"A Golden Day" by Paul Laurence Dunbar

 

A Golden Day

I found you and I lost you, 
 All on a gleaming day. 
The day was filled with sunshine,
 And the land was full of May. 

A golden bird was singing
 Its melody divine, 
I found you and I loved you, 
 And all the world was mine. 

I found you and I lost you, 
All on a golden day, 
But when I dream of you, dear, 
It is always brimming May.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

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Who wrote the poem "A Golden Day"?

Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906)

Paul Laurence Dunbar was an African-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Born to parents who were freed slaves from Kentucky, Dunbar began writing stories and poems from 6 and published his first poem at 16. He was the only African-American student at Central High School in Dayton, Ohio. But he was well accepted among students and was elected as president of the school’s literary society, and became the editor of the school newspaper. Dunbar later became one of the first African-American writers to gain an international literary fame. He died from tuberculosis in Dayton, Ohio at 33.

"A Golden Day" Explanation

In the poem, the speaker calmly talks about his or her past love and good memories. The poem is quite short and simple, and yet it still brings about such powerful, universal feelings as loneliness and yearning.

"Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep" by Mary Elizabeth Frye

 

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of Quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die.

Enjoy the poem with music.

Poem Video👇

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Who wrote the poem "Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep"?

Mary Elizabeth Frye (November 13, 1905 – September 15, 2004)

Mary Elizabeth Frye was an American poet and florist who became famous almost exclusively for a single poem: “Do not stand at my grave and weep.” She was born in Dayton, Ohio, and lost her parents at 3. With no formal education, she was an avid reader and had a remarkable memory. In 1927, she married Claud Frye, a clothing business owner, and became a housewife and florist. In 1932, she wrote the poem “Do not stand at my grave and weep” to console her houseguest, a young Jewish woman, Margaret Schwarzkopf, for her loss of her mother. She died in 2004 at the age of 98.

"Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep" explanation

Margaret Schwarzkopf, who was staying with Frye in 1932, couldn’t visit her dying mother in Germany because of the rabid anti-Semitism. At the news of her mother’s death, Schwarzkopf told Frye that she had never had the chance to “stand by my mother’s grave and shed a tear.” Frye wrote this poem on a brown paper shopping bag to console Schwarzkopf, who greatly valued it and said that she would keep it forever. Because people liked the poem, Frye circulated it privately. She never published or copyrighted the poem. She said “I thought it belonged to the world; it didn’t belong to me. I still feel that way … it was written out of love, for comfort.” For so long, the author of this mysterious poem had been disputed until Frye’s authorship was finally confirmed in 1998 by Abigail Van Buren, the newspaper columnist better known as “Dear Abby.” The poem has been read at funerals and other memorial services including those for the Challenger space shuttle and the 9-11 terror attack.

"Across the Border" by Sophie Jewett

 

Across the Border

I have read somewhere that the birds of fairyland

are white as snow.—W. B. Yeats

 

Where all the trees bear golden flowers,

And all the birds are white;

Where fairy folk in dancing hours

Burn stars for candlelight;

 

Where every wind and leaf can talk,

But no man understand

Save one whose child-feet chanced to walk

Green paths of fairyland;

 

I followed two swift silver wings;

I stalked a roving song;

I startled shining, silent things;

I wandered all day long.

 

But when it seemed the shadowy hours

Whispered of soft-foot night,

I crept home to sweet common flowers,

Brown birds, and candlelight.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

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Who wrote the poem "Across the border"?

Sophie Jewett (June 3, 1861 – October 11, 1909)

Sophie Jewett, also known as the pseudonym Ellen Burroughs, was an American poet, translator, and professor at Wellesley College. The poet’s early life was marked by loss and displacement. When she was 7, she was called from sleep to observe her mother’s passing. Two years later, her father, a country doctor, died. Jewett and her 3 siblings were raised by their uncle and their grandmother, both of whom died during her adolescence. Jewett initially published poetry under the pseudonym Ellen Burroughs which was borrowed from her mother’s name, Ellen Ransom Burroughs Jewett. An American poet Richard Watson Gilder called her a true poet with a golden gift.

"Across the Border" Explanation

In the poem, the poet introduces two worlds, separated at the border. An epigraph, a quote from W.B. Yeats, opens the poem, serving as the key to one of the two worlds. She then describes this imaginary fairyland. This “fairyland,” where all the magical things can be real, symbolizes an ideal life or a lifelong goal for every person. The poem ends with the speaker going back to her reality and home. It symbolizes the disappointment after realizing a chasm between hope and reality. But the speaker learns to appreciate for her mundane reality (“I crept home to sweet common flowers”) despite not being able to find “fairyland.” The poem talks about a gap between fantasy and reality and inspires us to overcome the disappointment and still be optimistic about the future.

"Thinking" by Walter D. Wintle

 

Thinking

If you think you are beaten, you are;

If you think you dare not, you don't.

If you'd like to win, but you think you can't,

It is almost a cinch you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you've lost;

For out in this world we find

Success begins with a person's will

It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are;

You've got to think high to rise.

You've got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win the prize.

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster man;

But sooner or later the person who wins

Is the one who thinks he can!

Enjoy "Thinking" with inspirational music.

Poem Video👇

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Who wrote the poem "Thinking"?

Walter D. Wintle (late 19C-early 20C)

Almost nothing is known about Walter D. Wintle’s life other than he was a poet who lived in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Even his name may be a pseudonym. He is best known for writing the famous poem “Thinking.”

"Thinking" explanation

Different versions of the poem had been published in the 20th century under different titles and with different wordings. The version presented here is the 1905 version published in “Unity” College Magazine, which is believed to be the original. The poem inspires you to trust yourself and make bold attempts to accomplish something great in your life.

"I Carry Your Heart With Me" by E. E. Cummings

 

I Carry Your Heart With Me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

                                                      i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

 

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

 

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Enjoy "I Carry Your Heart With Me" with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

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Who wrote the poem "I Carry Your Heart With Me"?

Edward Estlin 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.

"I Carry Your Heart With Me" explanation

In the poem, the speaker is directly telling his beloved how much he loves her. This relatively short love poem has resonated with so many readers, using such poetic devices as imagery and repetition. The poem also shows the poet’s unusual uses of capitalization and punctuation.

"If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking" by Emily Dickinson

 

If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking

If I can stop one heart from breaking,

I shall not live in vain;

If I can ease one life the aching,

Or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin

Unto his nest again,

I shall not live in vain.

Enjoy "If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking" with inspirational music.

Poem Video👇

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Who wrote the poem "If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking"?

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

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was not widely known during her life, but now she is respected as one of the greatest American poets. She was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, and lived there all her life in isolation. She wouldn't invite any guests nor get out of her bedroom, and maintained social intercourses only by letters in her later years. Dickinson wrote nearly 1,800 poems, but published only 10 poems and one letter during her lifetime.

"If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking" explanation

The main theme of the poem is selfless love. The speaker expresses her willingness to help those in trouble. Her selfless love in turn makes her life meaningful. The poet spent most of her life attending to her ill mother, secluded from the world. Reflecting the poet’s own life, the poem succinctly but effectively shows her kindness and compassion.

"Invictus" by William Ernest Henley

 

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

 

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

 

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

 

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

 

Enjoy "Invictus" with inspirational music.

Poem Video👇

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Who wrote the poem "Invictus"?

William Ernest Henley (August 23, 1849 - July 11, 1903)

William Ernest Henley was an English poet, writer, critic, and editor in late Victorian era. From 12, Henley suffered from tuberculosis and lost his left leg below the knee as a result at 16. In his early life, he periodically suffered from extreme pain due to the draining of his tuberculosis abscesses. After such painful treatments, the young Henley hopped around the room laughing loudly as if the pain couldn't reach him. His strong physique and contrasting mental and creative capacities inspired his close friend, Robert Louis Stevenson, to create the famous character, Long John Silver, in "Treasure Island (1883)."

"Invictus" explanation

In his early 20's, after being diagnosed that a second amputation of his remaining right leg was the only way to save his life, Henley spent three years in hospital to fight the diagnosis, eventually saving his right leg. While recovering in the hospital, he wrote this poem. "Invictus" is a latin word which means "unconquered," "invincible," or "undefeated." The poem remains a cultural touchstone as a model of Victorian stoicism of self-discipline and fortitude in adversity, which became a British character trait. 

"There is Another Sky" by Emily Dickinson

 

There is Another Sky

There is another sky,

Ever serene and fair,

And there is another sunshine,

Though it be darkness there;

Never mind faded forests, Austin,

Never mind silent fields-

Here is a little forest,

Whose leaf is ever green;

Here is a brighter garden,

Where not a frost has been;

In its unfading flowers

I hear the bright bee hum:

Prithee, my brother,

Into my garden come!

Enjoy "There is Another Sky" with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇 

https://youtu.be/N8tFFEaADxI

Who wrote the poem "There is Another Sky"?

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

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson an American poet, was not widely known during her life, but now she is respected as one of the greatest American poets. She was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, and lived there all her life in isolation. She wouldn't invite any guests nor get out of her bedroom, and maintained social intercourses only by letters in her latter years. Dickinson wrote nearly 1,800 poems, but published only 10 poems and one letter during her lifetime.

"There is Another Sky" explanation

"There is Another Sky" is a sonnet about the beauty of her garden, "Garden of Eden" as she called it. The poem was included in her letter sent to her brother, asking him to come back home. She ardently hoped for his return.

"Afternoon on a Hill" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Afternoon on a Hill

I will be the gladdest thing

Under the sun!

I will touch a hundred flowers

And not pick one.

 

I will look at cliffs and clouds

With quiet eyes,

Watch the wind bow down the grass,

And the grass rise.

 

And when lights begin to show

Up from the town,

I will mark which must be mine,

And then start down!

Enjoy "Afternoon on a Hill" with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇 

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Who wrote the poem "Afternoon on a Hill"?

Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 - October 19, 1950)

Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet, playwright, political activist, and feminist. Her rebellious viewpoints were reflected in both her works and her uninhibited lifestyle involving many passing relationships with both sexes. As a well known feminist of her time, she inspired a generation of American women. She became the first female to win the Pulitzer Prize in poetry in 1923. She died from a heart attack at the age of 58 and is buried alongside her husband in Austerlitz, New York.

 

"Afternoon on a Hill" Explanation

In the poem, the speaker calmly describes her plan to go up on a hill, watch the grass in the wind, and touch the flowers under the sun. The effective use of straightforward words and literary devices such as anaphora, alliteration, and imagery creates simple yet peaceful feelings about nature and perhaps life itself.

"Since There's No Help" (Sonnet 61) by Michael Drayton

 

Since There's No Help (Sonnet 61)

Since there’s no help, come let us kiss and part.

Nay, I have done, you get no more of me;

And I am glad, yea glad with all my heart,

That thus so cleanly I myself can free.

Shake hands for ever, cancel all our vows,

And when we meet at any time again,

Be it not seen in either of our brows

That we one jot of former love retain.

Now at the last gasp of Love’s latest breath,

When, his pulse failing, Passion speechless lies;

When Faith is kneeling by his bed of death,

And Innocence is closing up his eyes—

Now, if thou wouldst, when all have given him over,

From death to life thou might’st him yet recover!

Enjoy "Since There's No Help" with beautiful poem.

Poem Video👇

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Who wrote the poem "Since There's No Help"?

Michael Drayton (1563 – December 23, 1631)

Michael Drayton was an English poet in the Elizabethan era. Although almost nothing about his early life is known, it is speculated that Drayton was a servant who became famous through patronage. He wrote many love poems but lived and died a bachelor. Drayton was the first to make the term "ode" popular in England.

"Since There's No Help" explanation

"Since There's No Help" (Sonnet 61) is Drayton's most famous poem. In the poem, the speaker adamantly declares the ending of a love relationship at first. But later, the speaker desperately tries to change the situation and revive the relationship. Some scholars suggest that the poem was inspired by Anne Goodere, eldest daughter of his benefactor Sir Henry Goodere.

"Love's Philosophy" by Percy Bysshe Shelley

 

Love's Philosophy

The fountains mingle with the river

And the rivers with the ocean,

The winds of heaven mix for ever

With a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single,

All things by a law divine

In one another's being mingle—

Why not I with thine?

 

See the mountains kiss high heaven,

And the waves clasp one another;

No sister-flower would be forgiven

If it disdain'd its brother;

And the sunlight clasps the earth,

And the moonbeams kiss the sea—

What is all this sweet work worth

If thou kiss not me?

Enjoy "Love's Philosophy" with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

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Who wrote the poem "Love's Philosophy"?

Percy Bysshe Shelley (August 4, 1792 – July 8, 1822)

Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets. His literary reputation steadily grew after his death, and he greatly influenced subsequent poets such as Browing, Hardy, and Yeats. He had suffered from family crises, ill health, and a backlash against his atheism and radical political views. His second wife, Mary Shelley, was the author of "Frankenstein." He died at the age of 29 in a boating accident.

"Love's Philosophy" explanation

The poem consists of two 8-line stanzas with an ABABCDCD rhyme structure. The poet compares the connection between natural things and the relationship between him and his beloved. He expresses his desire for union of love just like unity in nature, using Personification, Metaphor, and the Rhetorical question.

 

"Bright Star" by John Keats

 

Bright Star

Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art—

Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night,

And watching, with eternal lids apart,

Like Nature's patient sleepless Eremite,

The moving waters at their priestlike task

Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,

Or gazing on the new soft fallen mask

Of snow upon the mountains and the moors—

No—yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,

Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,

To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,

Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,

Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,

And so live ever—or else swoon to death.

Enjoy "Bright Star" with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

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Who wrote the poem "Bright Star"?

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

John Keats was an English Romantic poet. He was born in London as the eldest of 4 children. His works had been published for only 4 years before his death from tuberculosis at the age of 25. After his premature death, he became one of the most popular English poets. His poetic style distinctively causes extreme emotions through natural imagery.

"Bright Star" explanation

In the poem, addressing to a star, the poet wishes his love to be as constant as the star. The poem is punctuated as a single sentence with the rhyme form of the Shakespearean sonnet (ABABCDCDEFEFGG). It is said to have been a declaration of Keats' love for Fanny Brawne, his fiancée and muse.