The First Poems in English
- ISBN-10
- 0141918764
- ISBN-13
- 9780141918761
- Category
- Poetry
- Pages
- 176
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2008-05-29
- Publisher
- Penguin UK
- Author
- Michael Alexander
Description
This selection of the earliest poems in English comprises works from an age in which verse was not written down, but recited aloud and remembered. Heroic poems celebrate courage, loyalty and strength, in excerpts from Beowulf and in The Battle of Brunanburgh, depicting King Athelstan’s defeat of his northern enemies in 937 AD, while The Wanderer and The Seafarer reflect on exile, loss and destiny. The Gnomic Verses are proverbs on the natural order of life, and the Exeter Riddles are witty linguistic puzzles. Love elegies include emotional speeches from an abandoned wife and separated lovers, and devotional poems include a vision of Christ’s cross in The Dream of the Rood, and Caedmon’s Hymn, perhaps the oldest poem in English, speaking in praise of God.
Get the book
Similar books
-
The Earliest English Poems: A Bilingual Edition
By Michael Alexander, Michael J. AlexanderThe Earliest English Poems: A Bilingual Edition
-
The Complete Old English Poems
This is poetry as stunning in its vitality as it is true to its sources. Were Williamson's idiom not so modern, we might think that the Anglo-Saxon poets had taken up the lyre again and begun to sing once more.
-
Collected Poems in English
By Joseph BrodskyPresents the collected English poems of the former Poet Laureate of the United States who was exiled from his native Russia, only to go on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1987. Reprint.
-
The Complete English Poems
By John DonneNo poet has been more wilfully contradictory than John Donne, whose works forge unforgettable connections between extremes of passion and mental energy.
-
Immortal Poems of the English Language
By Oscar WilliamsHere is the most inclusive anthology of verse ever published at so low a price. It contains not only the best-known works of the British and American masters but also the verse of the most brilliant poets of our own day.
-
My First Oxford Book of Poems
By John FosterA children's collection of poetry by English poets.
-
First Loves: Poets Introduce the Essential Poems That Captivated and Inspired Them
By Carmela CiuraruPoets select the poems that inspire them and helped them fall in love with poetry, and present a brief essay about each poem.
-
The Puffin Book of Fantastic First Poems
By June CrebbinA great first poetry book; the poems span time, from Robert Louis Stevenson and Walter de la Mare right up to date with Roger McGough and Michael Rosen.
-
Beowulf
Finest heroic poem in Old English celebrates the exploits of Beowulf, a young nobleman of southern Sweden. Combines myth, Christian and pagan elements, and history into a powerful narrative. Genealogies.
-
My First Book of Haiku Poems: a Picture, a Poem and a Dream; Classic Poems by Japanese Haiku Masters (Bilingual...
By Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen**Chosen for 2020 NCTE Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels List** **Winner of 2020 Northern Lights Book Award for Poetry** **Winner of 2019 Skipping Stones Honor Awards** My First Book of Haiku Poems introduces children to inspirational ...