"Friends" by Abbie Farwell Brown

 

Friends

How good to lie a little while

And look up through the tree!

The Sky is like a kind big smile

Bent sweetly over me.

 

The Sunshine flickers through the lace

Of leaves above my head,

And kisses me upon the face

Like Mother, before bed.

 

The Wind comes stealing o'er the grass

To whisper pretty things;

And though I cannot see him pass,

I feel his careful wings.

 

So many gentle Friends are near

Whom one can scarcely see,

A child should never feel a fear,

Wherever he may be.

 

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇 

https://youtu.be/n-nd2ps3Llg

Who wrote the poem "Friends"?

Abbie Farwell Brown (August 21, 1871 – March 5, 1927)

Abbie Farwell Brown was an American author and poet. She was born in Boston, as the first of two daughters. (Her sister also became an author and illustrator.) She graduated from the Bowdoin School as valedictorian and attended the Girls’ Latin School, where she contributed to creating school newspaper, The Jabberwock, one of the oldest newspapers in the U.S. She began her literary career at Girls’ Latin School, writing for magazines. Her works include stories for children and poetry for children and adults. She also wrote song lyrics, including (partly) the official song of the Girl Scouts of the USA, “On the Trail.” She died of cancer at the age of 55.

"Friends"  explanation

In the poem, the speaker describes love, joy, and comfort one can feel about natural elements such as sky, sunlight, and wind. The straightforward rhyme scheme and simple texts make some people believe that this poem was intended as a children’s parable.

"Somewhere I Have Never Travelled, Gladly Beyond" by E.E. Cummings

 

Somewhere I Have Never Travelled, Gladly Beyond

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond

any experience,your eyes have their silence:

in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,

or which i cannot touch because they are too near

 

your slightest look easily will unclose me

though i have closed myself as fingers,

you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens

(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose

 

or if your wish be to close me,i and

my life will shut very beautifully,suddenly,

as when the heart of this flower imagines

the snow carefully everywhere descending;

 

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals

the power of your intense fragility:whose texture

compels me with the colour of its countries,

rendering death and forever with each breathing

 

(i do not know what it is about you that closes

and opens;only something in me understands

the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)

nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/McdmbaZJs5Q

Who wrote the poem "Somewhere I Have Never Travelled, Gladly Beyond"?

E. E. Cummings (October 14, 1894 – September 3, 1962)

E. E. Cummings was an American poet, painter, essayist, and playwright. He is regarded as one of the most important American poets of the 20^th century with his modernist free-form poetry. His works include 2,900 poems, two novels, four plays, and several essays. He wanted to be a poet from childhood and wrote poems daily from age 8 to 22. His poems have idiosyncratic syntax and use lower-case spellings for poetic expressions.

"Somewhere I Have Never Travelled, Gladly Beyond"  explanation

In the poem, the speaker explores the theme of mutual impact between him and his reader. The reader has the power to open or close the speaker and yet is so fragile and multi-layered. The speaker finds this interaction with his reader very meaningful and precious. The poem also shows the poet’s unusual use of grammar (no capitalization, no periods, and unique use of parenthesis), as if it follows the speaker’s consciousness itself. 

  

"Love's Language" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

 

Love's Language

How does Love speak?

In the faint flush upon the telltale cheek,

And in the pallor that succeeds it; by

The quivering lid of an averted eye--

The smile that proves the parent to a sigh

Thus doth Love speak.

 

How does Love speak?

By the uneven heart-throbs, and the freak

Of bounding pulses that stand still and ache,

While new emotions, like strange barges, make

Along vein-channels their disturbing course;

Still as the dawn, and with the dawn's swift force--

Thus doth Love speak.

 

How does Love speak?

In the avoidance of that which we seek--

The sudden silence and reserve when near--

The eye that glistens with an unshed tear--

The joy that seems the counterpart of fear,

As the alarmed heart leaps in the breast,

And knows, and names, and greets its godlike guest--

Thus doth Love speak.

 

How does Love speak?

In the proud spirit suddenly grown meek--

The haughty heart grown humble; in the tender

And unnamed light that floods the world with splendor;

In the resemblance which the fond eyes trace

In all fair things to one beloved face;

In the shy touch of hands that thrill and tremble;

In looks and lips that can no more dissemble--

Thus doth Love speak.

 

How does Love speak?

In the wild words that uttered seem so weak

They shrink ashamed in silence; in the fire

Glance strikes with glance, swift flashing high and higher,

Like lightnings that precede the mighty storm;

In the deep, soulful stillness; in the warm,

Impassioned tide that sweeps through throbbing veins,

Between the shores of keen delights and pains;

In the embrace where madness melts in bliss,

And in the convulsive rapture of a kiss--

Thus doth Love speak.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/_fpKyHsTxQc

Who wrote the poem "Love's Language"?

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

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet who wrote “Solitude,” which contains the famous lines “Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone.” Popular among people rather than among literary critics, she often displayed in her poems cheerful and optimistic sentiments in plain and rhyming words. After she married Robert Wilcox in 1884, the couple became interested in spiritualism and promised each other that whoever died first would return and communicate with the other. After her husband died in 1916 after over 30 years of marriage, she was overwhelmed by grief and waited long to hear from her deceased husband in vain. She also believed in reincarnation. She died of cancer in 1919.

"Love's Language" explanation

In the poem, the speaker describes various physical and emotional symptoms of falling in love, inviting us readers to think about our own memories of love.

"Loss And Gain" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Loss And Gain

When I compare
What I have lost with what I have gained,
What I have missed with what attained,
Little room do I find for pride.
I am aware
How many days have been idly spent;
How like an arrow the good intent
Has fallen short or been turned aside.
But who shall dare
To measure loss and gain in this wise?
Defeat may be victory in disguise;
The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/tu0-8EXyuBA

Who wrote the poem "Loss And Gain"?

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.

"Loss And Gain" explanation

When you feel lost and it seems all hope is lost, that’s when you should stay optimistic, believe in yourself, and keep moving forward. Success is not about not failing. It’s about getting back up when you fall down.

"I dwell in Possibility" by Emily Dickinson

 

I dwell in Possibility

I dwell in Possibility –

 

A fairer House than Prose –

 

More numerous of Windows –

 

Superior – for Doors –

 

 

 

Of Chambers as the Cedars –

 

Impregnable of eye –

 

And for an everlasting Roof

 

The Gambrels of the Sky –

 

 

Of Visitors – the fairest –

 

For Occupation – This –

 

The spreading wide my narrow Hands

 

To gather Paradise –

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/Q9KT8j8VOoo

Who wrote the poem "I dwell 

in Possibility"?

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.

"I dwell in Possibility" explanation

In the poem, the speaker looks into the theme of writing poetry and cherishes its power and enjoyment, as compared with writing prose. The poem also shows the poet’s unique use of dashes and sporadic capitalization.

"In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae

 

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

 

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

 

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇 

https://youtu.be/v2yGwj06q3A

Who wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields"?

John McCrae (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918)

John McCrae was a Canadian poet, physician and soldier. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Toronto. He suffered from recurring asthma from his youth. He worked as a physician in many medical institutions including Toronto General Hospital and Johns Hopkins Hospital. He served in the Boer War in South Africa as an artillery officer in Canadian military and later was promoted to the rank of major. When World War I broke out, he reenlisted in the Canadian Army and was stationed in Ypres, Belgium, in the area known as “Flanders.” During the war, his asthma worsened, and he died from pneumonia in 1918 at the age of 45.

"In Flanders Fields" explanation.

In the poem, the speaker describes poppies blooming around the soldiers’ graves in the field in Flanders, Belgium. He reminds the reader of the lost lives and urges to stand up against the enemies to not let down the fallen. The poet reportedly wrote this poem on the next day after his closest friend’s death in the battlefield of Ypres, Belgium. The poem has been very popular and is still used in Remembrance Day and Memorial Day celebrations in the US, Canada, and Europe.

"These I Can Promise" by Mark Twain

 

These I Can Promise

I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;

I cannot promise riches, wealth or gold;

I cannot promise you an easy pathway

That leads away from change or growing old.

But I can promise all my heart’s devotion

A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow;

A love that’s ever true and ever growing;

A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇 

https://youtu.be/V4XT8zA_sB0

Who wrote the poem "These I Can Promise"?

Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (known by his pen name Mark Twain) was an American writer, humorist, journalist, lecturer, and entrepreneur. His works include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). William Faulkner, an American writer, called Twain the “father of American literature.” Ernest Hemingway wrote, “All modern literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.” As the sixth child of his parents, Twain was born two months prematurely and was in poor health in his youth. He often got into various mischief to test her mother’s love. Twain asked his mother in her 80s about his poor health as a child. Twain: “I suppose that during that whole time you were uneasy about me?” Mother: “Yes, the whole time.” Twain: “Afraid I wouldn’t live?” Mother: “No, afraid you would.” Apart from famous novels, Twain also wrote at least 126 poems despite his claims that he detested poetry. (He also said he detested novels.)

"These I Can Promise" explanation

This succinct and relatable poem has been a popular ceremony reading in wedding and anniversary celebrations. 

"Dust of Snow" by Robert Frost

 

Dust of Snow

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

 

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/Vk5kQnXQNvI

Who wrote the poem "Dust of Snow"?

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.

"Dust of Snow"  explanation

In the poem, the speaker describes a simple yet beautiful scene in nature where a crow causes the dust of snow fall down on him from the treetop. This simple event somehow changes the speaker’s (apparently bad) mood. Using minimalistic approach, the poet is perhaps trying to show nature’s pure beauty and curative power.

"I Am!" by John Clare

 

I Am!

I am—yet what I am none cares or knows;

My friends forsake me like a memory lost:

I am the self-consumer of my woes—

They rise and vanish in oblivious host,

Like shadows in love’s frenzied stifled throes

And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed

 

Into the nothingness of scorn and noise,

Into the living sea of waking dreams,

Where there is neither sense of life or joys,

But the vast shipwreck of my life’s esteems;

Even the dearest that I loved the best

Are strange—nay, rather, stranger than the rest.

 

I long for scenes where man hath never trod

A place where woman never smiled or wept

There to abide with my Creator, God,

And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,

Untroubling and untroubled where I lie

The grass below—above the vaulted sky.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/JWDI95GSTHc

Who wrote the poem "I Am!"

John Clare (July 13, 1793 – May 20, 1864)

John Clare was an English poet. As the son of a poor farm labourer, he received little formal education, and malnutrition from childhood may have contributed to his five-foot stature and poor physical health in later life. His works often celebrate the natural world and rural life and his love for his wife Patty and his childhood lover, Mary Joyce. Although his first book, Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery (1820), published in an attempt to stop his parents’ eviction from their home, became popular to readers and critics, Clare struggled as a writer for most of his life. His works were reevaluated in the late 20^th century, and he is now considered as a major 19^th century poet.

"I Am!" explanation

In the poem, the speaker (most likely the poet himself) talks about his depression and loneliness and looks for the next life where he could find peace alongside God in Heaven. Despite early success in his writing career, Clare soon struggled professionally, which probably induced serious mental and physical illness in the late 1820s. When his health became unmanageable, plagued by delusions and depression, he was voluntarily committed to a mental asylum in 1837 and escaped in 1841. (He walked 80 miles back to his family.) He was committed again in 1842 until his death in 1864. This poem was written during his second stay in the asylum in the late 1840s.