Hearts and Hands by O. Henry
Hearts and Hands A short story by O. Henry At Denver there was an influx of passengers into the coaches on the eastbound B & M express. In one coach there sat a very...
Tagged: mbw
Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer
Casey at the Bat A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 by Ernest Thayer The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville Nine that day; the score stood four to two, with...
To Winter by William Blake
To Winter by William Blake (1757 – 1827) O Winter! bar thine adamantine doors: The north is thine; there hast thou built thy dark Deep-founded habitation. Shake not thy roofs Nor bend thy pillars...
The Seven Ages of Man
“All the World’s a Stage:” the Seven Ages of Man monologue from As You Like It by William Shakespeare All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They...
The Wind and the Moon by George MacDonald
There are poems especially suitable for memorization and recitation, and George MacDonald’s “The Wind and the Moon” is an excellent example. The rhythm and cadence of the language is delightful to young readers young...
The Fly by William Blake
“The Fly” as it originally appeared. The Fly by William Blake Little fly, Thy summer’s play My thoughtless hand Has brushed away. Am not I A fly like thee? Or art not thou A man like...
In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti
In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Georgina Rossetti In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, Snow on snow,...
Richard Austin Recites Hopkins’ Poetry
Richard Austin Recites Hopkins’ Poetry Richard Austin grew up in the same corner of England as Gerard Manley Hopkins. Thus blessed with the correct native accent, he now recites Hopkins’ poetry all over the...
Pied Beauty by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Pied Beauty by Gerard Manley Hopkins GLORY be to God for dappled things— For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow; For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim: Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;...
The Raven Poem by Edgar Allan Poe
“The Raven” by American writer Edgar Allan Poe is a narrative poem that tells the story of a mysterious talking raven’s visit to the narrator, who is mourning the loss of his love, Lenore....
A Message to Garcia by Elbert Hubbard
This 1899 essay by Elbert Hubbard is one of my favorites. Hubbard’s keen sense of humor and skillful use of hyperbole and metaphor help him make a sharp point about the value of individual initiative...
Sonnet VII by John Milton
Sonnet VII: How soon hath Time, the Subtle Thief of Youth ON HIS BEING ARRIVED AT THE AGE OF 23. by John Milton How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth, Stol’n on...
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat by Edward Lear
One of the first poems I recite when trying to soothe a fussy infant is “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat,” a poem I memorized through endless readings when I was a child. Its rollicking...
Solitude An Ode by Alexander Pope
Solitude: An Ode by Alexander Pope I How happy he, who free from care The rage of courts, and noise of towns; Contented breaths his native air, In his own grounds. II...
Verses upon the Burning of Our House by Anne Bradstreet
Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 18th, 1666 by Anne Bradstreet Here follows some verses upon the burning of our house, July. 18th. 1666. Copyed out of a loose Paper. 1 In...
By Night when Others Soundly Slept by Anne Bradstreet
By Night when Others Soundly Slept by Anne Bradstreet (1612 – 1672) 1 By night when others soundly slept 2 And hath at once both ease and Rest, 3 My waking eyes were open...
The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll
The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll “The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might: He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright— And this...
Boaz Asleep by Victor Hugo
BOAZ ASLEEP (“Booz s’était couché.”) by Victor Hugo Translation by BP. ALEXANDER [original French is below the English] from Hugo’s volume of poems, La Légende des siècles collected in Poems by Victor Hugo, 1888...
Ships That Pass in the Night by Paul Dunbar
SHIPS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT by Paul Laurence Dunbar Out in the sky the great dark clouds are massing; I look far out into the pregnant night, Where I can hear a solemn...
Lycidas by John Milton
English poet John Milton wrote this pastoral elegy in mourning for a childhood friend. It is saturated throughout with classical allusions, so it’s best to read it with a Dictionary of Allusions close at...
On His Blindness by John Milton
On His Blindness by John Milton When I consider how my light is spent Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, And that one talent which is death to hide Lodg’d...
Gratefulnesse by George Herbert
Gratefulnesse by George Herbert Thou that hast giv’n so much to me, Give one thing more, a gratefull heart. See how thy beggar works on thee By art. He makes thy gifts occasion more,...
Easter Wings by George Herbert
Easter Wings by George Herbert Easter Wings Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store, Though foolishly he lost the same, Decaying more and more, Till he became Most poore: With thee Oh let...
Good Bye by Emerson
GOOD-BYE by Ralph Waldo Emerson Good-bye, proud world! I’m going home: Thou art not my friend, and I’m not thine. Long through thy weary crowds I roam; A river-ark on the ocean brine, Long...
The Day’s Ration by Emerson
THE DAY’S RATION by Ralph Waldo Emerson When I was born, From all the seas of strength Fate filled a chalice, Saying, ‘This be thy portion, child; this chalice, Less than a lily’s, thou...
The Hippopotamus by T S Eliot
The Hippopotamus by T. S. Eliot This odd little quatrain poem was written by Eliot before his conversion to the Christian faith. Similiter et omnes revereantur Diaconos, ut mandatum Jesu Christi; et Episcopum, ut...
Thou Art Indeed Just Lord by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord by Gerard Manley Hopkins Justus quidem tu es, Domine, si disputem tecum: verumtamen justa loquar ad te: Quare via impiorum prosperatur? &c. THOU art indeed just, Lord, if I...
The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins
The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins You may find it helpful to listen to Richard Austin’s excellent recitation of this poem. To Christ our Lord I...
God’s Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins
God’s Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins You may find it helpful to listen to Richard Austin’s excellent recitation of this poem. THE world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out,...
Surprised by Joy by William Wordsworth
Surprised by Joy by William Wordsworth Surprised by joy, impatient as the wind, I turned to share the transport, — oh, with whom? But thee, deep buried in the silent tomb, That spot which...
