Title: 101 Famous Poems.
Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, James Whitcomb Riley, John James Ingalls, John Burroughs, William Shakespeare, Lucy Larcom, James Henry Leigh Hunt, Edgar Allan Poe, Alexander Anderson, John Milton, William Cullen Bryant, William Ernest Henley, John Masefield, Thomas Babington Macaulay, John Greenleaf Whittier, Robert Browning, Rudyard Kipling, Sir Walter Scott, Alice Cary, Mary Mapes Dodge, George Gordon Byron, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Alfred Noyes, Robert Burns, Eugene Field, Josiah Gilbert Holland, Henry Holcomb Bennett, William Watson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frank L. Stanton, George Washington Doane, George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), John Keats, Henry Cuyler Bunner, and Alfred Tennyson.
Genre: Literature, poetry.
Country: U.S., England, Scotland, U.K..
Language: English.
Publication Date: 1603, 1609, 1673, 1750, 1795, 1805, 1806-08, 1812-18, 1819, 1820, 1834, 1838, 1842, 1844, 1845, 1849, 1855, 1860, 1863, 1865, 1869, 1872, 1875, 1879, 1881, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1889, 1893, 1895, 1898, 1902, 1906, 1910, and 1911 (this edition 1958).
Summary: A collections of 111 poems (of which 4 are play excerpts) and 6 pieces of prose (1 of which is a letter and 2 are speeches). (Poems 48-92 in this post, refer to PART 1 for poems 1-48 and PART 3 for poems 93-111 and non-fiction). The Building of the Ship (1869) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes in detail the building and launching of a ship, and then makes the ship a symbol of the United States. Solitude (1883) by Ella Wheeler Wilcox is a poem about being ultimately alone in life, especially through life's toughest ordeals. Knee-Deep in June (1911) by James Whitcomb Riley is a poem about the beauty of relaxing in nature in June. Opportunity (1881) by John James Ingalls is a poem written from the perspective of opportunity, about its transient nature. Waiting (1863) by John Burroughs is a poem about trusting fate, and trusting that everything that belongs to you will be attracted to you regardless. Paul Revere's Ride (1860 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow liberally fictionalizes and commemorates the actions of American patriot Paul Revere on April 18, 1775, of his midnight ride to alert the colonial militia to the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord. That Time of Year (Sonnet 73) (1609) by William Shakespeare focuses on the theme of old age, and addresses "Fair Youth." In Plant a Tree (~1800s) by Lucy Larcom, the poet encourages people to plant trees to show love for the earth and their neighbourhood, and the potential every tree holds. Abou Ben Adhem (1834) by James Henry Leigh Hunt is a poem about the 7th century Sufi mystic Ibrahim ibn Adham, and his love for his fellow men. The Bells (posthumously 1849) by Edgar Allan Poe is about the sound of bells, and the feelings of horror and mystery the sound evokes. Elegy Written in a Country Church-Yard (1750) by Thomas Gray is an elegy and thoughts on death and mortality in a graveyard, following the death of the poet Richard West in 1742. Cuddle Doon (1895) by Alexander Anderson is a poem about a happy family hearth. In Sonnet on His Blindness (1673) by John Milton, the poet reflects on his blindness, and draws wisdom and faith from his condition. Thanatopsis (unknown, likely 1810s) is, as the the title translating from the Greek literally means, "a consideration of death." The Children's Hour (1860) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes the poet's idyllic family life with his own three daughters, and the time he spends with them as evening approaches. Invictus (1888, written 1875) by William Ernest Henley is a poem about coming through great trials and tribulations fighting, with one's head raised high. Sea Fever (1902) by John Masefield is about the poet's thirst and love for the sea. Horatius (1842) by Thomas Babington Macaulay describes how Publius Horatius and two companions, Spurius Larcius and Titus Herminius, hold the Sublician bridge, the only span crossing the Tiber at Rome, against the Etruscan army of Lars Porsena, King of Clusium. Each in His Own Tongue (1895) by William Herbert Carruth highlights the difference of perspective on broad concepts. The Eternal Goodness (?~late 1800s) by John Greenleaf Whittier is a poem about the love of God and understanding of religion. Summum Bonum (1889) by Robert Browning directly translates to "means the highest good." If (1910, written 1895) by Rudyard Kipling was written as a tribute to Leander Starr Jameson, and is the paternal advice to the poet's son, John, about what it means to be a man. The Day is Done (1844) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is about the melancholy, restless feeling at the end of a long day. Love of Country (excerpt from The Lay of the Last Minstrel) (1805) by Walter Scott is about the love and patriotic feeling one should feel for one's country. Nobility (1849) by Alice Cary describes Nobility as a human quality not derived from birth, but from innate actions and values. The Minuet (1879) by Mary Mapes Dodge is about a grandmother telling her granddaughter about a minuet she danced when she herself was young. In Childe Harold's Farewell to England (excerpt from Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812-18) by George Gordon Byron, the protagonist of the poem sets out to travel to discover the truth about the world, and about himself. God Save the Flag (1865) by Oliver Wendell Holmes is about the importance and glory of the American flag. The Raven (1845) by Edgar Allan Poe tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness. The Highwayman (1906) by Alfred Noyes is a romantic ballad set in 18th-century rural England about an unnamed highwayman who is in love with a landlord's daughter, how he is betrayed, and his lover must make the ultimate sacrifice. A Psalm of Life (1838) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a poem written not long after the death of his first wife, while thinking about how to make the best of life. For A' That and A' This (1795) by Robert Burns is a song that is an expression of egalitarian ideas of society, which may be seen as expressing the ideas of republicanism. Jest 'Fore Christmas (?~1879-1895) by Eugene Field is a children's poem about being very good right before Christmas comes around. Gradatim (1872) by Josiah Gilbert Holland is a poem about slowly building one's way up to Heaven, step by deed. The Barefoot Boy (1855) by John Greenleaf Whittier is about a barefoot boy who is both innocent and connected to nature, in a world of adults in which adults have to engage in endless struggles to stand out. In Polonius' Advice to Laertes (from Hamlet)** (1603) by William Shakespeare, Polonius offers his son advice on what it means to succeed in life and be a good man. The Flag Goes By (1898) by Henry Holcomb Bennett is a poem that pays respects and presents the symbolism of the American flag. The Things That Are More Excellent (1895) by William Watson is an earnest plea to appreciate the higher things in life, and forego the material and shallow. Concord Hymn (1886) by Ralph Waldo Emerson was sung at the completion of the Battle Monument commemorating those fallen in the American Civil War. Keep a-Goin' (1910) by Frank L. Stanton is a poem that encourages one to keep going regardless of the difficulty or circumstance. Life Sculpture (1855) by George Washington Doane is a poem about carving one's life as a sculptor carves a sculpture out of stone. The Choir Invisible (1884) by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) is the poets' description of Christianity and heaven. Marmion and Douglas (from Marmion) (1806-08) by Walter Scott is the part of the poem Douglas refuses Marmion entrance into his castle. Ode on a Grecian Urn (1819) by John Keats addresses an ancient Grecian urn, describing and discoursing upon the images depicted on it. The Heart of the Tree (1893) by Henry Cuyler Bunner is a message that the one who plants a tree not only contributes to the betterment of nature for all the other creatures, but he also helps in nation's growth. Crossing the Bar (1889) by Alfred Tennyson is an elegy wherein the poet uses an extended metaphor to compare death with crossing the "sandbar" between the river of life, and the ocean that lies beyond death, the "boundless deep", to which we return.

**Refer to entry for full quotes and information.

My rating: 8/10
My review:

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Title: Poems of Gratitude.
Author: George Gordon - Lord Byron, Rainer Mariak Rilke (translated by A. Poulin Jr.), William Wordsworth, Emily Brontë, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Horace (translated by Debora Greger), Henry Timrod, Ben Jonson, Robert Herrick, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Shakespeare, Dinah Maria Craik, Om Ui-Gil (translated by Kim Jong-Gil), William Wordsworth, Charles Lamb, Primo Levi (translated by Ruth Feldman and Brian Swann), Po Chu-I (translated by Arthur Waley), Edward Hirsch, Franz Wright, Jane Kenyon, Czeslaw Milosz (translated by Renata Gorczynski and Robert Hass), John Milton, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Nicholas Christopher, Emily Fragos, Jane Hirshfield, John Dryden, Christopher Smart, Tall Kia Ahni (interpreted by Louis Watchman), Francis Jammes (translated by Richard Wilbur), J.D. McClatchy, Charles Wright, Joy Harjo, Wendell Berry, Matthew Arnold, Edwin Markham, Rudyard Kipling, Stephen Crane, Mary Oliver, Queen Lili'Uokalani of Hawaii, Gary Soto, Maya Angelou, John Newton, St. Francis of Assisi, Laozi (translated by Chungliang Al Huang), Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, King James Bible, Qur'an translated by Shaykha Halima Krausen, Jewish prayer translated by Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, Rabindranath Tagore, William Cowper, John Donne, Walt Whitman, James Weldon Johnson, Marina Tsvetaeva (translated by Elaine Feinstein), Langston Hughes, Henry Vaughan, Emily Dickinson, The Buddha, Taditional Iroquois translated by Harriet Maxwell Converse, X.J. Kennedy, Campbell McGrath, Paul Zimmer, Lydia Maria Child, Billy Collins, Shel Silverstein, Henry Alford, John Greenleaf Whittier, Carl Sandburg, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Frost and John Keats (compiled and edited by Emily Fragos).
Genre: Poetry, literature, animals, religion, nature.
Country: England, Austria, Ancient Rome, Italy, France, India, Wales, Scotland.
Language: English, German, Ancient Roman, Italian, Navajo, Aztec, French, Iroquois.
Publication Date: 6th BC, 1609, 1610, 1616, 1640, 1650, 1673, 1772, 1779, 1798, 1806, 1807, 1820, 1831, 1833, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1856, 1859, 1865, 1875, 1877, 1880, 1885, 1891, 1894, 1898, 1899, 1910, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1923, 1968, 1974, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2015 (this collection 2017).
Summary: A collection of 168 poems (some being extracts from larger bodies of work), on the topic of gratitude, and divided into 9 sub-categories. (Poems 85-168 in this post, refer to PART 1 for 1-84). FOR FRIENDSHIP: L'Amitié est L'amour sans Ailes (1806) by George Gordon, Lord Byron is a poem describing friendship as being romantic love without wings. O My Friends (?~1885-1926) by Rainer Maria Rilke (translated by A. Poulin Jr.) is a pondering on the line between strangers and friends. Travelling (1807) by William Wordsworth recalls happy hours spent with a loved friend in nature. Love and Friendship (1846) by Emily Brontë compares love and friendship. From To a Cat (1894) by Algernon Charles Swinburne is an extract and an ode to a cat, a superior pet. Tradition (??) by Anonymous is a traditional Aztec poem about the beauty of friendship. Odes I.36 (23BC) by Horus is an ode of gratitude for a friend. Sonnet: I Thank You (1859) by Henry Timrod is a thanksgiving to a beloved friend. Inviting a Friend to Supper (1616) by Ben Jonson is an invitation to dinner and a jovial evening to a friend. Meat Without Mirth (1648) by Robert Herrick is a poem about a supper not really being enjoyable without friends to share it with. Forbearance (1847) by Ralph Waldo Emerson speaks of an ideal person and friend. Sonnet 30 (1609) by William Shakespeare is a sonnet of a remembrance of a dear friend, that takes away all sadness. Friendship (1859) by Dinah Maria Craik is an excerpt from a novel A Life for a Life, about feeling safe with a friend. Sitting at Night (?~17th century) by Om Ui-Gil (translated by Kim Jong-Gil) is a poem about a visit from a friend. "Rest and Be Thankful": At the Head of Glencoe (1831) by William Wordsworth is a poem inspired by a walk with friends at Glencoe Mountains in Scotland. The Old Familiar Faces (1798) by Charles Lamb is an elegy to a childhood and the phantoms that haunt the poet from it. To My Friends (1985) by Primo Levi is a poem about connections between human beings, regardless of their tenuousness. FOR HEALTH: Being Visited by a Friend During Illness (?~782-846) by Po Chu-I (translated by Arthur Waley is a poem of a slow recovery from illness. Recovery (1985) by Edward Hirsch is a subtle poem about recovering from a tragedy. One Heart (2003) by Franz Wright is a thanksgiving to God for a content and healthy life. Otherwise (1995) by Jane Kenyon is a poem that calls for gratitude for sound health and ability while one still possesses it, and until such time one does not. In A Mistake (1988) by Czeslaw Milosz (translated by Renata Gorczynski and Robert Hass), the poet contemplates the beauty of the world while watching the small pleasures a paraplegic gets out of being out in the sun. In On His Blindness (1673) by John Milton, the poet writes of his experience of blindness, and what greater purpose God intends for him through it. "My Own Heart Let Me More Have Pity On" (1885) by Gerard Manley Hopkins gestures toward a sense of relief from the mental and spiritual anguish that had been plaguing the poet. After a Long Illness (1995) by Nicholas Christopher is a poem about the feeling of well-being, lightness, and relief once feels after recovering from a long illness. After Dürer (2015) by Emily Fragos is a poem inspired by a famous engraved drawing by Albrecht Dürer, Melencolia I. Spell to Be Said After Illness (1994) by Jane Hirshfield is a prayer after illness. FOR NATURE: Pied Beauty (1877) by Gerard Manley Hopkins is a poem in which the poet praises God for the variety of "dappled things" in nature, but for remaining immutable himself. "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (1807) by William Wordsworth was inspired by an event in which Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy came across a "long belt" of daffodils. Of Many Worlds in This World (?~1641-1700) by John Dryden is a poem about the possibility of worlds existing inside other worlds, and minuscule things like atoms in nature. From Jubilante Agno: A Poem from Bedlam (1759-63) by Christopher Smart is an excerpt from a longer religious poem the poet wrote while holding a "Commission of Lunacy" and committed to St. Luke's Hospital with no one for company but a cat. War God's Horse Song (?) by Anonymous (words by Tall Kia Ahni, interpreted by Louis Watchman) is a traditional Navajo poem is a praise of a horse and peace. A Prayer to Go to Paradise with the Donkeys: To Màire and Jack (1898) by Francis Jammes (translated by Richard Wilbur) is a prayer to be allowed to enter Paradise among the loyal and gentle donkeys. "See Yonder Leafless Trees Against the Sky" (1833) by Ralph Waldo Emerson marvels at the beauty of a leafless tree. Weeds (1990) by J.D. McClatchy marvels at the way weeds fight their way through the toughest surfaces to bring beauty to the world. The Evening is Tranquil, and Dawn is a Thousand Miles Away (2008) by Charles Wright is a poem of a beautiful evening in nature. Eagle Poem (1990) by Joy Harjo speaks about praying to the beauty and magnificence of nature. The Peace of Wild Things (1968) by Wendell Berry speaks of how the poet goes to rejuvenate his energy in nature when he feels overwhelmed by the world. Patience Taught by Nature (1845) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a poem that speaks of wishing to learn patience from nature, particularly a blade of grass that grows slowly. From Thyrsis (1865) by Matthew Arnold is an excerpt from a poem that commemorates his friend Arthur Hugh Clough, who had died at the age of 42. The Cricket (1899) by Edwin Markham describes a cricket and a slow coming of day. Seal Lullaby (1894) by Rudyard Kipling is a lullaby for a seal. Little Birds of the Night (?~1881-1900) by Stephen Crane is a poem about adorable nocturnal birds. Wild Geese (2004) by Mary Oliver is a poem that compares nature's condition to the human condition through wild geese. Ku'u Pua I Paoakalani (My Flower at Paoakalani) (?~1848-1917) by Queen Lili'Uokalani of Hawaii praises the native flowers of the poet. Ode to a Day in the Country (1992) by Gary Soto expresses love and joy for country scenes. REVERENCE: Father, We Thank Thee (?1813-1882) by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a thanksgiving to God for all of life's gifts. Prayer (2006) by Maya Angelou is a prayer to God for all the disenfranchised and the forgotten. Ghanaian Prayer (?20th century) by Anonymous is a traditional Ghanaian prayer for one's parents. Amazing Grace (1772) by John Newton is a poem written to a hymn about God's boundless love and grace. "Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace" (?1191-1226) by St. Francis of Assisi is a prayer that asks God to use one as a proponent of peace on earth. God's Grandeur (1877) by Gerard Manley Hopkins is a celebratory poem that suggests that God has imbued nature with an eternal freshness that is able to withstand the heavy burden of humanity. Psalm 23 (?~1000BC) by Anonymous (from The Holy Bible, King James Version) was used in worship by the ancient Hebrews and describes God as one's shepherd, in the role of protector and provider. From Tao Te Ching (?~531BC) (translated by Chungliang Al Huang) is an excerpt from the ancient Chinese text that encourages one to follow the way of the Tao and the Way of Nature. Buddhist Prayer (2012) by Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni is a Buddhist prayer. The Qur'an 1:1-7 (~609-632) (translated by Shaykha Halima Krausen) is an excerpt that asks for guidance from God. Shema Koleinu (?) (translated by Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg) is an ancient Jewish prayer for a day of atonement. From The Vedas (?) is an extract that defines and prays for peace. From Gitanjali (1910) by Rabindranath Tagore is an excerpt that calls upon grace in difficult times. African Canticle (?) by Anonymous is an African prayer that calls to bless all things, large and small. Light Shining Out of Darkness (1779) by William Cowper is a hymn about the mysterious ways in which God works. From The Holy Sonnets: 5 (1609-1610) by John Donne is an excerpt that talks of redemption from sin. Miracles (1856) by Walt Whitman is a poem that professes that everything that surrounds one in the world is a miracle. Prayer at Sunrise (1917) by James Weldon Johnson is a prayer at sunrise that give thanks for the new day and all its fresh wonders. «Бог согнулся от заботы…» (Bent with Worry) (1916), Марина Ивановна Цветаева (Marina Tsvetaeva, translated by Elaine Feinstein) is a poem about loving God's angels more than God himself. Prayer (?1920-1967) by Langston Hughes encourages the compassion and pity for the poor, unfortunate, and downtrodden. A Vision (1650) by Henry Vaughan is a poem about a man who encounters eternity. "Ample Make This Bed" (1891) by Emily Dickinson is a eulogy that compares making a bed to blessing a grave. "Now May Every Living Thing (6th BC) by the Buddha blesses every living thing with bliss. THANKSGIVING: The Thanksgivings (?), translated by Harriet Maxwell Converse, is a traditional Iroquois poem about giving thanks to all around one, as well as the Great Spirit. At the First Thanksgiving: Plymouth, 1621 (1985) by X.J. Kennedy describes the thanks given at the first Thanksgiving, and the harsh environments in which it was celebrated. What They Ate (1989) by Campbell McGrath describes what was eaten at the first Thanksgiving. A Romance for the Wild Turkey (2007) by Paul Zimmer is an ode to the wild turkey. The New-England Boy's Song About Thanksgiving Day (1844) by Lydia Maria Child are a children's poem celebrating the beauty and fun of Thanksgiving day from a child's point of view. The Gathering from Two Thanksgiving Poems (2009) by Billy Collins is about a family gathering missing a loved one. Point of View (1974) by Shel Silverstein is a poem that asks people to view the holidays from a turkey's point of view. Harvest Home (1844) by Henry Alford is a harvest festival hymn. Harvest Hymn (?1820-1892) by John Greenleaf Whittier is an ode to Thanksgiving. Harvest Sunset (1918) by Carl Sandburg is a poem about a sunset after working on the fields. The Harvest Moon (1875) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow praises the harvest moon and celebrates the nature of autumn. Farewell to the Farm (1885) by Robert Louis Stevenson is poem about kids leaving the farm (and childhood) behind for the big city. Spring and Fall, To a Young Child (1880) by Gerard Manley Hopkins likens a little girl’s sorrow at the waning of summer to the larger, tragic nature of human life. Nothing Gold Can Stay (1923) by Robert Frost is a poem about the transience and impermanence of everything. To Autumn (1820) by John Keats is a poem that describes the beauty of autumn and its nature.

My rating: 8/10.
My review:

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