ConsolationOur memory was burned in the adoration of her body.Buttocks made of honey; we understood we couldn’tdivulge our secret preparations while we expected anothermisfortune to occur. Ticking of clocks lingered betweenbay and peninsula, tide that raised all our hope, littlejasmine flowers, fragrant nuptials twice experienced.Heart beats, anticipation, until the new gathering wasannounced and we run […]
Übermensch
Born in 1797, Heinrich Heine reshaped English poetry without writing a line in English. Through translation and song, his lyrical brevity, irony, and musical clarity taught English verse to balance feeling with skepticism—showing that poetry could sing sweetly while smiling knowingly at itself.
Birth of Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) – The European Lyric Who Recast English Romantic Irony
Emily Dickinson, born December 10, 1830, transformed English poetry through her dashes, compressed imagery, and metaphysical vision. Her private writings reshaped the lyric, proving that English could whisper, fracture, and blaze with revelation. From one quiet room, she revolutionized how the language breathes, pauses, and imagines.
Birth of Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) – The Private Genius Who Rewrote English Poetry
Born on December 6, 1896, Ira Gershwin transformed American English through lyrics that blended wit, rhythm, and conversational charm. His work shaped the Great American Songbook, elevating popular music with literary finesse and giving English a new musical voice that still echoes through Broadway, jazz, and modern songwriting.
Birth of Ira Gershwin (1896–1983) – The Lyricist Who Gave Modern English Its Songbook Wit and Rhythm
VIMeditativeher heavy breastinside the mirrorVIIAgain I dress myselfin the tree’s foliageand you bleatVIIINight the windseparationspreads and undulatesIXThe young FateNaked womanthe pomegranate she brokewas full of starsXNow I raisea dead butterflywithout any make-upXIHow can you put togetherthe thousand little piecesof each person? https://draft2digital.com/book/3562890 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096TTS37J
George Seferis – Collected Poems
The poetry of John Clare feels different from that of other Romantic poets. Since I am fully aware of what an ambiguous characterization that is, I will attempt to qualify some of the differences I see in his poems and, specifically, in his understanding of Nature. When I read the poems of Wordsworth or Coleridge, […]
Nature or Nurture? John Clare, Peasant Poet
William Blake, born on November 28, 1757, transformed English poetry through visionary imagery, symbolic language, and prophetic intensity. His fusion of lyric clarity and mythic imagination reshaped Romanticism, expanded English’s expressive power, and left a linguistic legacy that continues to influence literature, art, philosophy, and modern cultural discourse.
Birth of William Blake (1757–1827) – The Visionary Poet Who Transformed the Imagination of English Literature
The Wife’s Lament is an Anglo Saxon poem from the Exeter Book. There are numerous articles on the poem and scholarly analyses—including the linked Wikipedia article—so I won’t go into it; but the poem has a fascinating history.. My own version is not a translation but is based on the original. There are a variety […]
Song of Sorrows (or The Wife’s Lament)
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