George Gordon Lord Byron Selected Poems

by Lord Byron

The epitome of the romantic literary hero, Lord Byron was as well known in his time for the revolutionary panache with which he lived as for his extremely popular verse. “As a myth,” wrote Bertrand Russell, “his importance, especially on the continent, was enormous.” His many tempestuous relationships were the subject of scandal which only added to his celebrity. His name has even entered into our language to describe a man of deep passion and defiance.

Byron’s poetry, satirical, shocking, romantic, and dramatic, is replete with witticisms, surprise rhymes, and editorial comment. Poems in this collection include "She Walks in Beauty", "So, We'll Go No More Aroving", "Epistle to Augusta", "Beppo", "The Spell Is Broke, the Charm Is Flown!" "Churchill's Grave", excepts from Don Juan, and more.

Genres: Poetry, Classics

107 pages, Unknown Binding

About the author

George Gordon Byron (invariably known as Lord Byron), later Noel, 6th Baron Byron of Rochdale FRS was a British poet and a leading figure in Romanticism. Amongst Byron's best-known works are the brief poems She Walks in Beauty, When We Two Parted, and So, we'll go no more a roving, in addition to the narrative poems Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and Don Juan. He is regarded as one of the greatest British poets and remains widely read and influential, both in the English-speaking world and beyond.

Byron's notabilty rests not only on his writings but also on his life, which featured upper-class living, numerous love affairs, debts, and separation. He was notably described by Lady Caroline Lamb as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know". Byron served as a regional leader of Italy's revolutionary organization, the Carbonari, in its struggle against Austria. He later travelled to fight against the Ottoman Empire in the Greek War of Independence, for which Greeks revere him as a national hero. He died from a fever contracted while in Messolonghi in Greece.

Reviews

[Lauli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Byron es el poeta de la melancolía. El amor, la amistad, la juventud, los viajes, los excesos, aparecen filtrados por la añoranza de lo perdido. También era un poeta con una formidable veta satírica, que aparece ejemplificada en algunos de los poemas más largos de esta antología. Leer los poemas aquí recogidos es hacer un recorrido por la vida turbulenta y polémica de Byron, pero también por sus pasiones más profundas y los demonios que lo perseguían. Les dejo aquí una lista de los poemas que más me impresionaron.

"Fare Thee Well" (Que te vaya bien): El poema que le dedica Byron a su esposa luego de que ella solicitara el divorcio y lo separara de su hija Ada es digno de Shakira o cualquier tango rencoroso. Digamos que lo último que le desea es que le vaya bien 🤣

"Estrofas para Augusta": Augusta fue la tercera en discordia en el escandaloso divorcio, aparentemente tuvo una hija ilegítima de Byron, y... agárrense... era su media hermana! Aquí Byron le agradece su lealtad y haber sido la única mujer que lo comprendió 😳

"Oscuridad": Una visión lírica de un apocalipsis ambiental que tiene una vigencia formidable.

"La visión del juicio": La respuesta satírica a un poema lamebotas del poeta Southey al fallecido rey George III (el de Hamilton). Byron describe la disputa del cielo y el infierno por el alma del monarca y de paso limpia el piso con Southey, a quien hoy conocemos básicamente por eso 🤣

"En este día completo mi trigésimo sexto año": Escrito tres meses antes de su muerte, en este poema Byron renuncia al amor y los placeres y resuelve dar su vida por Grecia y por la libertad, optando por "la tumba de un soldado". Bellamente premonitorio.

[Darryl Blackbird · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gift from one who knows me true,
This tome of Byron's endless hue.
His words, like wine, are rich and deep,
A romantic soul that stirs the sleep.

Yet though his shorter flights may soar,
The longer verse becomes a chore.
What once was passion, fire, and flame,
At length, grows weary, feels the same.

Still, I praise his name with grace,
For in his art, I find my place.
A four I give, for he remains
The icon of romantic reigns.

[Laur · Rating 3 out of 5]

glad I finally read some Byron, and I get the hype/why we still refer to this guy
I will say I preferred the earlier poetry presented in this selection, but I didn't really care for the political poetry. NOW, I do acknowledge the relevance, importance, necessity of political poetry, but I found the flow of Vision of Justice to be longwinded and I couldn't keep my mind on it. tbh that's what brought my feelings down about this collection

[Eileen Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poems need to be read by you personally, or they need a younger and more dramatic narrator.

[J. M. Ernster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penguin does its usual best at compilations. Trusty edition of his shorter works. Does not have Don Juan, see the other penguin classic..