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The tiger
To the muses
Love's secret
Robert Burns （1759…1796）
To a mouse
The farewell
William Wordsworth （1770…1850）
Why art thou silent？
Thoughts of a Briton on the subjugation of Switzerland
It is a beauteous evening； calm and free
On the extinction of the Venetian Republic
O friend！ I know not
Surprised by joy
To Toussaint L'ouverture
With ships the sea was sprinkled
The world
Upon Westminster bridge； Sept。 3； 1802
When I have borne in memory
Three years she grew
The daffodils
The solitary reaper
Elegiac stanzas
To H。 C。
'Tis said that some have died for love
The pet lamb
Stepping westward
The childless father
Ode on intimations of immortality
Sir Walter Scott （1771…1832）
Proud Maisie
A weary lot is thine
The Maid of Neidpath
Samuel Taylor Coleridge （1772…1834）
Kubla Khan
Youth and age
The rime of the ancient mariner
Walter Savage Landor （1775…1864）
Rose Aylmer
Epitaph
Child of a day
Thomas Campbell （1767…1844）
Hohenlinden
Earl March
Charles Lamb （1775…1835）
Hester
Allan Cunningham （1784…1842）
A wet sheet and a flowing sea
George Noel Gordon； Lord Byron （1788…1823）
The Isles of Greece
Percy Bysshe Shelley （1792…1822）
Hellas
Wild with weeping
To the night
To a skylark
To the moon
The question
The waning moon
Ode to the west wind
Rarely； rarely comest thou
The invitation； to Jane
The recollection
Ode to heaven
Life of life
Autumn
Stanzas written in dejection near Naples
Dirge for the year
A widow bird
The two spirits
John Keats （1795…1821）
La Belle Dame sans merci
On first looking into Chapman's Homer
To sleep
The gentle south
Last sonnet
Ode to a nightingale
Ode on a Grecian urn
Ode to Autumn
Ode to Psyche
Ode to Melancholy
Hartley Coleridge （1796…1849）
She is not fair
ALICE MEYNELL'S COMMENTS/NOTES
EPITHALAMION
Written by Spensor on his marriage in Ireland； Elizabeth Boyle of
Kilcoran； who survived him； married one Roger Seckerstone； and was
again a widow。 Dr。 Grosart seems to have finally decided the
identity of the heroine of this great poem。 It is worth while to
explain； once for all； that I do not use the accented e for the
longer pronunciation of the past participle。 The accent is not an
English sign； and； to my mind； disfigures the verse； neither do I
think it necessary to cut off the e with an apostrophe when the
participle is shortened。 The reader knows at a glance how the word
is to be numbered； besides； he may have his preferences where
choice is allowed。 In reading such a line as Tennyson's
〃Dear as remembered kisses after death；〃
one man likes the familiar sound of the word 〃remembered〃 as we all
speak it now； another takes pleasure in the four light syllables
filling the line so full。 Tennyson uses the apostrophe as a rule；
but neither he nor any other author is quite consistent。
ROSALYND'S MADRIGAL
It may please the reader to think that this frolic； rich； and
delicate singer was Shakespeare's very Rosalind。 From Dr。 Thomas
Lodge's novel； Euphues' Golden Legacy； was taken much of the story；
with some of the characters； and some few of the passages； of As
You Like It。
ROSALINE
This splendid poem （from the same romance）； written on the poet's
voyage to the Islands of Terceras and the Canaries； has the fire
and freshness of the south and the sea； all its colours are clear。
The reader's ear will at once teach him to read the sigh 〃heigh ho〃
so as to give the first syllable the time of two （long and short）。
FAREWELL TO ARMS
George Peele's four fine stanzas （which must be mentioned as
dedicated to Queen Elizabeth； but are better without that
dedication） exist in another form； in the first person； and with
some archaisms smoothed。 But the third person seems to be far more
touching； the old man himself having done with verse。
THE PASSIONATE SHEPHERD
The sixth stanza is perhaps by Izaak Walton。
TAKE； O TAKE THOSE LIPS AWAY
The author of this exquisite song is by no means certain。 The
second stanza is not with the first in Shakespeare； but it is in
Beaumont and Fletcher。
KIND ARE HER ANSWERS
These verses are a more subtle experiment in metre by the musician
and poet； Campion； than even the following； Laura； which he himself
sweetly commended as 〃voluble； and fit to express any amorous
conceit。〃 In Kind are her Answers the long syllables and the
trochaic movement of the short lines meet the contrary movement of
the rest； with an exquisite effect of flux and reflux。 The
〃dancers〃 whose time they sang must have danced （with Perdita） like
〃a wave of the sea。〃
DIRGE
I have followed the usual practice in omitting the last and less
beautiful stanza。
FOLLOW
Campion's 〃airs；〃 for which he wrote his words； laid rules too
urgent upon what would have been a delicate genius in poetry。 The
airs demanded so many stanzas； but they gave his imagination leave
to be away； and they depressed and even confused his metrical play；
hurting thus the two vital spots of poetry。 Many of the stanzas
for music make an unlucky repeating pattern with the poor variety
that a repeating wall…paper does not attempt。 And yet Campion
began again and again with the onset of a true poet。 Take； for
example； the poem beginning with the vitality of this line；
〃touching in its majesty〃…
〃Awake； thou spring of speaking grace； mute rest becomes not thee！〃
Who would have guessed that the piece was to close in a jogging
stanza containing a reflection on the fact that brutes are
speechless； with these two final lines …
〃If speech be then the best of graces；
Doe it not in slumber smother！〃
Campion yields a curious collection of beautiful first lines。
〃Sleep； angry beauty； sleep and fear not me〃
is far finer than anything that follows。 So is there a single
gloom in this …
〃Follow thy fair sun； unhappy shadow！〃
And a single joy in this …
〃Oh； what unhoped…for sweet supply！〃
Another solitary line is one that by its splendour proves Campion
the author of Cherry Ripe …
〃A thousand cherubim fly in her looks。〃
And yet 〃a thousand cherubim〃 is a line of a poem full of the
dullest kind of reasoningcurious matter for musicand of the
intricate knotting of what is a very simple thread of thought。 It
was therefore no easy matter to choose something of Campion's for a
collection of the finest work。 For an historical book of
representative poetry the question would be easy enough； for there
Campion should appear by his glorious lyric； Cherry Ripe； by one or
two poems of profounder imagination （however imperfect）； and by a
madrigal written for the music （however the stanzas may flag in
their quibbling）。 But the work of choosing among his lyrics for
the sake of beauty shows too clearly the inequality； the brevity of
the inspiration； and the poet's absolute disregard of the moment of
its flight and departure。 A few splendid lines may be reason
enough for extracting a short poem； but must not be made to bear
too great a burden。
WHEN THOU MUST HOME
Of the quality of this imaginative lyric there is no doubt。 It is
fine throughout； as we confess even after the greatness of the
opening：…
〃When thou must home to shades of underground；
And there arrived； a new admired guest〃
It is as solemn and fantastic at the close as at this dark and
splendid opening； and throughout； past description； Elizabethan。
This single poem must bind Campion to that period without question；
and as he lived thirty…six years in the actual reign of Elizabeth；
and printed his Book of Airs with Rosseter two years before her
death； it is by no violence that we give him the name that covers
our earlier poets of the great age。 When thou must Home is of the
day of Marlowe。 It has the qualities of great poetry； and
especially the quality of keeping its simplicity； and it has a
quality of great simplicity not at all child…like； but adult；
large； gay； credulous； tragic； sombre； and amorous。
THE FUNERAL
Donne； too； is a poet of fine onsets。 It was with some hesitation
that I admitted a poem having the middle stanza of this Funeral；
but the earlier lines of the last are fine。
CHARIS' TRIUMPH
The freshest of Ben Jonson's lyrics have been chosen。 Obviously it
is freshness that he generally lacks； for all his vigour； his
emphatic initiative； and his overbearing and impulsive voice in
verse。 There is a stale breath in that hearty shout。 Doubtless it
is to the credit of his honesty that he did not adopt the country…
phrases in vogue； but when he takes landscape as a task the effect
is ill enough。 I have already had the temerity to find fault for a
blunder of meaning； with the passage of a most famous lyric； where
it says the contrary of what it would say …
〃But might I of Jove's nectar sup
I would not change for thine；〃
and for doing so have encountered the anger rather than the
argument of those who cannot