By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Poets have often turned to childhood as a theme for their poetry, but what about pregnancy? In this post, we collect together some of the best poems about expecting a child, being pregnant, and giving birth, as well as the experiences of bringing a new life into the world.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Poetry can be inspirational and motivational, and perhaps this is most apparent when poets are addressing the topic of bravery, courage, and the need to face one’s fears and stand up.
Throughout the centuries, poets have written memorably about both individual acts of courage and the collective bravery people have marshalled when facing extreme oppression or discrimination, and the following selection of some of the best poems about bravery of various kinds is designed to offer a snapshot of some of the greatest poetic examples of this theme.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Poets have often considered the spiritual and religious, and angels are an important part of this. Although some poets have used angels to symbolise love, especially divine love, others have used the trope of angels and the angelic in more surprising ways: witness Milton’s great epic poem which heads our list. So, if you’re ready, let’s take a look at some of the greatest angel poems ever written.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Robert Graves (1895-1985) is now probably best-remembered for two prose works: his 1929 memoir Goodbye to All That, about his experience fighting in the First World War, and his 1934 novel I, Claudius, set in ancient Rome. But Graves was also a highly influential poet – and theorist of poetry – whose work in this field influenced a raft of poets, including Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, both of whom thought highly of Graves’s ‘grammar of poetic myth, The White Goddess.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred.’ Or, to be precise and observe the line break: ‘Into the valley of Death / Rode the six hundred.’ This is one of several famous quotations which originated in the 1854 poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ written by the UK Poet Laureate of the time, Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-92).