Poems to read before sweet sixteen!
I was not happy with the poetry being taught at my son's school. That led to me to the question what are some poems I like from the classical masters. Here is first list.
Poetry is an exhibition of the beauty of feelings and emotions that are difficult to describe and often beyond words. Good poetry also helps develop and channel emotions in the context of social norms. At times, it encourages us to break the norms, urges us to rebel, encourages us to enjoy the melancholy or adds elegance to our despair.
Poetry also tells us that our experiences, emotions and events sometimes rhyme with those of others. We discover that we are not alone in our emotional journeys; we have co-travellers. It adds psychological maturity to a person. Thus, it is important, probably essential, to learn, read and appreciate good poetry.
However, I have found that most of the poetry the young students are exposed to during their formative years is not quite up to the mark. So I wanted to list some important poems from the classical masters that students need to appreciate before they finish school. I do not want to include epic poetry. Neither do I want to include modern works, many of which lack finesse. I want to highlight some nicer works - those with meaning, form, rhyming scheme and style.
You may find I am biased toward themes of love, loss, war, and bravery. For that, I remain guilty. So here goes - a list of poems one must read before sweet sixteen.
Rudyard Kipling gets my first spot for his delightful poem “IF-” which is full of wisdom and one of my favourites. Some other notable ones include “Gunga Din”, “For All we have and Are”, and “Justice”.
William Wordsworth is the foremost of the romantics. His poem “I wandered lonely as a Cloud” is a classic. But his other poems are worth reading too. Do read “A Poet! He hath put his heart to school”, “To the Skylark”, “To a Highland Girl”, & I Travelled among Unknown Men.
John Milton is amongst the earliest poets, with Paradise Lost being a classic but too heavy for me. I recommend On His Blindness, To A Virtuous Young Lady and On Time.
William Shakespeare produced remarkable sonnets. Some of my favourites are Two loves I have of comfort and despair, Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?, Let those who are in favour with their stars, The Phoenix and the Turtle, When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes and To thine own self be true.
John Donne has some masterpieces to his credit. One may read Death Be Not Proud, Go and Catch a Falling Star and A Burnt Ship.
William Blake produced some sensitive and provocative poems. Ah! Sunflower — William Blake: Some other interesting ones are Garden of Love, The Smile, Silent Silent Night, Memory, hither come and Tyger.
Percy Bysshe Shelley has some gems to his credit. I recommend “Time Long Past”, “Ode to the Skylark”, “Ode to the West Wind”, and “Love’s Philosophy”.
Robert Browning poetry, for me, has a special romantic tinge. Here are some poems Life in a Love, Never the Time and the Place, Love among the Ruins, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, and Now.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning has my heart. The collection of letters and poetry between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett is a MUST read for die-hard romantics. Do read How do I love thee? Let me count the ways, My Heart and I, The Lady’s Yes, A Man’s Requirements,If I leave all for thee, wilt thou exchange, If thou must love me, let it be for nought, First time he kissed me, he but only kissed, and Love.
William Butler Yeats wrote about diverse subjects. I like Down By The Salley Gardens, A Dialogue Of Self And Soul and Never Give All The Heart.
Leigh Hunt was a prolific poet whose poem Abou Ben Adhem I read in school. But among her other works are A Thought of the Nile, Song of Fairies Robbing an Orchard, and The Glove and the Lions.
Emily Dickinson is probably the most well-known women poet in the list. Some of her poems I like are After great pain, a formal feeling comes, A Bird, came down the Walk, The Poets light but Lamps, I know that He exists, Tell all the truth but tell it slant, and Come slowly — Eden!
Robert Frost is modern in time but classical in disposition if you ask me. Probably because some of his poems left a deep impact on me. Do read Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, The Road Not Taken, Carpe Diem, and Fire And Ice.
Letitia Elizabeth Landon was a product of her times with deep insight. Do read The Power Of Words, Secrets, Affection and Revenge.
Christina Rossetti is considered as one of the foremost women poets. Some of her poems that should feature are After Death, Amor Mundi, A better Resurrection, Colors, and Dream Land.
Felicia Dorothea Hemans wrote poems from age of 14. Some of her poems I like are Casabianca, A Thought of the Future, To The Eye, Invocation to Dreams, Address To Music and A Song of Hope.
Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal comes from the middle 1800s. Her poems have a tinge of tragedy, perhaps a reflection of her tough life. Do read A Silent Wood, Worn Out and Gone.
Robert Burns wrote in Scottish dialect that sounded ever so sweet and lyrical. I liked his Ae Fond Kiss, A Red, Red Rose and Mary Morison.
Robert Louis Stevenson poem The Vagabond made a distinct impression on me. Some others are Windy Nights, Sing me a Song of a Lad that is Gone, Bed in Summer, Love’s Vicissitudes, Mine eyes were swift to know thee and My Shadow.
Mary E. Coleridge reflects the second part of 1800s. Her poems Affection, The Other Side Of A Mirror, Come Home! and To Memory.
John Keats and I share more than a birthday. His Odes are famous, and his verse mellow. Do read Ode to a Nightingale, When I have Fears That I May Cease to Be, Fancy, The day is gone, and all its sweets are gone!, from Endymion, To Autumn and The Human Seasons.
Charlotte Mew had a tragic life, but some of her poems are worth reading. I recommend Absence, and The Farmer’s Bride.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is popularly called H. W. Longfellow. I recommend his The Arrow and the Song, A Psalm of Life, Paul Revere’s Ride, The Children’s Hour, and Aftermath.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson is one of my favourites too. Some of his works definitely need a look are The Charge of the Light Brigade, from The Princess, O Swallow, Home they Brought her Warrior Dead, Ask me no more, and Break Break Break, The Miller’s daughter.
Emily Bronte is not the only famous Bronte sister, but she fascinates me more. You can read her sisters’ works too. Here are some of her poems Fall, leaves, fall, Ah! Why, Because the Dazzling Sun, No Coward Soul Is Mine, Shall earth no more inspire thee and from Silent is the House.
Oscar Wilde is a bit controversial, but his long The Ballad of Reading Gaol is definitely worth reading.
Lord Byron, or George Gordon Byron, has a special place amongst the English romantics. His And Thou art Dead, as Young and Fair is an important study. I also like Stanzas for Music.
Alexander Pope used the rhymed couplet form quite beautifully. I like his Ode on Solitude.
Emma Lazarus has been immortalized with her poem The New Colossus inscribed in the Statue of Liberty. We must read Marriage Bells, Dreams, A Masque Of Venice and Sympathy.
Thomas Hardy is another classic. I suggest A Broken Appointment, The Dead Man Walking, Men Who March Away, Rain on a Grave and During Wind and Rain.
Henry David Thoreau is another famous name. I recommend Mist, The Moon, Song Of Nature and All Things Are Current Found.
Ralph Waldo Emerson lived in 1800s. Some of his poems I like are Give All To Love, Two Rivers, Fable, Friendship and The Past.
William Henry Davies may have been poor and his life hard, but he surely had some gems to offer. I particularly love Leisure, A Plain Life, Hidden Love, Joy and Pleasure, Love’s Caution and The Fog.
I must point out that my poetry reading is not as extensive as other students and experts in poetry. So if you find I missed some great poems, please let me know.
Rahul -- I am in awe of the list you have offered. That said, not being a regular reader of poetry, I feel overwhelmed by the volume of your collection. Are you inclined to choose three suggestions to pass along to me?