Occasionally a compilation of poetry is conceived in which each poem, as a tribute to its theme or subject or elegant prosody, is one to be treasured. This book is such a compilation. These magnificent and varied works are written expressions of profound experiences, experiences that have stirred the poets' creative imaginations and in turn will excite and inspire the reader's reflective contemplation and deliberation of that which is, what may be, and the significant implications thereof.
From Wordsworth's consideration of the music of "The Solitary Reaper" - "Oh, listen! for the vale profound / Is overflowing with the sound" - to Burns' musings on mankind's fate as he reflects on the passing of the seasons, "How little of life's scanty span may remain", there is an intense element of our essential destiny in these works. Coupled with this and acutely present throughout is a stream of that which is unknowable to mankind, along with a perplexity of the seeming self-assurance and acceptance of the world of nature - the unquestioning world of nature - and that therein may lie both a lesson and an answer. - Summary by Bruce Kachuk
Chapters
From LibriVox, read by volunteers and in the public domain. LibriVox page (opens librivox.org), the text (opens archive.org), all files on the Internet Archive (opens archive.org).