"A Complaint" by William Wordsworth

 

A Complaint

There is a change—and I am poor;

Your love hath been, nor long ago,

A fountain at my fond heart's door,

Whose only business was to flow;

And flow it did; not taking heed

Of its own bounty, or my need.

 

What happy moments did I count!

Blest was I then all bliss above!

Now, for that consecrated fount

Of murmuring, sparkling, living love,

What have I? shall I dare to tell?

A comfortless and hidden well.

 

A well of love—it may be deep—

I trust it is,—and never dry:

What matter? if the waters sleep

In silence and obscurity.

—Such change, and at the very door

Of my fond heart, hath made me poor.

 

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poem video

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Who wrote the poem "A Complaint"?

William Wordsworth  (April 7, 1770 – April 23, 1850)

William Wordsworth was an English poet who pioneered the Romantic Movement with his close friend and fellow poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He famously defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Using the ordinary language “really used by men,” he wrote beautiful poetry with sweet imagery, often based around the natural world. He suffered from depression, which was reflected in somber undertones in his poems. He was the Poet Laureate for Queen Victoria from 1843 until his death from pleurisy in 1850.

"A Complaint" explanation

In the poem, the speaker talks about loss of love or friendship toward an unspecified person (his lover or friend). Some scholars believe that the poem was about the poet’s friend, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who pioneered the Romantic Movement in England with Wordsworth. Coleridge suffered from various mental and physical illnesses including anxiety, depression, possibly bipolar disorder, and rheumatic fever. He was treated with laudanum, which made him a lifelong opium addict.

"Each Life Converges to some Centre" by Emily Dickinson

 

Each Life Converges to some Centre

Each Life Converges to some Centre --

Expressed -- or still --

Exists in every Human Nature

A Goal --

 

Embodied scarcely to itself -- it may be --

Too fair

For Credibility's presumption

To mar --

 

Adored with caution -- as a Brittle Heaven --

To reach

Were hopeless, as the Rainbow's Raiment

To touch --

 

Yet persevered toward -- sure -- for the Distance --

How high --

Unto the Saint's slow diligence --

The Sky --

 

Ungained -- it may be -- by a Life's low Venture --

But then --

Eternity enable the endeavoring

Again.

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Who wrote the poem "Each Life Converges to some Centre"?

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.

"Each Life Converges to some Centre" explanation

The speaker in the poem mystically describes the soul’s journey from the spiritual world to the physical world. Some believe the poem is about the relationship between one’s life and the central goal, with possible religious nuances. Others believe the poem alludes to the concept of reincarnation.

"All for Love" by Lord Byron

 All for Love

O talk not to me of a name great in story;

The days of our youth are the days of our glory;

And the myrtle and ivy of sweet two-and-twenty

Are worth all your laurels, though ever so plenty.

 

What are garlands and crowns to the brow that is wrinkled?

‘Tis but as a dead flower with May-dew besprinkled:

Then away with all such from the head that is hoary—

What care I for the wreaths that can only give glory?

 

O Fame! if I e’er took delight in thy praises,

‘Twas less for the sake of thy high-sounding phrases,

Than to see the bright eyes of the dear one discover

She thought that I was not unworthy to love her.

 

There chiefly I sought thee, there only I found thee;

Her glance was the best of the rays that surround thee;

When it sparkled o’er aught that was bright in my story,

I knew it was love, and I felt it was glory.

 

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Who wrote the poem "All for Love"?

 Lord Byron (January 22, 1788 – April 19, 1824)

George Gordon Byron, a.k.a. Lord Byron, was an English poet and politician. He was one of the leading figures of Romantic Movement (attempts to dispel the effects of scientific, rational trend and to restore magic and wonder to the humanistic world) and often considered as one of the greatest English poets. He travelled extensively across Europe, which inspired most of his works. He fought in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire and was revered as a national hero by the Greeks. He died at the age of 36 from a fever contracted during the war.

"All for Love" explanation

The speaker in the poem cherishes the beauty and glory of youth. He likes fame not for its own sake but for the sake of his beloved’s love and admiration.

"Music, When Soft Voices Die" by Percy Bysshe Shelley

 

Music, When Soft Voices Die

Music, when soft voices die,

Vibrates in the memory –

Odours, when sweet violets sicken,

Live within the sense they quicken.

 

Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,

Are heap’d for the belovèd’s bed;

And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,

Love itself shall slumber on.

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Who wrote the poem "Music, When Soft Voices Die"?

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.

"Music, When Soft Voices Die" explanation

In the poem, the speaker cherishes the power of memories associated with various experiences such as music and scents. This short poem (or perhaps a poetic fragment to be reworked later) was written in 1821, but published in 1824 (two years after the poet’s unexpected death) by his wife. T. S. Elliot praised the poem for having ‘a beauty of music and a beauty of content.’

"My Inner Life" by Robert William Service

 

My Inner Life

'Tis true my garments threadbare are,

And sorry poor I seem;

But inly I am richer far

Than any poet's dream.

For I've a hidden life no one

Can ever hope to see;

A sacred sanctuary none

May share with me.

 

Aloof I stand from out the strife,

Within my heart a song;

By virtue of my inner life

I to myself belong.

Against man-ruling I rebel,

Yet do not fear defeat,

For to my secret citadel

I may retreat.

Oh you who have an inner life

Beyond this dismal day

With wars and evil rumours rife,

Go blessedly your way.

Your refuge hold inviolate;

Unto yourself be true,

And shield serene from sordid fate

The Real You.

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Who wrote the poem "My Inner Life"?

Robert W. Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958)

Robert William Service was a British-Canadian poet and writer. As a bank clerk, he had to travel widely in the Western U.S. and Canada. When his bank sent him to the Yukon, he wrote poems about the Klondike Gold Rush and achieved an immediate and great commercial success. His poems had often been criticized as literarily inferior by the critics, as in the case of Rudyard Kipling, and he was nicknamed “the Canadian Kipling.” This, however, didn’t bother Service, who classified his work as “verse, not poetry.”

"My Inner Life" explanation

In our life, we all face many adversities: accidents, diseases, ruined relatsionships, financial difficulties, or even deaths. Often we feel helpless and upset, watching the best and the most innocent suffer the cruelties of fate. Although we can’t control what will happen to us, we can control our reaction to it. The ancient Stoic concept of inner citadel refers to this mental fortress we can build within ourselves where we can be free from any emotional panic or perturbation, remain calm, and make the most out of any situations. It is a practical skill that anyone can learn and can give us a great deal of courage and wisdom to overcome many adversities in our life.

"Nature" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Nature

As a fond mother, when the day is o'er,

Leads by the hand her little child to bed,

Half willing, half reluctant to be led,

And leave his broken playthings on the floor,

Still gazing at them through the open door,

Nor wholly reassured and comforted

By promises of others in their stead,

Which, though more splendid, may not please him more;

So Nature deals with us, and takes away

Our playthings one by one, and by the hand

Leads us to rest so gently, that we go

Scarce knowing if we wish to go or stay,

Being too full of sleep to understand

How far the unknown transcends the what we know.

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Who wrote the poem "Nature"?

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.

"Nature" explanation

In the poem, the speaker compares man’s life, guided by nature, with a child, led to bed by its mother. Just like a child, half willing to go to bed due to fatigue, half reluctant because of its desire to play more, man is guided through life by nature towards the final destination: death (or afterlife).

"The Wild Swans at Coole" by William Butler Yeats

 

The Wild Swans at Coole

The trees are in their autumn beauty,

The woodland paths are dry,

Under the October twilight the water

Mirrors a still sky;

Upon the brimming water among the stones

Are nine-and-fifty swans.

 

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me

Since I first made my count;

I saw, before I had well finished,

All suddenly mount

And scatter wheeling in great broken rings

Upon their clamorous wings.

 

I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,

And now my heart is sore.

All's changed since I, hearing at twilight,

The first time on this shore,

The bell-beat of their wings above my head,

Trod with a lighter tread.

 

Unwearied still, lover by lover,

They paddle in the cold

Companionable streams or climb the air;

Their hearts have not grown old;

Passion or conquest, wander where they will,

Attend upon them still.

 

But now they drift on the still water,

Mysterious, beautiful;

Among what rushes will they build,

By what lake's edge or pool

Delight men's eyes when I awake some day

To find they have flown away?

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poem video👇

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Who wrote the poem "The Wild Swans at Coole"?

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. 

"The Wild Swans at Coole" explanation

In the poem, the speaker is watching beautiful swans at a lake in a place called Coole, where he often visited for the past 19 years. Although he has grown old, the swans and the beautiful scenery seems the same. In contrast to stability and the beauty of nature, the poem reminds the reader of transience and frailty of human life.

"Tree at my Window" by Robert Frost

 

Tree at my Window

Tree at my window, window tree,

My sash is lowered when night comes on;

But let there never be curtain drawn

Between you and me.

 

Vague dream-head lifted out of the ground,

And thing next most diffuse to cloud,

Not all your light tongues talking aloud

Could be profound.

 

But tree, I have seen you taken and tossed,

And if you have seen me when I slept,

You have seen me when I was taken and swept

And all but lost.

 

That day she put our heads together,

Fate had her imagination about her,

Your head so much concerned with outer,

Mine with inner, weather.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇 

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Who wrote the poem "Tree at my Window"?

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.

"Tree at my Window"  explanation

In the poem, the speaker expresses companionship and a special bond that he feels with a tree outside his window. While he went through ups and downs of life, the tree has always been there with him. The speaker alludes to his inner struggle (inner weather) and the solace he finds in nature.

"When We Two Parted" by George Gordon Byron

 

When We Two Parted

When we two parted

In silence and tears,

Half broken-hearted

To sever for years,

Pale grew thy cheek and cold,

Colder thy kiss;

Truly that hour foretold

Sorrow to this.

 

The dew of the morning

Sunk chill on my brow—

It felt like the warning

Of what I feel now.

Thy vows are all broken,

And light is thy fame;

I hear thy name spoken,

And share in its shame.

 

They name thee before me,

A knell to mine ear;

A shudder comes o'er me—

Why wert thou so dear?

They know not I knew thee,

Who knew thee too well—

Long, long shall I rue thee,

Too deeply to tell.

 

In secret we met—

In silence I grieve,

That thy heart could forget,

Thy spirit deceive.

If I should meet thee

After long years,

How should I greet thee?—

With silence and tears.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

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Who wrote the poem "When We Two Parted"?

George Gordon Byron (Lord Byron) (January 22, 1788 – April 19, 1824)

George Gordon Byron, a.k.a. Lord Byron, was an English poet and politician. He was one of the leading figures of Romantic Movement (attempts to dispel the effects of scientific, rational trend and to restore magic and wonder to the humanistic world) and often considered as one of the greatest English poets. He travelled extensively across Europe, which inspired most of his works. He fought in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire and was revered as a national hero by the Greeks. He died at the age of 36 from a fever contracted during the war.

"When We Two Parted" explanation

‘When We Two Parted ’ was written in 1817, the first year of the poet’s exile from England and a year after the separation with his wife. It is unclear whether the poem was written about a particular person or relationship from Byron’s life. It might be about his relationship with his wife or his half-sister, Augusta Leigh, with whom Byron was rumored to have been in a sexual relationship. Or it might be about his regret over his numerous reckless affairs. Still, the poem depicts beautifully the lingering feelings of love, betrayal, and sorrow of a heartbroken lover.