Classic Poetry

Some of the greatest poets and lovers in the English language speak of their love in this seductive and romantic collection. Here are the voices of Romeo, Robert Burns, Lord Byron and many others.

The Satires comprises a collection of satirical poems by the Latin author Juvenal written in the second century CE. Juvenal wrote in the Roman tradition of “satura”, a formal literary genre composed in dactylic hexameter rather than just witty criticism in any format. In a tone and manner that ranges from irony to rage, Juvenal criticizes the actions and beliefs of his contemporaries.

Robert Speaight, Anthony Quayle, and others read a selection of poetry by William Blake, Rudyard Kipling, John Gay, and D. H. Lawrence.

A classic tale of doomed romance, Longfellow's classic epic poem reminds us that man's inhumanity to man and refugees have been with us many centuries. The story of how the Cajuns came to Louisiana is only a part of this moving, evocative poem. Two lovers separated by a cruel fate stand against a canvas of America in the making.

The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam, in the famous translation by Edward Fitzgerald, remains one of the most popular poems. Here, it forms the main work on the first half of this program, along with other shorter poems by other leading Persian and Indian figures, including Rumi, Sa'di, and Rabindranath Tagore.

The translator Shaida does something altogether breathtaking in the expansive and lovely poems found in Khusro, the Indian Orpheus: A Hundred Odes, a collection of 100 translated poems by Khusro, an Indian musician, scholar, and poet of Persian descent. Fans of Rumi, the translations of Coleman Barks in particular, and Persian poets in general will delight in this current and timeless effort.

Nearly 100 of the most popular and loved poems in the English language, this collection is one of the most comprehensive anthologies of its kind available. It covers a remarkable range, from the striking vision of Blake and Shelley and the insights of Keats to lighter but equally memorable verse by Tennyson, Donne, and Edward Lear.

A unique collection of classic poetry beautifully narrated with a musical accompaniment that enhances the power and emotion of the writing. Includes poems by Keats, Burns, Shelley, and Wordsworth.

A collection of classic Hiawatha tales from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, read by Harry Fleetwood.

Purgatory is the second part of Dante's The Divine Comedy. The listener finds the Poet, with his guide Virgil, ascending the terraces of the Mount of Purgatory inhabited by those doing penance to expiate their sins on earth. There are the proud - forced to circle their terrace for eons bent double in humility; the slothful running around crying out examples of zeal and sloth; while the lustful are purged by fire.

The 98-stanza meter-and-rhyme translation of "Legenda Luceafarului" - an entrancing masterpiece by Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889), the Romanian national poet - captures the essence of the original work's musicality and poetic nuance. It is the story of a young princess' longing and impossible love for the immortal star who, sharing her love, takes human form and tries to become mortal.

Where does inspiration originate? Some find it in flowers, true love, the ocean, or perhaps a scenic mountain. For Thomas Gray the inspiration for this story poem originated - elsewhere. In this piece Thomas wrestles with his mortality and invites the listener to join the journey. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

Four more delightful tales from one of the most entertaining storytellers of all time. Though writing in the thirteenth century, Chaucer’s wit and observation comes down undiminished through the ages, especially in this accessible modern verse translation. The stories vary considerably from the uproarious Wife of Bath’s Tale, promoting the power of women to the sober account of patient Griselda in the Clerk’s Tale.

Step into a world where the written word dances to a melodic rhythm. Classic Romantic Poems in Song: Vol. 1 offers a unique and enchanting experience, transforming beloved poems into captivating musical compositions. Imagine the lyrical genius of William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Lord Byron set to music, their words brought to life with haunting melodies and evocative harmonies.

Gibran considered The Prophet his greatest achievement. He said: "I think I've never been without The Prophet since I first conceived it in Mount Lebanon. It seems to have been a part of me....I kept the manuscript four years before I delivered it over to my publisher because I wanted to be sure, I wanted to be very sure, that every word of it was the very best I had to offer."

A classical rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's work by the master narrator Zia Mohyeddin.

The beloved poem from the great Rudyard Kipling. If you can follow these precepts, you will indeed be a man, my son.

A short masterpiece by the visionary English romantic poet, William Blake. The poem follows Thel, a young shepherdess who wanders through a fantastical pastoral world called the Vales of Har, yearning to understand her purpose. Primarily concerned with her own mortality, various natural entities in her environment, including a cloud and a clod of dirt, offer her insights. The poem is significant for its animistic-natural representation of divinity and its direct handling of the question of existence.

This publication presents the following works: "Antonovsky Apples", "Mitya's Love", "Suhodol", "Zahar Vorobiev", "The Gentleman from San Francisco", "Brothers", "Lirnyk Rodion", "Grammar of Love", "Dark Alley", "Clean Monday", "Sunstroke", "Light Breath", "Ida", "Numbers", and selected poems. This audiobook is read by V. Gerasimov. Please note: This audiobook is in Russian.

Homer's Odyssey is the thrilling and moving tale of the wanderings of the hero Odysseus after the end of the Trojan war. For ten years he experiences storms, shipwrecks, and seductions as he tries to find a way home to Ithaca, contending with the wrath of Poseidon but protected by Pallas Athena. Meanwhile, his wife Penelope is beset by suitors who believe him dead.