Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
A varied collection of great Poets and great Poetry in one book . |
| Disadvantages: |
If you like Poetry, none at all ! |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
♥ The nations favourite poems. ♥
"With a forward by Griff Rhys Jones"
The best popular anthology ever printed in Britain" Auberon Waugh
Published by the BBC Worldwide Ltd. Paperback edition first publication 1996. ISBN: 0 563 38782 3 Hardback edition first published in 1998. ISBN: 0 563 38487 5 All copyright remains with the individual authors. This anthology was printed and bound by Martin's the printers Ltd. Berwick-upon-Tweed.
The great thing about Poetry is that readers will interpret it in differant ways. It will mean one thing to one, while it could mean something totally differant to the next person. There is no right or wrong interpretation when reading poetry, it is purely personal. It is a Universal language with power and impact, imagery and wordpainting. And within this book you will find the Great poets, and some of the best poems ever written.
This anthology of poetry was the direct result of a poll taken in Great Britain to find out which poem was the Nations favourite, and subsequently the next ninety nine, to make one hundred favourite poems in all.
The poem that came in at number one was Rudyard Kiplings 'If'. This is a wonderful poem extolling a great philosophy and integrity, which is timeless. This is a hugely motivational and inspirational poem. And it hangs at Wimbledon, on the entrance to the centre court. Rudyard Kipling had a very tragic life, he was extremely unhappy in childhood, his parents sent him away, and he was beaten and abused by his new family. His Public school life was a failure, and later in his life his two children died.
He became famous whilst in India, with his stories and poetry, notably 'The jungle book' and his 'Just so' stories.
The last stanza of 'If' by Rudyard Kipling. 1865-1936
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
You can understand why this poem came out as favourite. It is truly moving and poignant, inspirational and valid today.
The next poem I really like in this anthology is 'Dulce ET decorum est.' By
Wilfred Owen, a WW1 Poet.
British soldiers considered it a privilege and honour, to fight, and maybe die for their country, in the name of Patriatism. However, the bitter reality became all too apparent to them as the war unfolded.
I have included the last stanza with the complete saying ending the poem. Its meaning: "It is sweet and right to die for your country"
This is the last stanza of 'Dulce ET decorum est' by Wilfred Owen. 1893-1918
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
The next poem I have chosen is by Stevie Smith. It is short and poignant, simple and stark. I feel it is about the death of ones spirit and will, leading to their physical suicide."I was much too far out all my life and not waving but drowning" It's very short, only three stanzas, so I will include the whole poem.
Stevie Smith. 1903-71
Not waving but drowning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.
Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.
Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.
The last poem I 'have' to include is from ' Twelve songs' by W.H.
Auden. This is a fantastic poem. It is about the loss of someone. It is an elegy.
W.H. AUDEN 1907-73
from Twelve Songs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IX
~~~~
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
A wonderfully emotive and heartbreaking poem. It featured in the film 'Four weddings and a funeral'
It is a great poem full of imagery, grief, and emotion.
This is an incredible anthology, and what I have shown you is just the tip of the ice-berg. Depending on personal taste, I'm sure you will find something to your preference within this book. This anthology is used in colleges and Universities, as part of the study of English Literature. And it is a wonderful insight into the world of Poetry. Poetry is often used to explore dark, uncomfortable subjects, and apart from its power from the reader's point of view, it can be hugely therapeutic to write ones own.
My opinion and summing up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I think this was an excellent idea to take a poll, to find out which Poems, as a nation, we all loved. So really this is an anthology made by us, for us. It is including our personal taste in the best poetry we love. So whether a newcomer to Poetry or a lover of Poetry already, there will be something for you within this book. This book is very across the board, and you will find Modern poets alongside Classic poets. I have enjoyed all the poetry in this book, and even discovered some I had never read before and which I really liked. It is nice to see so many writing styles within one book. I would definitely recommend this anthology; it includes some wonderful poems, such as ' Daffodils' By Wordsworth. ' Remember' by Christinna Rossetti. And ' The lady of Shallot ' by Tennyson. There are far too many for me to list here, unfortunately. The BBC also has a series of these poetry
books: The Nations favourite poems of celebration, The Nations favourite poems of desire, and the Nations favourite Twentieth Century Poems, to name but a few. It is a fantastic series of poetry books. And I purchased my copy for the
price of 5.99; it is available from all good book shops. It is also available online, new and secondhand, from Amazon, Ebay and various other sites. I hope you enjoy it, should you decide to purchase this anthology. I don't think you will be disappointed.
I hope this information has been useful.
Electra 2006.
