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Poetry Please!
Alongside such familiar favourites as Edward Thomas's 'Adlestrop', John Masefield's 'Sea-Fever', Thomas Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' and Stevie Smith's 'Not Waving But Drowning', here are Jenny Joseph threatening to be a disreputable old lady, Patrick Chalmers on the wisdom of the fairground, V.L. Edminson on a good cure for bad temper and F.W. Harvey celebrating the comical duck. Heroism, the seasons, birth, death, work and eccentric these are poems for every mood and taste, from the whole range of verse in English
- GenresPoetryNonfiction
512 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 16, 2025
Poetry Please 100 poems from the BBC Radio 4 programme
This is a wonderful book. I do not know where and how I’ve got it, but I found it again on a shelf and read through it. When I was 15, 16 I had a great teacher of literature- Chevorchian. I keep remembering and mentioning him, because he was a wonderful, kind, intelligent and well read man. He told us what to read and gave us the names of a number of poems which we could learn. He saw the seeds of what would become a fondness for poetry, which lasted –and the proof is the joy I experienced reading Poetry Please which has some poems which I simply LOVE! Here are some of them:
Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day?
by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Code Poem For The French Resistance
The life that I have is all that I have
And the life that I have is yours.
The love that I have of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours.
A sleep I shall have
A rest I shall have,
Yet death will be but a pause,
For the peace of my years in the long green grass
Will be yours and yours and yours.
desiderata - by max ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann c.1920
Indian Prayer by Anonymous
When I am dead
Cry for me a little
Think of me sometimes
But not too much.
Think of me now and again
As I was in life
At some moments it’s pleasant to recall
But not for long.
Leave me in peace
And I shall leave you in peace
And while you live
Let your thoughts be with the living.
My Mind to me a Kingdom is
My mind to me a kingdom is;
Such perfect joy therein I find
That it excels all other bliss
Which God or nature hath assign'd.
Though much I want that most would have,
Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
No princely port, nor wealthy store,
No force to win a victory,
No wily wit to salve a sore,
No shape to win a loving eye;
To none of these I yield as thrall,--
For why? my mind despise them all.
I see that plenty surfeit oft,
And hasty climbers soonest fall;
I see that such as are aloft
Mishap doth threaten most of all.
These get with toil and keep with fear;
Such cares my mind can never bear.
I press to bear no haughty sway,
I wish no more than may suffice,
I do no more than well I may,
Look, what I want my mind supplies.
Lo ! thus I triumph like a king,
My mind content with anything.
I laugh not at another's loss,
Nor grudge not at another's gain;
No worldly waves my mind can toss;
I brook that is another's bane.
I fear no foe, nor fawn on friend,
I loathe not life, nor dread mine end.
My wealth is health and perfect ease,
And conscience clear my chief defence;
I never seek by bribes to please,
Nor by desert to give offence.
Thus do I live, thus will I die,--
Would all did so as well as I!
Sir Edward Dyer
Because I Have loved Life
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I have sent up my gladness on wings, to be lost in the blue of the sky.
I have run and leaped with the rain, I have taken the wind to my breast.
My cheek like a drowsy child to the face of the earth I have pressed.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I have kissed young Love on the lips, I have heard his song to the end,
I have struck my hand like a seal in the loyal hand of a friend.
I have known the peace of heaven, the comfort of work done well.
I have longed for death in the darkness and risen alive out of hell.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I give a share of my soul to the world where my course is run.
I know that my another shall finish the task I must leave undone.
I know that no flower, nor flint was in vain on the path I trod.
As one looks on a face through a window, through life I have looked on God,
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
Amelia Josephine Barr
This is a wonderful book. I do not know where and how I’ve got it, but I found it again on a shelf and read through it. When I was 15, 16 I had a great teacher of literature- Chevorchian. I keep remembering and mentioning him, because he was a wonderful, kind, intelligent and well read man. He told us what to read and gave us the names of a number of poems which we could learn. He saw the seeds of what would become a fondness for poetry, which lasted –and the proof is the joy I experienced reading Poetry Please which has some poems which I simply LOVE! Here are some of them:
Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day?
by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Code Poem For The French Resistance
The life that I have is all that I have
And the life that I have is yours.
The love that I have of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours.
A sleep I shall have
A rest I shall have,
Yet death will be but a pause,
For the peace of my years in the long green grass
Will be yours and yours and yours.
desiderata - by max ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann c.1920
Indian Prayer by Anonymous
When I am dead
Cry for me a little
Think of me sometimes
But not too much.
Think of me now and again
As I was in life
At some moments it’s pleasant to recall
But not for long.
Leave me in peace
And I shall leave you in peace
And while you live
Let your thoughts be with the living.
My Mind to me a Kingdom is
My mind to me a kingdom is;
Such perfect joy therein I find
That it excels all other bliss
Which God or nature hath assign'd.
Though much I want that most would have,
Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
No princely port, nor wealthy store,
No force to win a victory,
No wily wit to salve a sore,
No shape to win a loving eye;
To none of these I yield as thrall,--
For why? my mind despise them all.
I see that plenty surfeit oft,
And hasty climbers soonest fall;
I see that such as are aloft
Mishap doth threaten most of all.
These get with toil and keep with fear;
Such cares my mind can never bear.
I press to bear no haughty sway,
I wish no more than may suffice,
I do no more than well I may,
Look, what I want my mind supplies.
Lo ! thus I triumph like a king,
My mind content with anything.
I laugh not at another's loss,
Nor grudge not at another's gain;
No worldly waves my mind can toss;
I brook that is another's bane.
I fear no foe, nor fawn on friend,
I loathe not life, nor dread mine end.
My wealth is health and perfect ease,
And conscience clear my chief defence;
I never seek by bribes to please,
Nor by desert to give offence.
Thus do I live, thus will I die,--
Would all did so as well as I!
Sir Edward Dyer
Because I Have loved Life
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I have sent up my gladness on wings, to be lost in the blue of the sky.
I have run and leaped with the rain, I have taken the wind to my breast.
My cheek like a drowsy child to the face of the earth I have pressed.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I have kissed young Love on the lips, I have heard his song to the end,
I have struck my hand like a seal in the loyal hand of a friend.
I have known the peace of heaven, the comfort of work done well.
I have longed for death in the darkness and risen alive out of hell.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I give a share of my soul to the world where my course is run.
I know that my another shall finish the task I must leave undone.
I know that no flower, nor flint was in vain on the path I trod.
As one looks on a face through a window, through life I have looked on God,
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
Amelia Josephine Barr
March 28, 2021
“Poetry Please! (Radio Collection)” by Radio 4
A collection of random, yet supposedly popular, poems ***
Examples include:
Miss Thompson Goes Shopping, by Martin Armstrong,
In respect of a diligent house-wife
…
The Forsaken Merman, by Matthew Arnold
An intense aquatic fairy tale ***
…
The Little Black Boy, by William Blake
A genuine early attempt at class equality ***
…
The Old Vicarage, Grantchester, by Rupert Brooke
Bask in the glory of the moment, observe and embrace what is around, as this poet did ***
…
Prospice, by Robert Browning
Fear death? He's ready! **
…
Lord Ullin's Daughter, by Thomas Campbell
Highland tale - sad and tragic ***
…
Say not the Struggle Naught Availeth, by Arthur Hugh Clough
Hope for a world under strain. ***
Say not the struggle nought availeth,
The labour and the wounds are vain,
The enemy faints not, nor faileth,
And as things have been they remain.
If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars;
It may be, in yon smoke concealed,
Your comrades chase e'en now the fliers,
And, but for you, possess the field.
For while the tired waves, vainly breaking
Seem here no painful inch to gain,
Far back through creeks and inlets making,
Comes silent, flooding in, the main.
And not by eastern windows only,
When daylight comes, comes in the light,
In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly,
But westward, look, the land is bright.
…
Desiderata: A survival guide for life, by Max Ehrmann
Simple and profound proverbs of wisdom ***
…
Mrs Malone, by Eleanor Farjeon
Don't bother *
…
The Owl Critic, by James T. Fields
Comedic - the wisdom and patience of the experienced ***
…
Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his 1859 translation from Persian to English of a selection of quatrains (rubāʿiyāt) attributed to Omar Khayyam (1048–1131), dubbed "the Astronomer-Poet of Persia".
…
The Deserted Village, by Oliver Goldsmith
Stern by relatable school master ***
…
An Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard, by Thomas Gray
Immortality, grief and remembrance ****
Can storied urn or animated bust
Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?
Can Honour's voice provoke the silent dust,
Or Flatt'ry soothe the dull cold ear of Death?
…
Invictus, by William Ernest Henley
Entered our social consciousness through the film of the same name.
From slavery to freedom and autonomy. ****
Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul
…
The Song of the Shirt, by Thomas Hood
Powerfully confronts the exploitation of female workers. ****
e.g.
That shattered roof—this naked floor—
A table—a broken chair—
And a wall so blank, my shadow I thank
For sometimes falling there!
…
Loveliest of Trees, by A.E. Housman
Indeed short, but cherry bloom sweet ***
…
Abou Ben Adhem, by Leigh Hunt
"Na, not so," replied the Angel **
…
High Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire by Jean Ingelow
Long poem, stunning conclusion. ***
I shall never see her more Where the reeds and rushes quiver, Shiver, quiver; Stand beside the sobbing river, Sobbing, throbbing, in its falling, To the sandy lonesome shore; I shall never hear her calling
…
Warning: When I am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple, by Jenny Joseph
Ok so it must tickle the fancy of British folk. Didn't resonate with me. **
…
Meg Merrilies, by John Keats
I can't see how this could be a popular English poem, unless it is the nostalgia people embrace. **
…
Walking Away, by Cecil Day-Lewis
Honest about transition grief. ***
…
High Flight, by John Gillespie Magee Jr.
Well known and popular. Rightly so.
"Put out my hand, and touched the face of God." ****
…
Overheard on a Saltmarsh, by Marcia Santore
A goblin wants its bling jewelry **
…
The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes
Glorious tale of night-time vengeance, a Romeo-Juliet tragedy. ****
…
Not Waving but Drowning, by Stevie Smith
The title alone gets a rating ***
…
Inchcape Rock, by Robert Southey
A pirate pushes his luck ***
…
Barbara Frietchie, by John Greenleaf Whittier
Fanciful take on an ugly time of history - the US Civil War **
..
Solitude, by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Powerful poem. Several lines famously recognisable. ****
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
….
Burial Sir John Moore, by W. Wolfe
“… But we left him alone with his glory!” ***
……….
Lucy Gray, or Solitude, by William Wordsworth
Beautiful, haunting ..
“.. and sings a solitary song
That whistles in the wind.” ****
A collection of random, yet supposedly popular, poems ***
Examples include:
Miss Thompson Goes Shopping, by Martin Armstrong,
In respect of a diligent house-wife
…
The Forsaken Merman, by Matthew Arnold
An intense aquatic fairy tale ***
…
The Little Black Boy, by William Blake
A genuine early attempt at class equality ***
…
The Old Vicarage, Grantchester, by Rupert Brooke
Bask in the glory of the moment, observe and embrace what is around, as this poet did ***
…
Prospice, by Robert Browning
Fear death? He's ready! **
…
Lord Ullin's Daughter, by Thomas Campbell
Highland tale - sad and tragic ***
…
Say not the Struggle Naught Availeth, by Arthur Hugh Clough
Hope for a world under strain. ***
Say not the struggle nought availeth,
The labour and the wounds are vain,
The enemy faints not, nor faileth,
And as things have been they remain.
If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars;
It may be, in yon smoke concealed,
Your comrades chase e'en now the fliers,
And, but for you, possess the field.
For while the tired waves, vainly breaking
Seem here no painful inch to gain,
Far back through creeks and inlets making,
Comes silent, flooding in, the main.
And not by eastern windows only,
When daylight comes, comes in the light,
In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly,
But westward, look, the land is bright.
…
Desiderata: A survival guide for life, by Max Ehrmann
Simple and profound proverbs of wisdom ***
…
Mrs Malone, by Eleanor Farjeon
Don't bother *
…
The Owl Critic, by James T. Fields
Comedic - the wisdom and patience of the experienced ***
…
Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his 1859 translation from Persian to English of a selection of quatrains (rubāʿiyāt) attributed to Omar Khayyam (1048–1131), dubbed "the Astronomer-Poet of Persia".
…
The Deserted Village, by Oliver Goldsmith
Stern by relatable school master ***
…
An Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard, by Thomas Gray
Immortality, grief and remembrance ****
Can storied urn or animated bust
Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?
Can Honour's voice provoke the silent dust,
Or Flatt'ry soothe the dull cold ear of Death?
…
Invictus, by William Ernest Henley
Entered our social consciousness through the film of the same name.
From slavery to freedom and autonomy. ****
Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul
…
The Song of the Shirt, by Thomas Hood
Powerfully confronts the exploitation of female workers. ****
e.g.
That shattered roof—this naked floor—
A table—a broken chair—
And a wall so blank, my shadow I thank
For sometimes falling there!
…
Loveliest of Trees, by A.E. Housman
Indeed short, but cherry bloom sweet ***
…
Abou Ben Adhem, by Leigh Hunt
"Na, not so," replied the Angel **
…
High Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire by Jean Ingelow
Long poem, stunning conclusion. ***
I shall never see her more Where the reeds and rushes quiver, Shiver, quiver; Stand beside the sobbing river, Sobbing, throbbing, in its falling, To the sandy lonesome shore; I shall never hear her calling
…
Warning: When I am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple, by Jenny Joseph
Ok so it must tickle the fancy of British folk. Didn't resonate with me. **
…
Meg Merrilies, by John Keats
I can't see how this could be a popular English poem, unless it is the nostalgia people embrace. **
…
Walking Away, by Cecil Day-Lewis
Honest about transition grief. ***
…
High Flight, by John Gillespie Magee Jr.
Well known and popular. Rightly so.
"Put out my hand, and touched the face of God." ****
…
Overheard on a Saltmarsh, by Marcia Santore
A goblin wants its bling jewelry **
…
The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes
Glorious tale of night-time vengeance, a Romeo-Juliet tragedy. ****
…
Not Waving but Drowning, by Stevie Smith
The title alone gets a rating ***
…
Inchcape Rock, by Robert Southey
A pirate pushes his luck ***
…
Barbara Frietchie, by John Greenleaf Whittier
Fanciful take on an ugly time of history - the US Civil War **
..
Solitude, by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Powerful poem. Several lines famously recognisable. ****
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
….
Burial Sir John Moore, by W. Wolfe
“… But we left him alone with his glory!” ***
……….
Lucy Gray, or Solitude, by William Wordsworth
Beautiful, haunting ..
“.. and sings a solitary song
That whistles in the wind.” ****
December 3, 2013
Have kept this book for years (well since 1990)a couple of beauts in here: High Flight, Timothy Winters etc
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews