Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 18’ praises timeless beauty, rooted in virtues that endure beyond the fleeting beauty of the youth.
This poem is a classic example of English poetry, reflecting the tradition's emphasis on beauty, emotion, and the power of language to capture the complexity of human experience. English poetry has a rich and diverse history, encompassing a wide range of styles, genres, and themes. William Shakespeare is one of the most celebrated poets of the English tradition, renowned for his mastery of language and his enduring literary legacy.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
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‘Caedmon’s Hymn’ was sung by a lay worker, Caedmon, from the estate of the monastery of Whitby when the voice of God came to him.
Now we must praise heaven-kingdom's Guardian,
The Measurer’s might and his mind-plans,
The work of the Glory-Father, when he of wonders of every one
Eternal Lord, the beginning established
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William Wordsworth’s literary classic, ‘Daffodils,’ also known as ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,’ is one of the most popular poems in the English language. It is a quintessential poem of the Romantic movement.
This a quintessentially English poem, showcasing the beauty of the natural world and the power of the imagination. The poem is a masterful example of English Romantic poetry, which emphasized individualism, emotion, and the beauty of the natural world. The poem's focus on the joyfulness of everyday experiences and the power of memory has made it a beloved classic of English literature.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
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‘The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue’ by Geoffrey Chaucer expresses the poem’s satirical view on the society of its time.
Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licóur
Of which vertú engendred is the flour;
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Coleridge’s ‘Kubla Khan’ describes the poet’s dream of visiting the palace of a Mongol emperor who ruled the ancient Chinese Yuan Dynasty.
This poem is one of the most famous poems to come out of England, and it is often considered a masterpiece of Romantic poetry. Its influence can be seen in the work of later poets, such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. The poem has also appeared as a reference point in other poems, novels, and even in television shows.
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
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Sonnet 73, ‘That time of year thou mayst in me behold’, explores love’s resilience in the face of human transience.
'Sonnet 73' is one of the most significant poetry of the most influential English writer, William Shakespeare. With the English Renaissance's dominant thematic concern of human transience, Shakespeare popularized a new distinctively English form and content against the Italian form of sonnets. He moves away from an ideal fair woman and the Petrarchan structure of sonnets, evolving what would be known as a form called Shakespearean Sonnet.
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
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Wordsworth’s ‘Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey’ tells of the power and influence of nature in guiding life and morality.
This English poem is often cited as a key example of the Romantic literary tradition. The poem is celebrated for its emphasis on the beauty and power of nature and for its exploration of the ways in which memories of past experiences can shape our understanding of the world around us.
Five years have past; five summers, with the length
Of five long winters! and again I hear
These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs
With a soft inland murmur.—Once again
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Sonnet 29, ‘When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes’ by William Shakespeare explores emotions of self-doubt, envy, despair, and the power of love.
Shakespeare, the greatest of English poets, is not famous only for his plays but his 154 sonnets as well. His sonnets, including 'Sonnet 29,' occupy a canonical position in English literature. Nevertheless, the sonnets not only resonate with the English but transcend space and time with their nuanced expression of various human conditions.
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
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The Thirty Pilgrims in ‘The Canterbury Tales’ and the host belong to diverse ranks and professions representing the contemporaneous society.
ONCE ON A TIME, as old tales tell to us,
There was a duke whose name was Theseus;
Of Athens he was lord and governor,
And in his time was such a conqueror
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‘Ode to a Nightingale,’ written in 1819, is one of John Keats’ six famous odes. It’s the longest, with eight 10-line stanzas, and showcases Keats’ signature style of vivid imagery and emotional depth, exploring themes like beauty and mortality.
This poem is a masterpiece of English poetry and one of the most beloved poems in the English language. Keats' use of language and imagery is masterful, and the poem has had a profound influence on subsequent generations of poets and writers. It is a complex and deeply moving work that explores some of the most fundamental questions of the human experience. It is a testament to Keats' skill as a poet and his ability to capture the beauty and pain of life in words.
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
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‘Ozymandias’ is about the nature of power. It is an important piece that features how a great ruler like Ozymandias, and his legacy, was prone to impermanence and decay.
This poem is a brilliant example of English poetry, showcasing Percy Bysshe Shelley's poetic talents and the power of language to explore universal themes. The poem's enduring popularity is a testament to its timelessness and the relevance of its message.
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
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‘Bards of Passion and of Mirth’ by John Keats is one of the poet’s early odes. In it, Keats confirms that bards, or authors, have two souls, with one rising to heaven, and the other staying on earth.
Before he died, Keats write to his brother "I think I shall be among the English Poets after my death." Keats did, indeed, rise among the ranks of the great English poets, and he is still considered to be one of the very best poets of England, accompanied in the rankings by Chaucer, Wordsworth, and Byron.
Bards of Passion and of Mirth,
Ye have left your souls on earth!
Have ye souls in heaven too,
Doubled-lived in regions new?
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A nonsense poem filled with wordplay, ‘Jabberwocky’ by Lewis Carroll tells the story of the hero’s quest to slay the Jabberwock.
This poem showcases his imaginative spirit and inventive use of language, which challenged traditional poetic conventions and pushed the boundaries of literature. The poem's nonsensical language and imagery have captured the imagination of readers for over a century, making it a timeless work of English literature. Additionally, 'Jabberwocky' has influenced other writers and artists, inspiring new works and interpretations.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
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Shakespeare’s Sonnet 1, ‘From fairest creatures we desire increase,’ appeals to the Fair Youth to procreate and preserve his beauty.
As an iconic figure in English literature, Shakespeare's works, including his sonnets, are considered quintessentially English. The use of the English language and the adherence to the English sonnet form, with its specific rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter, demonstrate his commitment to his native language and poetic traditions. Sonnet 1 is distinguished among Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, treasured in English literature.
From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty’s rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory;
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Sonnet 130, ‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,’ satirizes and subverts traditional love poetry, presenting a new perspective.
Shakespearean sonnets are an essential body of work within the canon of English literature. 'Sonnet 131,' with its unconventional yet modern thoughts, is one of the most popular and discussed among Shakespearean sonnets. It undeniably enriches the depth of English literature with its enduring perspective.
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red, than her lips red:
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
