’s poem became more notorious than either of Shakespeare’s, due not only to its homophile provocations but also to the scandal attaching to every aspect of Marlowe’s brief life, violently ended in a mysterious brawl, leaving the poem in an unfinished state.
The edition read here includes the wonderful continuation by George Chapman, a versatile playwright: tragedian as well as author of Jonsonian metropolitan comedies: in short, an all-round literary craftsman, whose Homer translation was famously admired by Keats. Chapman excels in extended allegory, but also in pithiest epigram –
“Love is a golden bubble, full of dreams,
That waking breaks, and fills us with extremes.”
All these playwrights come from the generation of grammar-school alumni raised on the secular curriculum of Latin poetry: above all, Ovid – the source of the story of Hero and Leander, and their “love-death” in the Hellespont.
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Misrepresentative Women
After writing two volumes on Misrepresentative Men, in which Harry Graham satirized ancient and contemporary famous men, a volume on the famous ladies was necessary. This volume contains several humorous poems on famous women, as well as some other humorous verses -
Birds, Vol. III, No 5, May 1898
Birds, Illustrated by Color Photography was a monthly publication of the Nature Study Publishing Company of Chicago. It includes short poems, anecdotes and factual descriptions of birds with accompanying color plates. The magazine was published from 1898-1907 under the various titles, "Birds," "Birds and all Nature," "Nature and Art" and "Birds and Nature." Later issues were expanded to include animals, plants, etc -
Black Panther
John Hall Wheelock is an American poet who during his student years at Harvard University was editor-in-chief of The Harvard Monthly, and began to publish his first poems. He later worked for publisher Charles Sribner and Sons finally becoming senior editor. He received many awards for his poetry including the Golden Rose in 1936 for the most distinguished contribution to American poetry of that year. The poems in The Black Panther reveal a deep spirituality but also a strong humanistic reach, sometimes dark and sometimes celebratory and full of joy. The collection begins with the powerful title poem and consists of three sections: Dim Wisdoms, Space and Solitude, The Lost Traveller’s Dream, and The Divine Fantasy. -
O May I Join the Choir Invisible! and Other Favorite Poems
These magical and timeless poems conceived by four of the world's master poets are crafted with the enchanting thoughts, superb imagery and reflective enlightenment of five deftly chosen life scenarios. The skilled hands of these poetic wordsmiths take us on a journey of yearning, hope, grief and wonder then leave us immersed in the joy of nature's simple blessings.
These poems, these words - extraordinary words that add color to this our mosaic of life - beseech us to explore life's enigma, discover life's secrets and perhaps one day approach an understanding, facilitated perhaps by dreaming of becoming a blissful member of Eliot's "Choir Invisible", or learning just "half the gladness" of the "blithe spirit" possessed by Shelley's "Skylark."
These are five outstanding poems - just five - but five poems universally recognized for their superb ability to portray a unique interpretation of life and via that interpretation to just possibly illuminate a path down which await the seeds of wisdom.
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Poems
This is a collection of 98 short poems written by the famous British actress, Fanny Kemble.