A wandering king who's a war-hero doomed to roam the earth by a vengeful God, a plethora of fantastic experiences, a wife battling the invasion of suitors who wish to replace her missing husband, a son in search of his father - the Odyssey is a rich tapestry of incredible experiences and unforgettable characters. A must-read classic for anyone who wants to understand the fundamentals of Western mythology, it is a sequel to the Illiad which recounts the magnificent saga of the Trojan War. The Odyssey continues on, describing the trials and tribulations of the Greeks under the leadership of Odysseus...

A divinely beautiful woman who becomes the cause of a terrible war in which the gods themselves take sides. Valor and villainy, sacrifices and betrayals, triumphs and tragedies play their part in this three thousand year old saga. The Iliad throws us right into the thick of battle. It opens when the Trojan War has already been raging for nine long years. An uneasy truce has been declared between the Trojans and the Greeks (Achaeans as they're called in The Iliad.) In the Greek camp, Agamemnon the King of Mycenae and Achilles the proud and valiant warrior of Phthia are locked in a fierce contest to claim the spoils of war...

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–89) was an English poet, educated at Oxford. Entering the Roman Catholic Church in 1866 and the Jesuit novitiate in 1868, he was ordained in 1877. Upon becoming a Jesuit he burned much of his early verse and abandoned the writing of poetry. However, the sinking in 1875 of a German ship carrying five Franciscan nuns, exiles from Germany, inspired him to write one of his most impressive poems “The Wreck of the Deutschland.” Thereafter he produced his best poetry, including “God’s Grandeur,” “The Windhover,” “The Leaden Echo,” and “The Golden Echo.”

Horatio Alger, better known for his juvenile fiction, also penned some great poetry. His Ballads, including the 8 war poems and his odes, are collected in this volume.

This is a collection of poetry and prose by Howard Saxby. These pieces are the sort of stories and poems that can be enjoyed by children because the humour in them is universal, but they are more geared towards adults. The themes and intent of the pieces are varied, with humour prevailing in most items. - Summary by Carolin

This is a collection of fun poems by West Virginia poet M. Ignatius Brennan. In his poems, the poet makes fun of the people in his surroundings, and the society in which he lived. In most instances his humor is benevolent, but can turn malicious, for instance where Kentucky and Kentuckians are concerned. - Summary by Carolin

In addition to being amusing, recipes written in a poetic form were easy to remember and used as learning tools for the young housekeeper. Many of the poems in this 1912 publication were originally published in Woman's Home Companion, Good Housekeeping Magazine, the Housewife, Table Talk, and the Boston Cooking School Magazine.

volunteers bring you 17 recordings of Fruitionless by Ina Coolbrith. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for August 11, 2019. ------ A wistful poem, capturing in a few lines the joy and industry of 3 of natures creations , with the listlessness we humans sometimes feel.

This is a collection of poems by American poet Irene Curtis. These poems were collected by friends and family after her death in 1916, at only 26 years of age. This book of poems is divided into two parts. The first is a collection of poems in dialect, lending an extra voice to the community of people of colour with which she grew up in the South of the United States. The second is a collection of miscellaneous poems. All of the poems shine with a special warmth and love, which make it a pleasure to read them. - Summary by Carolin

A few years ago, while recovering from an illness, I conceived the idea of writing some reminiscent lines on country life in the Wayne Highlands. And during the interval of a few days I produced some five hundred couplets,—a few good, some bad and many indifferent—and such speed would of necessity invite the indifferent. A portion of these lines were published in 1907. However, I had hoped to revise and republish them, with additions of the same type, at a later date as a souvenir volume of verses for those who spend the summer months among these hills—as well as for the home-fast inhabitants...

This small volume of inspirational verse is a collection of the timeless work of the hymnist and theologian, Isaac Watts. Carefully and tactfully conceived, each of these motivational poems contains a valuable lesson relevant to youth's quest for moral guidance in a world of uncertainties and unknowns. But lest these poems be construed as pedantic lectures demanding righteous behavior, the listener will be pleased to discover instead a series of uplifting narratives intended not to admonish but to advise, not to reprimand but to recommend...

These superb poems by the hymnist and theologian Isaac Watts emphasize the importance of developing a positive moral outlook and stress the significance of maintaining vigilance to avoid the pitfalls of everyday life. But although Watts stresses the urgency of heeding the advice outlined in these verses, he delivers his message with divine charm and subtle counsel - never with chastisement, reprimand or rebuke. These inspiring works constitute a written ethical compass for all who are tempted...

volunteers bring you 15 recordings of On The Sea by Ivan Turgenev. This was the Weekly Poetry project for April 14, 2019. ------ Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, translator and popularizer of Russian literature in the West. Constance Clara Garnett was an English translator of nineteenth-century Russian literature. Garnett was one of the first English translators of Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Anton Chekhov and introduced them on a wide basis to the English-speaking public. - Summary by wikipedia

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, translator and popularizer of Russian literature in the West. This taken from his DREAM TALES AND PROSE POEMS translated by Constance Garnett She was an English translator of nineteenth-century Russian literature. Garnett was one of the first English translators of Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Anton Chekhov and introduced them on a wide basis to the English-speaking public. - Summary by Wikipedia

A collection of poems by the Gloucestershire-born English poet Ivor Gurney describing his feelings about the First World War, during which he served on the Western Front and was wounded by a mustard gas attack, and its aftermath. - Summary by Alan Mapstone

To My Buddies Of the U. S. Army—some three million in number; Of the 90th Division more specifically, and Particularly to the 315th Engineers, to which Regiment I was “attached for rations,” Being a Liability of Company “E,” This little Volume is Dedicated. - Summary by Author

James Allen was a British philosophical writer known for his inspirational books and poetry and as a pioneer of the self-help movement.In the introduction Lily Allen writes: "It cannot be said of this book that James Allen wrote it at any particular time or in any one year, for he was engaged in it over many years and those who have eyes to see and hearts to understand will find in its pages the spiritual history of his life. It was his own wish that The Divine Companion should be the last manuscript of his to be published. 'It is the story of my soul,' he said, 'and should be read last of all my books, so that the student may understand and find my message in its pages.'"

volunteers bring you 6 recordings of At the Closed Gate of Justice by James David Corrothers. This was the Weekly Poetry project for February 16, 2020. ------ Continuing with our February Black History Month theme, this Weekly Poem is from The Book of American Negro Poetry by James Weldon Johnson . James David Corrothers was an African-American poet, journalist, and minister whom editor T. Thomas Fortune called "the coming poet of the race." When he died, W. E. B. Du Bois eulogized him as "a serious loss to the race and to literature." - Summary by Wikipedia

This is a collection of poems by James Elroy Flecker.

Of all recent poets of his kind, Flecker is the most successful. The classical tradition of poetry has been mocked and mutilated by many of the noisy young in the last few years. Flecker was a poet who preserved the ancient balance in days in which want of balance was looked on as a sign of genius. That he was what is called a minor poet cannot be denied, but he was the most beautiful of recent minor poets. by Robert Lynd; Ch 9 - James Elroy Flecker )

volunteers bring you 15 recordings of My Brigantine by James Fenimore Cooper. This was the Weekly Poetry project for December 26, 2021. ----- After a stint on a commercial voyage, James Fenimore Cooper served in the U.S. Navy as a midshipman, where he learned the technology of managing sailing vessels which greatly influenced many of his novels and other writings. Cooper, beloved though he is as a novelist, hasn't drawn much attention for his poetry. Here is one of his pieces expressing his appreciation for a beautiful ship, taken from his 1830 novel "The Water-Witch". - Summary by TriciaG

Chamber Music is a collection of poems by James Joyce, first published in May of 1907. The collection originally comprised thirty-four love poems, but two further poems were added before publication (”All day I hear the noise of waters” and “I hear an army charging upon the land”). Although the poems did not sell well, they received some critical acclaim. Ezra Pound admired the “delicate temperament” of these early poems, while Yeats described “I hear an army charging upon the land” as “a technical and emotional masterpiece”...

LibriVox volunteers bring you 13 recordings of Lines Addressed to an Old Bachelor by James McIntyre. This was the Weekly Poetry project for January 27, 2013.Another poem from Canada's cheese poet, James McIntyre.

This is the second part of James Russell Lowell's collected poems: the Miscellaneous Poems. This series of poems covers, as the title implies, a wide range of topics, shaped into Lowell's beautiful poetry. - Summary by Carolin

James Russell Lowell was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets. These poets usually used conventional forms and meters in their poetry, making them suitable for families entertaining at their fireside. "Lowell's poem "The Present Crisis," an early work that addressed the national crisis over slavery leading up to the Civil War, has had an impact in the modern civil rights movement...

LibriVox volunteers bring you 8 recordings of The Voyage to Vinland by James Russell Lowell. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for March 10, 2013.Although this version of the poem is sometimes printed separately, it is really only part of a longer poem (approximately one fifth of the whole). The complete work has 3 parts and this is only part of the last section. Only about one fourth of Gudrida's song of prophecy is included here.

The soul of Irish wit is captured in this unique tale of a barstool philosopher, the concluding story from 'Here Are Ladies' by James Stephens. (Introduction by iremonger)

James Thomas Fields was an American publisher, editor, and poet. At the age of 14, Fields took a job at the Old Corner Bookstore in Boston. His first published poetry was included in the Portsmouth Journal in 1837 but he drew more attention when, on September 13, 1838, he delivered his “Anniversary Poem” to the Boston Mercantile Library Association.

The Seasons is a series of four long poems in blank verse by the Scottish poet James Thomson, each poem describing one of the four seasons. The poems are replete with various scenes of nature described with loving detail, as well as Thomson's view of the proper relationship between humans and nature, which anticipates the attitudes of the Romantics. "Spring," which was published in 1728, first brought Thomson to mainstream attention. He followed it up with "Summer," "Winter," and "Autumn," publishing all four as The Seasons in 1730...

Here is a sweet little poem to touch your heart and share with your best friends. The words are heartfelt, simple and trip off the tongue in sing-song fashion. The challenge becomes, as my English teacher and the poetry pundits oft complain of, how to read it without that sing-song pattern becoming monotonous. Let's see how ourers do. - Summary by Michele Fry

James Weldon Johnson was an American author, educator, lawyer, diplomat, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Johnson is best remembered for his leadership within the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he started working in 1917, being chosen as the first black executive secretary of the organization, effectively the operating officer. He was first known for his writing, which includes poems, novels, and anthologies collecting both poems and spirituals of black culture.

LibriVox volunteers bring you 14 recordings of "Sunset in the Tropics." This is the Weekly Poetry for the week of August 10, 2014.The author of this poem, James Weldon Johnson, served as U. S. Consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua, was an early leader in the NAACP and contributed to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. He had a broad appreciation for black artists, musicians and writers, and worked to heighten awareness of their creativity. (from Wikipedia)

Riley was an American writer known as the “Hoosier poet”, and made a start writing newspaper verse in Hoosier dialect for the Indianapolis Journal in 1875. His favorite authors were Burns and Dickens. This collection of poems is a romanticized and mostly boy-centered paean to a 19th century rural American owning-class childhood. I’ve included the pieces I did because they’re the ones I most enjoyed when I read a copy of the collection handed down from my great-grandfather.

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best selling author, born in the town of Greenfield, Indiana. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. His poems tended to be humorous or sentimental, and of the approximately one thousand poems that Riley authored, the majority are in dialect.

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. His poems tended to be humorous or sentimental, and of the approximately one thousand poems that Riley authored, the majority are in dialect. Riley began his career writing verses as a sign maker and submitting poetry to newspapers. Thanks in part to an endorsement from poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, he eventually earned successive jobs at Indiana newspaper publishers during the latter 1870s...

volunteers bring you 23 recordings of If I knew What Poets Know by James Whitcomb Riley. This was the Weekly Poetry project for July 5, 2020. ------Riley's chief legacy was his influence in fostering the creation of a Midwestern cultural identity and his contributions to the Golden Age of Indiana Literature. With other writers of his era, he helped create a caricature of Midwesterners and formed a literary community that produced works rivaling the established eastern literati. There are many memorials dedicated to Riley, including the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children.

volunteers bring you 18 recordings of Pansies by James Whitcomb Riley. This was the Weekly Poetry project for May 3, 2020. ------ Another ode to Spring and one of the popular flowers starting to bloom. Taken from Rhymes of Childhood by James Whitcomb Riley - Summary by David Lawrence