Fee-fi-fo-fum
by Anonymous
‘Fee-fi-fo-fum’ is a well-known chant from the story of “Jack the Giant Killer.” Dating back to at least the early 1700s, the compelling and entertaining story tells of a young boy’s daring feats and his bravery.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
by Anonymous
‘Here we go round the mulberry bush’ was first recorded in the mid-nineteenth century by James Orchard Halliwell. It was noted, as a great deal of nursery rhymes were, as a children’s game.
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
Holy Thursday (Songs of Experience)
by William Blake
‘Holy Thursday’ by William Blake depicts the poor children of London attending church on Holy Thursday. Specifically, Blake describes their songs, appearance, and how their existence challenges the message the church is trying to convey.
Is this a holy thing to see,
In a rich and fruitful land,
Babes reducd to misery,
Fed with cold and usurous hand?
Huge Vapours Brood above the Clifted Shore
by Charlotte Smith
‘Huge Vapours Brood above the Clifted Shore’ by Charlotte Smith describes a brooding storm the lighted paths of life one might choose to follow.
Huge vapours brood above the clifted shore,
Night o’er the ocean settles, dark and mute,
Save where is heard the repercussive roar
Of drowsy billows, on the rugged foot
Hymn on Solitude
by James Thomson
‘Hymn on Solitude’ is separated into five stanzas with differing numbers of lines. The poem has a simple rhyme scheme,
Hymn to Adversity
by Thomas Gray
The poem, ‘Hymn to Adversity‘, written in 1742, like the ‘Ode on Spring‘ and the ‘Ode on a Distant Prospect of
Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed From a Skull
by Lord Byron
‘Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed From a Skull’ was written in 1808 and expresses Byron’s disdainful thoughts surrounding death.
Live Your Life
by Chief Tecumseh
‘Live Your Life’ by Chief Tecumseh is an easy-to-read and powerful poem. It was written with the intention of sharing the poet’s beliefs about how to live life and embrace death without fear.
London
by Samuel Johnson
To look back at a nation’s history from a poet’s perspective is an enriching exercise that enlightens modern readers regarding the follies and foibles of the age. Samuel Johnson’s ‘London’ is one such piece that throws light on the condition of 18th century England, especially London.
Now Art Has Lost its Mental Charms
by William Blake
As someone who appreciates and enjoys poetry, it’s easy to quickly notice a title such as ‘Now Art Has Lost
`Now Art has lost its mental charms
France shall subdue the world in arms.'
So spoke an Angel at my birth;
Then said `Descend thou upon earth,
Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes
by Thomas Gray
This poem, ‘Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes’, is based on
Ode on the Spring
by Thomas Gray
‘Ode on the Spring’ belongs to the first period of Gray’s poetic career. It was written in 1742 and to
Ode to Psyche
by John Keats
‘Ode to Psyche’ was one of the final works of poetry that was published. His collection, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve
On a Certain Lady at Court
by Alexander Pope
Written in 1717, Pope’s ‘On a Certain Lady at Court’ is about Catharine Howard, one of the waiting-women of Queen Caroline and a mistress to George II. Pope satirizes the lady’s qualities as she rejects his genuine love.
On Being Cautioned Against Walking on an Headland…
by Charlotte Smith
‘On Being Cautioned Against Walking on an Headland…’, describes a wandering “Lunatic” and the freedom he has from niceties and the fear of death.
On the Day of Judgment
by Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift’s acerbic poem ‘On the Day of Judgment’ is about a speaker’s vision of the judgment day with Jove or Jupiter giving his final ruling on humankind’s offenses.
One Word Is Too Often Profaned
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley, poet to ‘One Word Is Too Often Profaned’, belonged to the younger generation of the Romantic poets. The
Part II: The Rime of The Ancient Mariner By S.T. Coleridge
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ is Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s best-known poem it is also Coleridge’s longest poem. It was written over
She Walks in Beauty
by Lord Byron
Scholars believe that ‘She Walks in Beauty’ was written when Byron met his cousin Mrs. Anne Beatrix Wilmont.
So We’ll Go No More a Roving
by Lord Byron
Despite the complicated and difficult life led by the then-infamous Lord George Byron, poet to So We’ll Go No More
Splendour in the Grass
by William Wordsworth
‘Splendour in the Grass’ by William Wordsworth is an excerpt from the poet’s much longer, ‘Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.’ The excerpt describes aging and where, after their youth has ended, one should seek strength and happiness.
What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now forever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower?
Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known
by William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth mentions the character “Lucy” many times throughout his poems, such as in Strange Fits of Passion Have I
Strange fits of passion have I known:
And I will dare to tell,
But in the lover’s ear alone,
What once to me befell.
The Destruction of Sennacherib
by Lord Byron
‘The Destruction of Sennacherib’ by Lord Byron is a narrative poem that retells the story of how God destroys King Sennacherib’s
The Dying Christian to His Soul
by Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope’s ‘ The Dying Christian to His Soul’ is a poem that focuses on the speaker in his time of death.
The Ecchoing Green
by William Blake
‘The Ecchoing Green’ by William Blake is poem that presents a theme that is as beautiful as it is melancholy.
The sun does arise,
And make happy the skies.
The merry bells ring
To welcome the Spring.
The Flight of Love
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
The poem, ‘The Flight of Love’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley, deals with the transience of love. Though it has a
The Garden of Love
by William Blake
‘The Garden of Love’ is the antithesis to The Echoing Green of Innocence, as it uses the same setting and rhythm to stress the ugly contrast.
I went to the Garden of Love,
And saw what I never had seen:
A Chapel was built in the midst,
Where I used to play on the green.
The Indian Serenade
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
‘The Indian Serenade’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley is a dreamlike, lyrical love poem told from the perspective of a desperate lover.
The Little Vagabond
by William Blake
‘The Little Vagabond’ is a satirical critique of church services, which humourously compares them to ale-houses.
Dear Mother, dear Mother, the Church is cold,
But the Ale-house is healthy & pleasant & warm;
Besides I can tell where I am use'd well,
Such usage in heaven will never do well.
The Poplar Field
by William Cowper
‘The Poplar Field’ describes the destruction of a field of poplar trees and how its loss allows a speaker to reflect on his death.
