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

 

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👇 

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

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

A. E. Housman was an English classical scholar and poet. He studied Greek and Roman classics intensively, and became one of the foremost classicists of his age. He was also popular for his poetry. He published two volumes of poetry during his life: ‘A Shropshire Lad’ (1896) and ‘Last Poems’ (1922). The main themes in ‘A Shropshire Lad,’ the cycle of 63 poems, include pastoral beauty, unrequited love, grief, death, and the patriotism of the common soldier. Housman had to publish it at his own expense after it was turned down by several publishers. After WWI, however, it became very popular due to its nostalgic depiction of brave English soldiers.

 

"When I Was One-and-Twenty" explanation

The poem is about the speaker’s personal experiences related to his love life. When he was twenty one years old, he received some advice from a wise man that he should rather give away all the riches than give his heart to someone (fall in love) and suffer from sorrow and regret. He ignored the advice, but a year later, when he was twenty two, he realized that the advice was right. The simple rhyme scheme, colloquial diction, and simple language remind the reader of immaturity of the young speaker and make the poem all the more relatable.

"Difference" by Stephen Vincent Benét

 

Difference

 

My mind’s a map. A mad sea-captain drew it

Under a flowing moon until he knew it;

Winds with brass trumpets, puffy-cheeked as jugs,

And states bright-patterned like Arabian rugs.

“Here there be tygers.” “Here we buried Jim.”

Here is the strait where eyeless fishes swim

About their buried idol, drowned so cold

He weeps away his eyes in salt and gold.

A country like the dark side of the moon,

A cider-apple country, harsh and boon,

A country savage as a chestnut-rind,

A land of hungry sorcerers.

Your mind?

 

 

—Your mind is water through an April night,

A cherry-branch, plume-feathery with its white,

A lavender as fragrant as your words,

A room where Peace and Honor talk like birds,

Sewing bright coins upon the tragic cloth

Of heavy Fate, and Mockery, like a moth,

Flutters and beats about those lovely things.

You are the soul, enchanted with its wings,

The single voice that raises up the dead

To shake the pride of angels.

I have said.

 

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/XIQuEjSKD60

Who wrote the poem "Difference"?

Stephen Vincent Benét (July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943)

Stephen Vincent Benét was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He was born in Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania, into a military family. Benét was successful in various literary forms including poems, novels, short stories, screenplays, radio broadcasts, and a libretto for an opera. He won two Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry, the O. Henry Story Prize, and the Roosevelt Medal. He died of a heart attack in 1943 at the age of 44.

 

"Difference" explanation

In the poem, the speaker talks about the stark difference between ‘my mind’ and ‘your mind.’ ‘My mind’ is full of stormy confusion whereas ‘your mind’ reflects calm, peaceful, and cozy images. The poem is about strange tensions and attractions between the lovers due to their differences.

"Life" by Charlotte Brontë

 

Life

Life, believe, is not a dream

So dark as sages say;

Oft a little morning rain

Foretells a pleasant day.

Sometimes there are clouds of gloom,

But these are transient all;

If the shower will make the roses bloom,

O why lament its fall?

Rapidly, merrily,

Life's sunny hours flit by,

Gratefully, cheerily

Enjoy them as they fly!

What though Death at times steps in,

And calls our Best away?

What though sorrow seems to win,

O'er hope, a heavy sway?

Yet Hope again elastic springs,

Unconquered, though she fell;

Still buoyant are her golden wings,

Still strong to bear us well.

Manfully, fearlessly,

The day of trial bear,

For gloriously, victoriously,

Can courage quell despair!

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/V9HsQ3lVia0

Who wrote the poem "Life"?

Charlotte Brontë (April 21, 1816 – March 31, 1855)

Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, who wrote the famous novel “Jane Eyre.” She was the third of six children of Patrick Brontë, an Irish priest and author, and Maria, a housewife. Her mother died of cancer when she was five years old. She started writing at the age of 13 and published her works under the male pseudonym of Currer Bell, hoping to avoid prejudice against female writers. She outlived her five siblings and died of a pregnancy complication at the age of 38, shortly after her marriage. Her unique style is characterized by rich and realistic descriptions of the visual aspects of the story, including setting, the landscape, and appearances and gestures of the characters. The recurring themes in her writings include gender, love, and feminism.

 

"Life" explanation

In the poem, the poet tries to dispel negative or pessimistic views on life. The speaker takes on some seemingly unpleasant or negative elements of life and shows that they are transient or eventually lead to positive things. Even death, despair, and sorrow cannot diminish the power of hope and courage.

"If You Forget Me" by Pablo Neruda

 

If You Forget Me

I want you to know

one thing.

 

You know how this is:

if I look

at the crystal moon, at the red branch

of the slow autumn at my window,

if I touch

near the fire

the impalpable ash

or the wrinkled body of the log,

everything carries me to you,

as if everything that exists,

aromas, light, metals,

were little boats

that sail

toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

 

Well, now,

if little by little you stop loving me

I shall stop loving you little by little.

 

If suddenly

you forget me

do not look for me,

for I shall already have forgotten you.

 

If you think it long and mad,

the wind of banners

that passes through my life,

and you decide

to leave me at the shore

of the heart where I have roots,

remember

that on that day,

at that hour,

I shall lift my arms

and my roots will set off

to seek another land.

 

But

if each day,

each hour,

you feel that you are destined for me

with implacable sweetness,

if each day a flower

climbs up to your lips to seek me,

ah my love, ah my own,

in me all that fire is repeated,

in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,

my love feeds on your love, beloved,

and as long as you live it will be in your arms

without leaving mine.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/EClT9wNQSvI

Who wrote the poem "If You Forget Me"?

Pablo Neruda (July 12, 1904 – September 23, 1973)

Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poet and politician who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. He wrote in various styles, including surrealist poems and passionate love poems. After Neruda experienced Spanish Civil War as a diplomat in Spain, he became a devoted Communist for the rest of his life. Neruda is often called one of the greatest poets of the 20^th century.

 

"If You Forget Me" explanation

In the poem, the speaker talks to his lover about what will happen if her love fades away. Neruda, then Communist senator in Chile, was exiled from his country for 3 years after Communism was banned in 1948. This poem was most likely written while the poet was in exile. Neruda was married to Argentinian writer Delia del Carril at the time, but critics believe the poem was written to Neruda’s lover, Matilde Urrutia, a Chilean singer, whom he met during the period of exile and who would become his future wife. Some interpret that the poem was not written to his lover but to his country, warning her not to forget him during his exile.

"Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes

 

Mother to Son

Well, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

So boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you set down on the steps

’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

Don’t you fall now—

For I’se still goin’, honey,

I’se still climbin’,

And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/9w_BDe-Louk

Who wrote the poem "Mother to Son"?

Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967)

Langston Hughes was an African-American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist who pioneered the literary art form called “jazz poetry.” He is also known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. Self-admittedly influenced by Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman, Hughes is known for insightful portrayals of black life and culture of his time.

 

"Mother to Son" explanation

In the poem, the speaker (a mother) gives advice to her son about the hardships of life. Her life has been full of adversities, but she has never given up. She encourages her son to follow her, stay optimistic, and keep moving forward. Life may present us with so many obstacles and challenges. The only way to deal with those is to keep grinding with patience, determination, courage, and hope.

"Success Is Counted Sweetest" by Emily Dickinson

 

Success Is Counted Sweetest

Success is counted sweetest

By those who ne'er succeed.

To comprehend a nectar

Requires sorest need.

 

Not one of all the purple Host

Who took the Flag today

Can tell the definition

So clear of victory

 

As he defeated – dying –

On whose forbidden ear

The distant strains of triumph

Burst agonized and clear!

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/BKUgrrIyw1g

Who wrote the poem "Success Is Counted Sweetest"?

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886)

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet who was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. She spent most of her adult life at the family home in isolation, attending to her ill mother. Introverted and timid, she never married or sought a permanent romantic relationship all her life. Although she wrote nearly 1,800 poems during her lifetime, her poetry was largely misunderstood or underrated while she was alive. Her poems were quite original and disregarded many conventional rules, containing short lines, typically lacking titles, and often using imperfect rhyme and odd-looking syntax. Her poetry however captures universal feelings in a simple sentence with unique but resonating metaphors and reflects the poet’s lively, imaginative, and dynamic inner world. Her poetic genius began to be appreciated only after her death when her sister published her works. Now Dickinson is regarded as one of the most important American poets.

"Success Is Counted Sweetest" explanation

 

In the poem, the speaker suggests that only those who have experienced failure can truly appreciate the value of success. Inevitable defeats or failures in our life will only make the feeling of success sweeter when it finally comes about.

Stanzas ["Oh, come to me in dreams, my love!"] by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

 

Stanzas 

["Oh, come to me in dreams, my love!"]

Oh, come to me in dreams, my love!

I will not ask a dearer bliss;

Come with the starry beams, my love,

And press mine eyelids with thy kiss.

 

 

’Twas thus, as ancient fables tell,

Love visited a Grecian maid,

Till she disturbed the sacred spell,

And woke to find her hopes betrayed.

 

 

But gentle sleep shall veil my sight,

And Psyche’s lamp shall darkling be,

When, in the visions of the night,

Thou dost renew thy vows to me.

 

 

Then come to me in dreams, my love,

I will not ask a dearer bliss;

Come with the starry beams, my love,

And press mine eyelids with thy kiss.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

 Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/iymxBcMju_4

Who wrote the poem 'Stanzas ["Oh, come to me in dreams, my love!"]'?

 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (August 30, 1797 – February 1, 1851)

 

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was an English novelist who wrote the famous novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” (1818). Her husband was the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin. Her mother died soon after giving birth to her. In 1814, she fell in love with one of her father’s political followers, Percy Bysshe Shelley, a married man. They married in 1816 after Percy Shelley’s first wife committed suicide. Out of 4 children they had, 3 except the last son died prematurely. After her husband drowned in a sailing accident in 1822, she focused on raising her son and writing professionally. She remained a political radical throughout her life. She died presumably of a brain tumor at the age of 53.

 

'Stanzas [“Oh, come to me in dreams, my love!”]' explanation.

In this beautiful love poem, the poet is referring to the classical myth of Cupid and Psyche. Psyche, a beautiful girl, made Venus, a goddess of love and beauty, jealous and hateful, who ordered her son, Cupid, to go punish Psyche by making her fall in love with the most hideous thing around. Psyche’s beauty, however, made even Cupid get clumsy and scratch himself with his own arrow, falling helplessly in love with her. He brought her to his palace but visited her only at night, not allowing her to know who he really was. Psyche’s jealous sisters urged her to look at him when he’s asleep with a lamp. This act of violating trust separated them, and she had to overcome many trials to get him back.

"The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls

The tide rises, the tide falls,

The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;

Along the sea-sands damp and brown

The traveller hastens toward the town,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

 

 

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,

But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;

The little waves, with their soft, white hands,

Efface the footprints in the sands,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

 

 

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls

Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;

The day returns, but nevermore

Returns the traveller to the shore,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/P4FCGDA0pIs

Who wrote the poem "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls"?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882)

 

 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator. He was one of the most famous American poets of the 19th century, both domestically and internationally, and was one of the few American writers honored in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine (then still part of Massachusetts). He studied at Bowdoin College and became a professor there and later at Harvard University. His poems were known for their musicality, often including stories of mythology and legend.

"The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls" explanation

In this short and simple poem, the poet shows the transience and finiteness of life through the beauty and eternity of nature, in an artistic and masterful way. The constant rises and falls of the tides symbolize the recurring cycle of life (birth and death). The traveler (human beings) hastens his journey, and the constant tides erases the footprints. Although the traveler is gone and never coming back, the tide still rises and falls.

"The Stick-Together Families" by Edgar Albert Guest

 

The Stick-Together Families

The stick-together families are happier by far

Than the brothers and the sisters who take separate highways are.

The gladdest people living are the wholesome folks who make

A circle at the fireside that no power but death can break.

And the finest of conventions ever held beneath the sun

Are the little family gatherings when the busy day is done.

 

There are rich folk, there are poor folk, who imagine they are wise,

And they're very quick to shatter all the little family ties.

Each goes searching after pleasure in his own selected way,

Each with strangers likes to wander, and with strangers likes to play.

But it's bitterness they harvest, and it's empty joy they find,

For the children that are wisest are the stick-together kind.

 

There are some who seem to fancy that for gladness they must roam,

That for smiles that are the brightest they must wander far from home.

That the strange friend is the true friend, and they travel far astray

they waste their lives in striving for a joy that's far away,

But the gladdest sort of people, when the busy day is done,

Are the brothers and the sisters who together share their fun.

 

It's the stick-together family that wins the joys of earth,

That hears the sweetest music and that finds the finest mirth;

It's the old home roof that shelters all the charm that life can give;

There you find the gladdest play-ground, there the happiest spot to live.

And, O weary, wandering brother, if contentment you would win,

Come you back unto the fireside and be comrade with your kin.

 

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/sx-5Toakb8s

Who wrote the poem "The Stick-Together Families"?

Edgar Albert Guest (August 20, 1881 ~ August 5, 1959)

Edgar Albert Guest was a Britishborn American poet who was popular in the first half of the 20th century. He wrote 11,000 poems which were syndicated in 300 newspapers. He became known as the People's Poet because his poems were easy to read and had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life with such themes as family, work, children, and God.

"The Stick-Together Families" explanation

The main theme of the poem is the importance of family relationship. The speaker suggests that the families that stick together through thick and thin are the happiest ones, rich and poor. Many people try to find joy among strangers while neglecting family relations, only to find it empty. The speaker advises the reader to pay more attention to one’s family and take care of one’s family members.

"My Shadow" by Robert Louis Stevenson

 

My Shadow

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

 

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,

And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.

 

He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;

I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

 

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/Gv44dDC8B0M

Who wrote the poem "My Shadow"?

Robert Louis Stevenson 

(November 13, 1850 – December 3, 1894)

Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet, and travel writer. From an early age, Stevenson suffered from serious bronchial illnesses. Despite his poor health, Stevenson continued to write prolifically and travelled widely. His best known works include “Treasure Island” and “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” He gained great literary fame based on his profound ideas and catchy writing style.

"My Shadow" explanation

In the poem, the speaker (a child) finds great joy in the company of his own shadow. The child is amazed to see how his shadow follows him everywhere and grows taller, smaller, and sometimes invisible. In his innocent imagination, the child thinks his shadow is a coward, afraid of being alone. One day when he wakes up before the sunrise, he cannot find his shadow around him, and assumes that the shadow must still be sleeping. Through an innocent child’s curious and imaginative perspective on such ordinary things as his own shadow, the poem invites the reader to share the excitement of the child.

"Acquainted with the Night" by Robert Frost

 

Acquainted with the Night

I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.

I have outwalked the furthest city light.

 

I have looked down the saddest city lane.

I have passed by the watchman on his beat

And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

 

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet

When far away an interrupted cry

Came over houses from another street,

 

But not to call me back or say good-bye;

And further still at an unearthly height,

One luminary clock against the sky

 

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.

I have been one acquainted with the night.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/uEvit55iGkM

Who wrote the poem "Acquainted with the Night"?

Robert Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963)

 

Robert Frost was an American poet who was born in San Francisco, California. Frost’s life was marked by grief and loss. When he was 11, his father died of tuberculosis, leaving just eight dollars. Frost’s mother died of cancer when he was 26. Mental illness ran in his family. He and his mother suffered from depression, and his sister and his daughter were committed to mental hospitals. Using realistic depictions of rural life, his poems often examined complex social and philosophical themes. Frost’s first book was published at the age of 40, but he ended up winning four Pulitzer Prizes for poetry and becoming the most famous poet of his time.

"Acquainted with the Night" explanation

In the poem, the speaker walks the city streets at night, feeling deeply depressed, isolated, and lonely. He meets a watchman but refuses to interact. He listens to the sounds of the city but realizes that they are not for him. The moon in the sky tells him that time is meaningless for him. The speaker could easily be Frost himself, for he suffered from depression throughout his life.