Reviews for The nation's favourite poems

The average rating for The nation's favourite poems based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-09-17 00:00:00 Leslie Ross More poetry :O) To be fair, most of the ones I read leave me unmoved, but every so often, I find one that really talks to me. All of a sudden, these seemingly random words build a surprisingly powerful meaning. And that is why I’m widening my horizons in this genre, trying to find these little pearls of emotion. This anthology from the BBC is a pretty good one, quite varied, with ‘classic’ and modern poets represented. Here are two of my favourites, quite different :O) This Be The Verse, by Philip Larkin They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn By fools in old-style hats and coats, Who half the time were soppy-stern And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man. It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can, And don’t have any kids yourself. Composed upon Westminster Bridge, by William Wordsworth Earth has not any thing to show more fair: Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty: This City now doth, like a garment, wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie Open unto the fields, and to the sky; All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautifully steep In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! The river glideth at his own sweet will: Dear God! the very houses seem asleep; And all that mighty heart is lying still! I actually felt this several times while walking through the capital in the early morning. Love it!

Review # 2 was written on 2019-12-10 00:00:00 Andy McGovern Years ago I studied poetry. Our teacher was a wonderful chap: a sweet, gentle poet himself, and passionate about sharing poetry with the young. He was once helping me muddle through some poems I was working on and said, "Well, that's enough on the sonnet now, let's move on to your other work." "Hang on," I said. "I just really want to finish the real poem first." He looked at me with a crestfallen expression of reproach, "If there was one thing I hoped to teach you, it's that free verse is real poetry, too." Luckily for me, the nation seems to agree with me, and most of the poems in this collection are good old fashion stuff. But what I like best is that there's a great variety (with the limits of 'real poetry'!) Hopeful, melancholy, joyous, bitter - it's all here. Long and short. Some from poets still living, others hundreds of years gone. Best of all: some was new to me, but plenty gave me a very comfy nostalgia. The nation's favourite, back in 1995, was 'If' by Rudyard Kipling, which is an absolutely thumping poem! My netball coach at primary school loved this poem and would recite it to us in booming tones if she felt we were slacking on the court. Alfred Noyes 'The Highwayman' is here too, which my mother used to read to us before bed, and is still as thrilling now as it was then: Then look for me by moonlight, Watch for me by moonlight, I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way. And good old Allen Ahlberg, whose poems I actually find quite twee and annoying, but I am still quite fond of him purely because as a child I had a illustrated collection of his poems which had great pictures. He was a great favourite for reciting at primary school. It does make you wonder a bit about the nation though. What sort of people love 'Toilet' so much that they vote for it in a national competition? We're a bit odd. And while I can see why Philip Larkin's 'This Be the Verse' is famous, it's terribly sad that it should be a favourite of anyone.