Over many centuries poets have drawn inspiration and solace from the land that surrounds us. From mountain high to valley floor from sea cliffs to sandy shore through wood and field, across rivers, brooks and streams through sunlight, raging storms and the cloak of night these shores have some of the most beautiful natural treasures to be found anywhere.Our poets including William Wordsworth, Robert Bridges and A E Houseman to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Radclyffe Hall and Emily Br...

At first thought, this seems an unlikely area to find fine poetry.The Graveyard Poets, also known as Churchyard Poets or the Boneyard Boys, began in pre-Romantic days with a leaning towards gloom, melancholy and the general decay of churchyards.It should be remembered that in the 18th century some city graveyards were a teeming mass of overcrowding and disease, their country brethren better housed but hardly idylls of worship.What would eventually lead to the Gothic...

When that bright light of recognition, and perhaps a glint of fame, falls upon us then maybe our first assumption is that our moment has at last arrived and, now that it is here, it will never leave us.Of course, as the wise sages remind us, fame is fleeting and for the authors in this volume it has indeed passed, and their works are now but a distant memory in the minds of just a few.We take exception to that. Talent endures. Perhaps styles change, fads come and go, but st...

‘A dime a dozen’ as known in America, is perhaps equal to the English ‘cheap as chips’ but whatever the lingua franca of your choice in this series we hereby submit ‘A Rhyme a Dozen’ as 12 poems on many given subjects that are a well-rounded gathering, maybe even an essential guide, from the knowing pens of classic poets and their beautifully spoken verse to the comfort of your ears.

‘A dime a dozen’ as known in America, is perhaps equal to the English ‘cheap as chips’ but whatever the lingua franca of your choice in this series we hereby submit ‘A Rhyme a Dozen’ as 12 poems on many given subjects that are a well-rounded gathering, maybe even an essential guide, from the knowing pens of classic poets and their beautifully spoken verse to the comfort of your ears.

For many in Europe the focus has shifted West to the Americas both by settlement and by war against the indigenous tribes and then between themselves. Democracy would be re-born by the American War of Independence.In the East, India becomes the stage for further expansion.For our wordsmiths the world had become a wider page on which to write their thoughts.Coleridge, Pope, Southey, Wordsworth speak with lyrical eloquence upon subjects great and small but always from...

The cat. Independent when it wants and making us dependent on its whims when it deems. Cats are first thought of as being domesticated in the Near East in about 7500 BC. A few thousand years later in Ancient Egypt they are worshipped as gods. From a domestic cat’s point of view this is pretty much the life they want and that some cats lead right now.Their larger cousins whether in forest, savannah, mountains or desert were fated for their speed, strength, beauty, feline powers and ...

The anthology "Poetical Works of Johnson, Parnell, Gray, and Smollett" is a compelling collection that vividly illustrates the diverse literary styles and thematic richness of 18th-century British poetry. This collection juxtaposes the reflective musings on human nature of Samuel Johnson with the pastoral elegances found in Thomas Parnell's works. Thomas Gray's command of lyricism and his melancholic odes, coupled with T. Smollett's incisive satire and biting wit, create a tapestry of poet...

In "An Elegy Wrote in a Country Church Yard," Thomas Gray delves into themes of mortality, memory, and the quiet dignity of rural life. Written in iambic pentameter with a poignant and introspective tone, the poem captures the somber yet beautiful atmosphere of a churchyard, where the remains of the ordinary and the forgotten speak to the transience of human existence. The elegy is remarkable for its use of serene imagery and subdued eloquence, placing it within the context of the burgeoni...

The 'Poetical Works of Johnson, Parnell, Gray, and Smollett' presents an enriching tapestry of eighteenth-century British poetry, offering insight into the variegated expressions of the era. This anthology weaves together diverse themes such as nature, sentiment, reason, and satire, showcasing the dynamic interplay between Neoclassicism and the emerging Romantic sensibility. Readers will find themselves captivated by the elegiac beauty, philosophical depth, and satirical wit that character...

Select Poems of Thomas Gray gathers the finest work of a poet whose small canon profoundly altered eighteenth-century English verse. Centered on masterpieces such as "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," "The Progress of Poesy," and "The Bard," the collection reveals Gray's command of classical allusion, measured diction, and meditative music. His poetry stands at a pivotal literary threshold: formally indebted to neoclassical order, yet emotionally attuned to solitude, mortality, ruins...

In "Select Poems of Thomas Gray," the reader is immersed in a collection that epitomizes the contemplative and elegiac tones characteristic of the 18th century. Gray's distinctive use of language, marked by its musicality and precision, breathes life into themes of mortality, nature, and introspection. Notably, poems such as "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" reflect the poet's reverence for the past and the common man, while showcasing his mastery of form and emotional depth. Through...