"A Vision" by Oscar Wilde

 

A Vision

Two crowned Kings, and One that stood alone

With no green weight of laurels round his head,

But with sad eyes as one uncomforted,

And wearied with man's never-ceasing moan

For sins no bleating victim can atone,

And sweet long lips with tears and kisses fed.

Girt was he in a garment black and red,

And at his feet I marked a broken stone

Which sent up lilies, dove-like, to his knees.

Now at their sight, my heart being lit with flame,

I cried to Beatrice, 'Who are these? '

And she made answer, knowing well each name,

'AEschylos first, the second Sophokles,

And last (wide stream of tears!) Euripides.'

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video 👇

https://youtu.be/9RBmiw3jpAg

Who wrote the poem "A Vision"?

Oscar Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900)

Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet, playwright, and journalist. He attended Trinity College and Oxford University and became involved in the newly emerging aesthetic movement. His works include poetry, novels, and plays. His plays in particular became extremely popular in London in the 1890s. He married Constance Lloyd in 1884 and had two sons. At the pinnacle of his success, he began a homosexual affair with Lord Alfred Douglas and was arrested and tried for gross indecency. He was convicted and sentenced to two years’ hard labor, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. He was released with his health and reputation ruined and left for France and never returned. He soon died of meningitis in 1900 at the age of 46.

"A Vision" explanation

The poem is about three great Greek playwrights and the poet’s feelings for them. The speaker begins the poem by mentioning two crowned kings and one standing alone without laurels. Two crowned kings refer to Aeschylus, often called as the father of tragedy, and Sophokles who was highly celebrated in Athens during his lifetime. The one without laurels is Euripides who was less popular in his lifetime. However, it is Sophokles whom the speaker is more interested in and that evokes various feelings.

“Music on Christmas Morning” by Anne Brontë

 Music on Christmas Morning

Music I love -­ but never strain

Could kindle raptures so divine,

So grief assuage, so conquer pain,

And rouse this pensive heart of mine -­

As that we hear on Christmas morn,

Upon the wintry breezes borne.

Though Darkness still her empire keep,

And hours must pass, ere morning break;

From troubled dreams, or slumbers deep,

That music kindly bids us wake:

It calls us, with an angel's voice,

To wake, and worship, and rejoice;

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/-v-tGJ9DfNY

Who wrote the poem “Music on Christmas Morning”?

Anne Brontë (January 17, 1820 – May 28, 1849)

 

Anne Brontë was an English novelist and poet, and the youngest of the Brontë sisters. In 1846, she published a book of poems with her sisters, Charlotte and Emily, and two novels in subsequent years, under the pseudonym of Acton Bell. Her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, is considered one of the earliest feminist novels. She died at 29, probably of tuberculosis.

“Music on Christmas Morning” explanation

In the poem, the speaker discusses how music can be the source of religious reverence and inspiration. She also talks about the meaning of Christmas celebration.

"Woods in Winter" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Woods in Winter

When winter winds are piercing chill,

And through the hawthorn blows the gale,

With solemn feet I tread the hill,

That overbrows the lonely vale.

 

O'er the bare upland, and away

Through the long reach of desert woods,

The embracing sunbeams chastely play,

And gladden these deep solitudes.

 

Where, twisted round the barren oak,

The summer vine in beauty clung,

And summer winds the stillness broke,

The crystal icicle is hung.

 

Where, from their frozen urns, mute springs

Pour out the river's gradual tide,

Shrilly the skater's iron rings,

And voices fill the woodland side.

 

Alas! how changed from the fair scene,

When birds sang out their mellow lay,

And winds were soft, and woods were green,

And the song ceased not with the day!

 

But still wild music is abroad,

Pale, desert woods! within your crowd;

And gathering winds, in hoarse accord,

Amid the vocal reeds pipe loud.

Chill airs and wintry winds! my ear

Has grown familiar with your song;

I hear it in the opening year,

I listen, and it cheers me long.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/ivSqGJFRkXo

Who wrote the poem "Woods in Winter"?

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.

"Woods in Winter" explanation

In the poem, the speaker takes a walk through a cold winter forest. While he recalls the beauty of summer, he also grows to appreciate the barren winter forest and the song of the wintry wind.

"A Madrigal" by William Shakespeare

 

A Madrigal 

Crabbed Age and Youth

Cannot live together:

Youth is full of pleasance,

Age is full of care;

Youth like summer morn,

Age like winter weather;

Youth like summer brave,

Age like winter bare:

Youth is full of sports,

Age's breath is short,

Youth is nimble, Age is lame:

Youth is hot and bold,

Age is weak and cold,

Youth is wild, and Age is tame:-

Age, I do abhor thee;

Youth, I do adore thee;

O! my Love, my Love is young!

Age, I do defy thee-

O sweet shepherd, hie thee,

For methinks thou stay'st too long.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/bBx_kcik2pU

Who wrote the poem "A Madrigal"?

William Shakespeare (April 26, 1564 – April 23, 1616)

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor of the Renaissance era. He is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon." Few public records remain about his private life, causing speculations about his physical appearances, sexuality, religious beliefs and the authorship of some of his works. His works demonstrate a wide range of human emotions and conflicts, touching so many people's minds throughout the world for over 400 years.

"A Madrigal" explanation

In the poem, the speaker compares youth with age and expresses her love for the former and hatred for the latter. ‘Madrigal’ in the title means a short poem, meant to be sung without any instrumental accompaniment, which was popular in the Renaissance age.

"In the bleak midwinter" by Christina Rossetti

 In the bleak midwinter

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

 

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;

Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.

In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed

The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

 

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,

Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;

Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,

The ox and ass and camel which adore.

 

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,

Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

 

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/_5NNEPhE-Sc

Who wrote the poem "In the bleak midwinter"?

Christina Rossetti (December 5, 1830 ~ December 29, 1894)

 

Christina Rossetti was an English poet who was lauded as one of the foremost female poets of the 19th-century Victorian era. She wrote romantic, devotional, and children's poems, marked by symbolism and intense feeling. Her literary status was often compared to that of Elizabeth Barren Browning, and upon Browning's death in 1861, Rossetti was hailed as Browning's rightful successor. She opposed slavery, cruelty to animals, and the exploitation of girls in under-age prostitution. Rossetti suffered from Graves' disease in the later decades of her life. In 1893, she was diagnosed of breast cancer and died of a recurrence in 1894.

"In the bleak midwinter" explanation

In the poem, the speaker describes the midwinter night of the Christ’s birth. There were many who came to see his birth, including his mother who worshipped him with a kiss. The speaker, being poor, wonders what she could give to the Christ and realizes she could always give her heart. The poem was originally published under the title “A Christmas Carol,” and later became one of the most popular English Christmas carols.

"A Dream for Winter" by Arthur Rimbaud

 

A Dream for Winter

In winter we’ll travel in a little pink carriage

With cushions of blue.

We’ll be fine. A nest of mad kisses waits

In each corner too.

 

You’ll shut your eyes, not to see, through the glass,

Grimacing shadows of evening,

Those snarling monsters, a crowd going past

Of black wolves and black demons.

 

Then you’ll feel your cheek tickled quite hard…

A little kiss, like a maddened spider,

Will run over your neck…

 

And you’ll say: “Catch it!” bowing your head,

– And we’ll take our time finding that creature

– Who travels so far…

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇 

https://youtu.be/sT719E_Wykk

Who wrote the poem "A Dream for Winter"?

Arthur Rimbaud (October 20, 1854 – November 10, 1891)

 

Arthur Rimbaud was a French poet known for his influence on symbolism and surrealism. He began to write poems in primary school, was most productive in his late teens, and completely stopped writing at the age of 20. Rimbaud had a reckless and dissolute lifestyle. He was in a turbulent romantic relationship with the French poet, Paul Verlaine. He died from cancer at the age of 37.

"A Dream for Winter" explanation

In the poem, the speaker describes his journey with his beloved in a small pink railway carriage. He contrasts the softness and comfort of the inside to the coldness and horror of the outside, full of monsters, devils, and wolves. In this romantic world of theirs, they kiss each other and are distracted from the harsh outside world.

"Full of Life, Now" by Walt Whitman

 

Full of Life, Now

FULL of life, now, compact, visible,

I, forty years old the Eighty-third Year of The States,

To one a century hence, or any number of centuries hence,

To you, yet unborn, these, seeking you.

 

When you read these, I, that was visible, am become invisible;

Now it is you, compact, visible, realizing my poems, seeking me;

Fancying how happy you were, if I could be with you, and become your comrade;

Be it as if I were with you. (Be not too certain but I am now with you.)

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/RpjSMN2BWcc

Who wrote the poem "Full of Life, Now"?

Walt Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892)

Walt Whitman was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. Whitman is one of the most important American poets, often called the father of free verse. His major poetry collection, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 at his own expense and became popular and controversial due to its overt sensuality. Whitman greatly admired Abraham Lincoln, and on Lincoln’s death, he wrote famous poems, “O Captain! My Captain!” and “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.” Modernist poet Ezra Pound called Whitman “America’s poet… He is America.”

"Full of Life, Now" explanation

The speaker in the poem speaks directly to his unknown reader of the future. The poet is perhaps seeking immortality through his art like those great artists living forever in their masterpieces.

"A Poet to His Beloved" by William Butler Yeats

 

A Poet to His Beloved

I BRING you with reverent hands

The books of my numberless dreams,

White woman that passion has worn

As the tide wears the dove-grey sands,

And with heart more old than the horn

That is brimmed from the pale fire of time:

White woman with numberless dreams,

I bring you my passionate rhyme.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/NoallOiQmK8

Who wrote the poem "A Poet to His Beloved"?

William Butler Yeats (June 13, 1865 – January 28, 1939)

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, playwright, prose writer, and is widely considered as one of the greatest poets of the 20^th century. He was born to the Protestant, Anglo-Irish community that considered themselves English people born in Ireland and had largely controlled the economic, political, and social life of Ireland. However, Yeats strongly affirmed his Irish nationality and found inspiration in Irish legends and the occult in his early career. Later his poetry became more physical and realistic. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923. 

"A Poet to His Beloved" explanation

In the poem, the speaker expresses his deep love and respect for his beloved. This poem is believed to have been inspired by and dedicated to Maud Gonne, the subject of the poet’s lifelong unrequited love.

"Tears Fall In My Heart" by Paul Verlaine

 

Tears Fall In My Heart

Tears fall in my heart

Rain falls on the town;

what is this numb hurt

that enters my heart?

 

Ah,the soft sound of rain

on roofs, on the ground!

To a dulled heart they came,

ah, the song of the rain!

 

Tears without reason

in the disheartened heart.

What? no trace of treason?

This grief's without reason.

 

It's far the worst pain

to never know why

without love or disdain

my heart has such pain! 

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/XzeSmKwNiLg

Who wrote the poem "Tears Fall In My Heart"?

Paul Verlaine (March 30, 1844 – January 8, 1896)

 

Paul Verlaine was a French poet who was involved with the Symbolist movement (trying to represent absolute truths using language and metaphorical images) and the Decadent movement (aesthetically expressing excess and artificiality). He is considered as one of the greatest French poets of the 19^th century. He abandoned his marriage for his homosexual relationship with Arthur Rimbaud, a boy who admired his poetry. He was imprisoned for 18 months after he shot with a piston at Rimbaud, wounding his wrist. In prison, he converted to Roman Catholicism and wrote some of his masterpieces. In his last years, his life was marred by drug addiction, alcoholism, and poverty. Yet his literary popularity persisted, brining in some income and election as France’s “Prince of Poets” by his peers in 1894. 

"Tears Fall In My Heart" explanation

In the poem, the speaker describes his inner pain the reason of which he doesn’t know. Tears falling in his heart is beautifully juxtaposed with the soft rain on the ground. The poem resonates with us because we all have pains without a reason in our heart. Although occasional tears might not be something to be ashamed of, we have to stay positive and never forget to be always grateful for everything that’s given to us.