Victorian Poems: Yeats
Here are three poems–I may add one or two more–of William Butler Yeats that show the influence of his lifelong interest in the occult.
Category: Poetry
Poetry “The Blessed Damozel”
This decidedly Medievalizing poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti s probably the best-known example of Pre-Raphaelite poetry. The P-R Brotherhood was a group of painters who challenged the Royal Academy by insisting on natural light, painting from nature, and meticulous care. They quite rightly deplored the excessive sentimentality and melodrama that had dominated painting since the early days of the Italian Manerists.
Poems: Two by Matthew Arnold
Two fine poems by Matthew Arnold who bravely spent his life upholding decency and high standards in a world that was abandoning them.
New Year’s Poems
Three quite different poems on the New Year, by Richard Wilbur, Kenneth Patchen, and Lord Tennyson
Poem: Last Call
This song, which inspired Lawrence Block’s novel “When the Sacred Ginmill Closes,” is not for young people or the faint of heart, but it is carefully composed. Block and Van Ronk were good friends, and both were alcoholics.
Poem by Hart Crane
This is one of the best known poems by the brilliant and mostly unread Harold Hart Crane. It may take more than one or two reading to catch on to his manner, though the musical beauty strikes the ear immediately.
Poems of Thomas Campion
Thomas Campion was a master of verse and beautiful composer of the Elizabethan period. Known mostly for his sometimes racy love songs, he had many voices and moods. Be sure to listen to Alfred Deller’s moving performance.
