Ancient Poetry

Vis and Ramin is one of the world's great love stories. It was the first major Persian romance, written between 1050 and 1055 in rhyming couplets. This remarkable work has now been superbly translated into heroic couplets (the closest metrical equivalent of the Persian) by the poet and scholar Dick Davis.

Vis and Ramin had immense influence on later Persian poetry and is very probably also the source for the tale of Tristan and Isolde, which first appeared in Europe about a century later.

The tragic poem, dominated by the themes of lust, crime, and revenge, tells the story of soldiers Tarquin and Collatine, and Collatine's wife Lucrece. It is believed to have been written in 1594. It is set just prior to the establishment of the Roman Republic. It is a poem with some similarity to Shakespeare's tragic revenge play, Titus Andronicus, and features aspects of other great Shakespearian works.

"Les Métamorphoses sont composées au début de l'ère chrétienne par le poète latin Ovide, juste avant sa relégation sur les rives de la mer Noire. Ce recueil est constitué d'une multitude de courts récits inspirés des mythologies, des épopées et des tragédies grecques et romaines. Un livre-monde, tour à tour édifiant, galant et burlesque dont la voix inspirée de Michel Vuillermoz, sociétaire de la Comédie-Française, révèle l'esprit et les saveurs." Claude Colombini Frémeaux

"Le voyage de Monsieur Perrichon" : l'un des chefs-d'œuvre du théâtre comique français, c'est aussi la première pièce connue qui soit consacrée au tourisme, aux chemins de fer et à la montagne. Une famille se rend à Chamonix. Le père est un bourgeois. Sa fille est courtisée par deux rivaux. La classique comédie amoureuse a donc pour toile de fond les affres des voyages, les aventures à la gare et le tourisme alpestre. "Brûlons Voltaire" : Marchavant, rentier aisé, achète à une baronne, jeune veuve, le château familial.

The Trojan War is over, and Odysseus, the cunning king of Ithaca, sets out for home, his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. It proves a long, 10-year journey, fraught with dangers, from Polyphemus, the one-eyed Cyclops, and the seductive Sirens, to the love of Calypso on her all-too-comfortable isle.

Achilles has quarrelled with Agamemnon and sulks in his tent while Hector brings his Trojans to the brink of victory; but fate will have the last word. While the heroes fight before the walls of Troy the gods have also drawn up battle lines, and it is their disagreements as much as the heroes' efforts which will decide the conflict. Despite the poem's antiquity, the very real, human qualities of the protagonists and their dilemmas make The Iliad immediately accessible.

La traduzione di Ettore Romagnoli rende il testo molto più comprensibile delle altre versioni. Completano i 24 canti anche un lungo comento del traduttore.

14 canti scelti a cura di Piero Maccarinelli. Nel 2007 al Foro di Traiano, per dieci serate un manipolo di grandi attori ha dato voce ai più bei canti del poema omerico...

L’Eneide non è un semplice poema epico ma il quadro di un passaggio fra il vecchio mondo pagano e il nuovo mondo cristiano (nondimentichiamoci infatti che Virgilio è stato la guida di Dante nella Commedia). Solo un poeta dalla ricca vita interiore come Virgilio, e dal potere evocativo dei suoi versi poteva farsi l’interprete di questo passaggio.

Two young artists have a chance meeting on the last night of summer arts camp in this YA novel in verse and dialogue cowritten by acclaimed authors Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro. Jude loves photography, and he’s good at it, too. Between his parents’ divorce and his anxiety, being...

These poems describe mysteries about different ancient artifacts from various types of cultures.

"Sztuka kochania" autorstwa Owidiusza to jedno z najbardziej znanych dzieł traktujących o kunszcie miłosnym w historii. Poemat rzymskiego twórcy skierowany jest zarówno do mężczyzn, jak i kobiet. Przy pomocy pięknego języka odsłania on przed odbiorcą arkana wiedzy z zakresu uwodzenia, flirtu, fizycznego zbliżenia oraz utrzymania przy sobie "drugiej połowy".

A novel-in-verse about life after loss, 13 Ways to Say Goodbye beautifully renders the power of sibling bonds, the depth of grief, and the strength of learning to love again, perfect for fans of Everywhere Blue and The Distance to Home, from the author of The Song of Us. Nina always followed her...

Songs of Kabir is a book from 1915 consisting of 100 poems of Kabir, the 15th century Indian poet and mystic, translated to English by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

The Castle of Indolence was published early in the summer of 1748, four months after the poet’s death. The work was a slow and leisurely composition, which took nearly fifteen years to complete. The poem consists of 158 stanzas, divided into two cantos. It is presented as an allegory and was professedly written in imitation of The Faerie Queene. The origin of the poem appears to be the frequent remonstrances of Thomson’s friends about the poet’s well-known indolence, regarding both life and composition.

Nearly all Michael Angelo's sonnets express personal feelings, and by far the greater number of them were composed after his 60th year. To whom they were addressed, we only know in a few instances. Nothing is more clear than that Michael Angelo worshiped Beauty in the Platonic spirit, passing beyond its personal and specific manifestations to the universal and impersonal.

In Denmark, a very prosperous and popular ruler, King Hrothgar, has built a large mead hall and encouraged all of his soldiers to be jubilant and merry. The commotion from the festivities has greatly upset a horrible demon, Grendel, who lives in the swamp. Every night the demon terrorizes the community forcing the Danes to suffer at the hand of the beast for many years until a young Geatish warrior, Beowulf, hears of the plight King Hrothgar has endured.

This audiobook contains the most exciting and essential parts of the Iliad, capturing the final 50 days of the Trojan war and bringing to life ancient men and heroic battles. It provides an integral beginning to the infamous journey of Odysseus. Translated by Stanley Lombardo.

Questa è una raccolta di due testi, di Ovidio e di Catulle Mendès, che l'editore ha sottotitolato come “fisiologia comparata degli amori degli antichi romani e dei parigini moderni”, affidando la prefazione dell'opera appunto ad un fisiologo, il medico e scienziato Paolo Mantegazza. Ma è inutile dire che l'accenno alla medicina è volutamente paradossale, tanto il celebrato amore terreno sia impenetrabile agli innumerevoli sforzi di razionalizzarlo.

La plupart de ces poèmes ont été écrits entre 1846 et 1855. Mais les poèmes les plus anciens de ce recueil datent de 1834. Les 11 000 vers des "Contemplations" comptent parmi les plus beaux poèmes de la poésie française. Victor Hugo y est à l'apogée de son art poétique.