"Sonnet XVII. Happy Is England" by John Keats

 

Sonnet XVII. Happy Is England

Happy is England! I could be content

To see no other verdure than its own;

To feel no other breezes than are blown

Through its tall woods with high romances blent:

Yet do I sometimes feel a languishment

For skies Italian, and an inward groan

To sit upon an Alp as on a throne,

And half forget what world or worldling meant.

Happy is England, sweet her artless daughters;

Enough their simple loveliness for me,

Enough their whitest arms in silence clinging:

Yet do I often warmly burn to see

Beauties of deeper glance, and hear their singing,

And float with them about the summer waters. 

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poem video👇

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who wrote the poem "Happy Is England"?

John Keats (October 31, 1795 – February 23, 1821)

 

John Keats was one of the leading figures of the second generation of Romantic poets, alongside Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. John Keats was not born into wealth. After the death of his parents, he was left with a guardian who mismanaged his inheritance. He initially pursued a career in medicine but abandoned it to focus on poetry, not a lucrative career. He endured personal tragedies with the early deaths of his parents, the loss of his brother to tuberculosis, and his own battle with the disease, compounded by a tumultuous relationship with Fanny Brawne. These challenges deeply influenced his poetic themes of mortality, love, and transience. Keats' career was brief, spanning only six years. However, his poetic style, characterized by sensual imagery and emotional intensity, has inspired countless writers and poets throughout history.

"Happy Is England" explanation

 

The speaker expresses his love for England and its natural beauty. He admires England's woods, breezes, and artless daughters. However, he also yearns for the allure of Italy and its deeper beauties. The Alp represents a desire for elevation and escape from worldly concerns. The poem captures the tension between contentment and wanderlust. Keats' yearning for Italy became a reality when he traveled there, though his health deteriorated during his stay.

"Summer Holiday" by Robinson Jeffers

 

Summer Holiday 

When the sun shouts and people abound

One thinks there were the ages of stone and the age of

bronze

And the iron age; iron the unstable metal;

Steel made of iron, unstable as his mother; the tow-

ered-up cities

Will be stains of rust on mounds of plaster.

Roots will not pierce the heaps for a time, kind rains

will cure them,

Then nothing will remain of the iron age

And all these people but a thigh-bone or so, a poem

Stuck in the world's thought, splinters of glass

In the rubbish dumps, a concrete dam far off in the

mountain...

 

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poem video👇

https://youtu.be/T839MuKvkIk

Who wrote the poem "Summer Holiday"?

Robinson Jeffers (January 10, 1887 – January 20, 1962)

Robinson Jeffers was an American poet, best known for his works that emphasize the beauty and power of nature, often set against the California coastline. Jeffers introduced a philosophy called "inhumanism," which prioritizes the magnificence of the natural world over human concerns. His literary legacy is marked by his distinctive pantheistic vision and deep ecological perspective, which have made him a foundational figure in environmental literature. 

"Summer Holiday" explanation

"Summer Holiday" by Robinson Jeffers explores the transient nature of human civilization and its ultimate return to nature. The poem contrasts the bustling activity of the present, symbolized by the sun's shout and the crowds, with the inevitable decay of human-made structures. The speaker references the ages of stone, bronze, and iron, highlighting the impermanence of even the most durable materials. The imagery of rusted cities and mounds of plaster underscores the idea that nature will eventually reclaim what humans have built. The poem concludes with a somber reflection on humanity's fleeting legacy: a few remnants, a poem, and distant memories in the vast timeline of the world.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox's 'Solitude': A Masterpiece Unveiled!

 "Solitude" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

 

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;

Weep, and you weep alone;

For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,

But has trouble enough of its own.

Sing, and the hills will answer;

Sigh, it is lost on the air;

The echoes bound to a joyful sound,

But shrink from voicing care.

 

Rejoice, and men will seek you;

Grieve, and they turn and go;

They want full measure of all your pleasure,

But they do not need your woe.

Be glad, and your friends are many;

Be sad, and you lose them all,—

There are none to decline your nectared wine,

But alone you must drink life’s gall.

 

Feast, and your halls are crowded;

Fast, and the world goes by.

Succeed and give, and it helps you live,

But no man can help you die.

There is room in the halls of pleasure

For a large and lordly train,

But one by one we must all file on

Through the narrow aisles of pain.

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poem video👇

https://youtu.be/J--GfdhIPRs

Who wrote the poem "Solitude"?

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (November 5, 1850 – October 30, 1919)

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. She began writing poetry at a very young age, and by the time she was a teenager, her work was being published in the New York Mercury. Her most famous collection, "Poems of Passion," was published in 1883 and included the well-known poem "Solitude." Throughout her career, Wilcox was known for her sentimental and moralistic verses, which often explored themes of love, passion, and human emotion. 

 'Solitude' explanation

"Solitude" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox explores human nature and the paradox of social interaction. The poem suggests that people are drawn towards happiness and joy, and tend to avoid or abandon those who are in sorrow or pain. It emphasizes the inherent solitude that accompanies suffering, as people must often face their troubles alone. Wilcox's poem reveals the dichotomy between shared joys and solitary sorrows in the human condition. The poem was reportedly written in response to an encounter Wilcox had with a grieving widow during a train ride. The widow's profound loneliness and despair inspired Wilcox to pen "Solitude."

"When I Was One-and-Twenty" by A. E. Housman

 

When I Was One-and-Twenty

When I was one-and-twenty

I heard a wise man say,

“Give crowns and pounds and guineas

But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies

But keep your fancy free.”

But I was one-and-twenty,

No use to talk to me.

 

When I was one-and-twenty

I heard him say again,

“The heart out of the bosom

Was never given in vain;

’Tis paid with sighs a plenty

And sold for endless rue.”

And I am two-and-twenty,

And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/-PedE_VX6Lk

Who wrote the poem "When I Was One-and-Twenty"?

Alfred Edward Housman (March 26, 1859 - April 30, 1936)

 

Alfred Edward Housman, better known as A.E. Housman, was a renowned English classical scholar and poet. Despite his significant contributions to poetry, Housman actually spent most of his career as a Latin professor. His most famous work, "A Shropshire Lad," was initially self-published after several publishers rejected it, but it later gained popularity for its exploration of themes like youth, love, and mortality. Housman was known for his meticulousness and precision, often spending years perfecting individual poems.

"When I Was One-and-Twenty" explanation

"When I Was One-and-Twenty" by A.E. Housman is a cautionary tale about the folly of youthful love. The speaker, now 22, reflects on the advice he ignored a year earlier about not giving his heart away, only to realize its truth after experiencing heartbreak. This poem is part of Housman's collection "A Shropshire Lad," published in 1896, which explores themes of youth, love, and mortality, often set against the backdrop of the English countryside. The collection was not initially successful but gained popularity during the Boer War and World War I due to its exploration of young men's experiences.