Poetry is something we all enjoy reading and reciting. Wordsworth says, "Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility." So in this course, we have decided to add a poetry section first. You can download ebooks individually or with a single click in our Google Drive. We have added two versions of the E-Book, one for people who like to read in apple books, google books or in pdf format, and another for people who prefer Kindle. So download the correct version for your device.
1. THE DIVINE COMEDY BY DANTE ALIGHIERI
Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is considered one of the greatest works in world literature and established the standardized Italian language used today. Dante, who wrote between 1308 and 1320, draws upon various topics to answer the age-old question: what is the afterlife like? It includes the theology and philosophy of Roman Catholicism, the struggle between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire, Greek mythology, and the geocentric theory of the universe.
2. HUDIBRAS BY SAMUEL BUTLER
Among the many adventures and love pursuits in the land, knight-errant Hudibras and his trusty (and somewhat more grounded) squire Ralph travel together. Their constant arguments are Samuel Butler's satire of the day's major issues in late 17th century Britain, including the recent civil war, religious sectarianism, philosophy, astrology, and even the differences in women's and men's rights.
3. THE AENEID BY VIRGIL:
In Virgil's epic poem, the story of Aeneas begins when he flees Troy with his father, Anchises, and his son Ascanius, in search of a new life in Italy. Juno orders the god of the winds to unleash a terrible storm because a prophetic omen foretells that the descendants of Aeneas will destroy Carthage, Juno's favourite city, one day. As a result, the ships are thrown off course and arrive in Africa. In his journey towards Carthage, Aeneas meets Dido, the queen of Carthage, and falls in love with her.
4. VERSES ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS BY JOHN HENRY NEWMAN:
Verses on Various Occasions is a collection of poems written by John Henry Newman between 1818 and 1865. This period of Newman’s ecclesiastical career saw his ordination as an Anglican priest in 1825, his involvement in the High Church “Oxford Movement” in the 1830s, his conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1845, and his founding of the Birmingham Oratory, a Catholic religious community, in 1849.
5. NONSENSE BOOKS BY EDWARD LEAR:
Edward Lear worked as an ornithological illustrator in his early career and was considered one of the first major artists to draw birds from living subjects. In 1837, Lear began to experience a decline in his health and painted birds from the private menagerie owned by Edward Stanley, the 13th Earl of Derby and one of his closest friends. He was forced to abandon detailed painting due to deteriorating eyesight and failing lungs, and, with the help of the earl, he moved to Rome, where he established himself as a poet of poetic nonsense.
6. NEW HAMPSHIRE BY ROBERT FROST:
Robert Frost published New Hampshire, his fourth book of poetry, in 1923. The centrepiece is the long poem “New Hampshire,” an ode to the state. Endnotes on its lines point to shorter poems in the “Notes” section, and the book is capped with “Grace Notes,” a series of short lyrics—some of which are among Frost’s most famous works. The poems are each a meditative brushstroke of Americana, presented in Frost’s trademark plain-spoken but carefully-considered verse. The collection went on to win the 1924 Pulitzer prize for poetry, the first of four Frost would go on to receive. Included in this book are “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “Fire and Ice,” and “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”
7. POETRY BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE:
Shakespeare was well known for his plays, but he was also a poet during his writing career. The bubonic plague swept England from 1592 to 1593, killing almost 20,000 people. In January 1593, city officials ordered theatres in London to close their doors and work for the famous playwright and actor was terminated. Shakespeare began writing poetry to make ends meet during the closures. Even though the plague hindered his work in theatres, it gave him the basis for some of his most famous plays.
8. EUGENE ONEGIN BY ALEXANDER PUSHKIN:
Eugene Onegin is bored of the city, parties, and the superficial St. Petersburg social scene. So when a newly-deceased uncle leaves him his country mansion, he jumps at the chance to play the rural lord. There he meets his new neighbours Lenski, a young poet and stark contrast to Onegin’s affected nonchalance, and Tattiana, a dreamy but introverted romantic, and triggers a set of events with tragic consequences.
9. THE ODYSSEY BY HOMER:
This epic poem was written in ancient Greek, employing a dactylic hexameter rhyme scheme and dated back to classical antiquity. It was originally written in ancient Greek and belongs to the Epic Cycle, which includes the Iliad. As Eric McMillan humorously describes, this rhyme scheme can sound awkward in modern English and remind one of a pumpkin rolling on a barn floor, even though it sounds beautiful in its native language. By using blank verse in his translation, William Cullen Bryant avoided this problem, as it is a natural rhyme scheme in English.
10. THE ILIAD BY HOMER:
In ancient Greece, Homer wrote the Iliad as part of the Epic Cycle, which also includes the Odyssey. The epic poem was originally written in ancient Greek and followed the dactylic hexameter rhyme scheme. As Eric McMillan humorously describes, this rhyme scheme can sound awkward in modern English and can sound like "pumpkins rolling on a barn floor." William Cullen Bryant avoided this problem by converting the poem into a blank verse.
11. BEOWULF:
A monster known as Grendel has been terrorizing the land and killing its people, and Hrothgar, king of the Danes, invites warriors from neighbouring kingdoms to his great mead hall in the hope that one of them will be able to resolve the problem. The epic hero, Beowulf, is one of the warriors who respond to this call.
12. POETRY BY WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS:
Williams is recognized as one of the foremost poets of American Modernism. Poems combine The Tempers (1913), Al Que Quiere! (1917), and Sour Grapes (1921) into one anthology. This collection provides a glimpse of Williams' interaction with and subsequent departure from Imagism. The poet's work demonstrates a distinctively American approach to modernism with highly localized imagery and diction.
13. PARADISE LOST BY JOHN MILTON:
Paradise Lost is an epic poem written by the Puritan English poet John Milton between 1658 and 1663 and published in 1667. This is a period of English history which encompasses the end of Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth and the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.
14. POETRY BY WILFRED OWEN:
His poetry was influenced by his experience as a soldier and poet during the second half of the First World War. Contrary to popular propaganda, he wrote poetry that dealt with trench warfare and was influenced by a sense of duty to convey the realities of war, at least partially. In 1920, after his death in combat in November 1918, a mere week before the armistice was signed, the majority was published posthumously.
15. SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE BY ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING:
It is a collection of forty-four love sonnets titled Sonnets from the Portuguese, despite its title suggesting they were composed in English. Due to her concern that the sonnets could be considered too personal to publish, she decided to frame them as "translations." Fortunately, her husband, Robert Browning, encouraged her to publish them, and they have become some of the most famous and critically acclaimed love sonnets of all time.
16. POETRY BY JOHN KEATS:
The poems of John Keats represent a major part of the second wave of English Romantic poetry. The poems feature highly symbolic and sensual settings, influenced greatly by Greek myth and romanticized legends of chivalry. While not appreciated during his lifetime, he has become one of the most loved Romantic poets. He was 25 years old when he died, having written most of his work in less than four years. He has inspired authors such as Oscar Wilde, Wilfred Owen, and Neil Gaiman.
17. POETRY BY T. S. ELIOT :
The poetry of T. S. Eliot collects all of his early work through “The Hollow Men.” Poems like “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” “Whispers of Immortality,” and “Gerontion” ponder ageing and mortality, while “Sweeney Erect,” “Mr. Eliot’s Sunday Service,” and “Sweeney Among the Nightingales” sketch the temptations and agonies of the modern man in the character of Sweeney.
18. GITANJALI BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE:
Widely regarded as one of the most important figures in Indian (and more specifically Bengali) literary history, Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian—indeed, the first person outside Europe—to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, largely in recognition of his “spiritual offering of songs,” Gitanjali.
19. NORTH OF BOSTON BY ROBERT FROST:
North of Boston is Robert Frost’s second collection of poetry. It includes some of his more famous poems, like “Mending Wall,” “Home Burial,” and “After Apple-Picking.”
20. LYRICAL BALLADS BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH AND SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE:
Lyrical Ballads is a collection of poems by William Wordsworth, his friend, and contemporary Samuel Taylor Coleridge. A hugely influential work, Lyrical BalladsIn Lyrical Ballads, William Wordsworth and his friend and contemporary Samuel Taylor Coleridge publish a collection of poems. Generally considered to have initiated the Romantic movement in English literature, Lyrical Ballads is regarded as one of the most influential English literature ever produced. A departure from stiff and unapproachable poetry and the pursuit of readable, relatable poetry defines this period. Lyrical Ballads was its catalyst.
21. IDYLLS OF THE KING BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON:
It is a twelve-poem series by Alfred Lord Tennyson, which tells the story of Arthur and his round table in blank verse. Many of these stories take on a darker tone, relating to Arthur's betrayal and the degeneration of his kingdom, ultimately leading to his fall. Some of these stories are of adventure and daring, as you might expect from an epic of this type.
22. THE RUBÁIYÁT OF OMAR KHAYYÁM BY OMAR KHAYYÁM:
In his lifetime, Omar Khayyám was thought to have composed over 1,000 rubáiyát, or quatrains. He was a medieval Iranian mathematician, philosopher, scholar, and poet. Many scholars have translated selected quatrains of Khayyám, but Edward FitzGerald's translation remains regarded as the most well-known.
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