Classic Poetry

Everyone's getting the bus but where are they going?

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is a poetic marvel, a work that has survived translation into many languages, while losing little of its force and its wry character. As a source of literary imagery and memorable quotations it ranks with the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. While Edward Fitzgerald was neither the first nor the most scholarly of the English translators of the Rubaiyat, his translation has been largely responsible for the world-wide popularity of this monument of classic Persian poetry.

Evgenii Onegin is best known in the West through Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin. But the original narrative poem (consisting of 389 stanzas, the form of which has become known as the "Pushkin sonnet") is one of the landmarks of Russian literature. In the poem, the eponymous hero repudiates love, only to later experience the pain of rejection himself. Pushkin’s unique style proves timeless in its exploration of love, life, passion, jealousy, and the consequences of social convention.

These iconic works explore the depths of human suffering, identity, and transformation, showcasing some of the most profound voices of the 20th century. From the haunting reflections on war in All Quiet on the Western Front and A Farewell to Arms to the poetic expression of inner conflict in the works of Owen, Rosenberg, and Brooke, this collection provides a window into the world of writers who grappled with the aftermath of trauma and the search for meaning.

In A Child's Garden of Verses, Stevenson catches the spirit of childhood in such charming poems as "At the Seaside", "Foreign Lands", "Bed In Summer", "The Land of Counterpane", and many more. Recipient of a 1983 Parents Choice Award.

This translation with its admirable projection of the various moods throughout the poem can be recommended to both classicist and non-classicist. -( The Classical World)

The most famous of the three canticles that compose The Divine Comedy, "Inferno" describes Dante's descent into Hell midway through his life, with Virgil as a guide. As he descends through nine concentric circles of increasingly agonizing torture, Dante encounters doomed souls that include the pagan Aeneas, the liar Odysseus, the suicidal Cleopatra, and his own political enemies, damned for their deceit.

Are you looking for a short story for your children? This one has a good moral and teaches not to trust strangers. "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy-tale about a young girl and a big bad wolf. Its origins can be traced back to the 10th century to several European folk tales, including one from Italy called "The False Grandmother". The best known version was written by Charles Perrault.

The Madman: His Parables and Poems, Gibran's first book published in English, is a collection of approximately 35 inspirational parables and poems on God, animals, human nature, and the meaning of life. These brief but memorable pieces serve as sources of contemplation and include "How I Became a Madman", "The Two Hermits", "The Wise Dog", "The Good God and the Evil God", "Night and the Madman", "When My Sorrow Was Born", and “When My Joy Was Born".

The quartercentenary of John Milton (1608-1674) is celebrated next year. This selection of his finest poetry includes sections from "Paradise Lost", "Samson Agonistes", the masque "Comus", as well as sonnets and other poems. They are read by two of Britain's leading classical actors.

Internationally renowned actor Geraint Wyn Davies performs Dylan Thomas’ best-known and most beloved poems: “Fern Hill,” “Death Shall Have No Dominion,” and the eternal, “Do Not Go Gentle.” Also included are complete (and abridged) performances of the best selling "A Child’s Christmas in Wales" and "A Visit to Grandpa’s."

Young children can spy familiar nursery characters hiding in this tale. There's Tom Thumb, Jack and Jill, and the Three Bears as well as Baby Bunting and a host of others.

This poet of Victorian times was held in awe for his magnificent works, including "In Memoriam", "Morte D'Arthur", and "Charge of the Light Brigade". His language and command of vocabulary seem particularly in keeping with the grand sweep of Victorian ambition. Many selections are asembled here and read with great character by Dame Sybil Thorndike, Sir Edward Casson, and Robert Speaight.

Songs of Innocence and of Experience is a collection of 45 poems by English poet William Blake. "Songs of Innocence" is the first part of the collection and appeared in 1789 with engraved illustrations by Blake. The second part, "Songs of Experience", also illustrated, was added in 1794 when Blake published the whole under the full title of Songs of Innocence and Experience Showing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul.

In the beginning of Paradise Lost, Satan has ben banished to Hell and is working to organize the angels who fell with him and create his new kingdom. While a constant angelic war rages, Satan begins to wield his influence on the first humans created on Earth, and soon tempts them into defying God by using wit and logic to tempt Eve. The actions get Adam and Eve banished from paradise, and in the aftermath of their sin they get to glimpse the future of humanity based on their actions.

本有声书收录了从先秦到清末的数十首边塞诗词，有史实的真实呈现，有生命的悲欢离合，也有现实世界的巧妙介入……本有聲書收錄了從先秦到清末的數十首邊塞詩詞，有史實的真實呈現，有生命的悲歡離合，也有現實世界的巧妙介入……

This collection was published in 1923 and won the Pulitzer Prize for the author in the following year. It is laid out in three main sections. The first is a lengthy poem, titled New Hampshire, the name being given to the entire collection. The second section bears the title "Notes", and consists of 14 poems, including the mini drama, "The Witch of Coös". The final section, which contains 30 poems, many of which are very short, is titled "Grace Notes."

Included in this collection, along with Longfellow's classic "The Song of Hiawatha", are "An April Day", "Autumn", "Woods in Winter", "The Wreck of the Hesperus", "The Village Blacksmith", "Endymion", "Voices of the Night", "Hymn to the Night", "A Psalm of Life", "The Reaper and the Flowers", "The Light of Stars", "Footsteps of Angels", "Flowers", "The Beleaguered City", "Midnight Mass for the Dying Year" and "The Day Is Done".

A collection of Rudyard Kipling's finest poetry read by David Philo, Christopher Hassall, Emma Topping and Rudyard Kipling himself.

Homer's masterpiece tells the story of Odysseus, the ideal Greek hero, as he travels home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, a journey of 10 years and countless thrilling adventures. Rich in Greek folklore and myth, featuring gods and goddesses, monsters and sorceresses, The Odyssey has enchanted listeners around the world for thousands of years.