The beauty of classical poetry lies in its ability to transcend time and speak to readers across generations.
Poetry has been a form of expression for centuries, and the works of classical poets have stood the test of time. Their words have moved and inspired generations of readers, and their work continues to be celebrated today. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most well-known poetry collections from classical poets. From Robert Frost to Alexander Pope, these poets have left a lasting impact on the literary world and their works are still studied and enjoyed by many. Whether you’re a fan of romantic sonnets or epic ballads, there’s something for everyone in these collections. So, let’s dive in and explore the beauty of classic poetry together.
Sonnets from the Portuguese
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850) is a collection of sonnets by English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Written between 1845 and 1846, Sonnets from the Portuguese is a series of love poems written by Browning to her husband. The prominent Victorian poet Robert Browning.
Although Elizabeth was initially unsure of the poems, Robert encouraged their publication, suggesting she title them to make readers believe they were translations and not personal declarations of love between the couple. Using the sonnet, Browning adopted a traditional form made famous by Shakespeare while staking a claim for herself as one of nineteenth century England’s premier poets.
Phantasmagoria and Other Poems
by Lewis Carroll
With satire, adventure, and imagination, Phantasmagoria and Other Poems explores subjects such as the supernatural, love, friendship, and nature. Featuring sixteen of Lewis Carroll’s poems, Phantasmagoria and Other Poems has something to appeal to everyone. Among this collection is A Sea Dirge, in which the speaker, equipped with evocative figurative language, explains their contempt for the sea. In Echoes, a young girl discloses her encounter with a ghost. With precise diction, A Game of Fives takes the form of a nursery rhyme as the poem follows five girls as they age, mapping their changing relationship and value to society.
With wit and decorated lyricism, Carroll replies to his concern. The title poem in Phantasmagoria and Other Poems is known as Carroll’s longest piece of poetry, and has been hailed as a fan favorite. Following an odd man named Tibbets, Phantasmagoria tells the tale of a man getting candid with the ghost that haunts him. Presented as a narrative discussion, Tibbets asks the ghost why they are haunting him, prompting the ghost to tell all the responsibilities a ghost has. Haunting is the ghost’s new job, and they must toe the company line unless they want to answer to the king of the dead.
The Waste Land
by T S Eliot
The Waste Land (1922) is a poem by T.S. Eliot. After suffering a nervous breakdown, Eliot took a leave of absence from his job at a London bank to stay with his wife Vivienne at the coastal town of Margate. He worked on the poem during these months before showing an early draft to Ezra Pound, who helped edit the poem toward publication. The Waste Land, dedicated to Pound, includes hundreds of quotations of and allusions to such figures as Homer, Sophocles, Virgil, Ovid, Dante, Saint Augustine, Chaucer, Baudelaire, and Whitman, to name only a few.
A Boy’s Will
by Robert Frost
A Boy’s Will (1913) is a collection of poems by American poet Robert Frost. Published in London and dedicated to the poet’s wife, Elinor, A Boy’s Will, which received enthusiastic early reviews from both Ezra Pound and W.B. Yeats, launched Frost’s career as America’s leading poet of the early-twentieth century. Invoking such figures as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Emily Dickinson, and Thomas Hardy Frost.
Mountain Interval
by Robert Frost
Mountain Interval (1916) is a collection of poems by American poet Robert Frost. Having gained success with his first two collections, both published in London, Frost returned home to New Hampshire and completed his third volume, Mountain Interval. The book opens with “The Road Not Taken,” and though this would become Frost’s most famous poem, the collection is not defined by it. Here we find the hallmarks of Frost’s work: rural landscapes, dramatic monologues, and subtle meditations on the meanings of life and art. This is Frost at the height of his power, a poetry that speaks as much and as often as it listens.
History of a Six Weeks’ Tour
by Mary Shelley – Percy Bysshe Shelley
History of a Six Weeks’ Tour (1817) is a travelogue by Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Composed of journal entries, letters, and a poem, History of a Six Weeks’ Tour was published anonymously with a preface by Percy. Detailing their stay in Switzerland during the legendary “year without a summer,” the travelogue was Mary’s first published work and remains an invaluable text for the study of English Romanticism. When Percy Bysshe Shelley met Mary Godwin, he had initially planned to acquaint himself with her father, a famous philosopher.
Soon, however, the pair fell in love and eloped with Claire Clairmont, Mary’s stepsister. They journeyed through France, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands before returning home with little money and without the support of their families. In 1816, following the death of their first child, Percy and Mary travelled with Claire to Geneva, Switzerland. Where the infamous Lord Byron had rented a villa along the shores of Lake Geneva.
Leaves of Grass
by Walt Whitman
From one of the most celebrated American poets, Walt Whitman, comes a profound and uniquely written anthology of poems. Leaves of Grass is a rousing collection of poems inspired largely by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s plea for the arrival of a great new American Poet.
Originally published in 1855, Whitman worked on this collection of poems for the entirety of his life. He continued to revise and make better his anthology. In its final publication Leaves of Grass contained over 400 pages of remarkable poetry. The poems within reflected many of Whitman’s values and beliefs. Specifically pertaining to his philosophy of transcendentalism and the role of man within nature.
The Secret Rose: Love Poems
by William Butler Yeats
The Secret Rose (1897) is a collection of poems by W.B. Yeats. Written in response to demands that the poet write “a really national poem or romance,” The Secret Rose exhibits Yeats’ devotion to personal mythology and occult orders. Is a brilliant display of symbolism by one of Irish literature’s premier poets.
“To the Secret Rose” opens the collection. The poem, inspired by Yeats’ membership in the Rosicrucian Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, uses symbolism to evoke religion, myth, and history. The “Far off, most secret, and inviolate Rose” is an image of utopian longing. An ideal moment the poet awaits, envisions, and longs for.
The Rape of the Lock
by Alexander Pope
The Rape of the Lock (1906) is an epic poem by English literary icon Alexander Pope. Known for his caustic wit and satirical outlook. As much as he was for his formal expertise. Pope is arguably the most important English poet of the eighteenth century. His work influenced such figures as William Wordsworth, Samuel Johnson, and Jonathan Swift.
Drawing on his immense knowledge of ancient Greek and Latin literature. Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock is a mock epic which captures the essence of classical divinity and poetry. While illuminating the absurdity and stupidity of English aristocratic life. The poem centers on a Baron’s obsession with the hair of the beautiful socialite Belinda.
