Great Poets – serie

If I should die, think only this of me:That there's some corner of a foreign fieldThat is for ever England.From The Soldier to Anthem for Doomed Youth Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen are two of the best-loved poets from the heroic lost generation of the First World War. Brooke's work was well-known before the war, with the now iconic lines:'Stands the Church clock at ten to three?And is there honey still for tea?' from The Old Vicarage, Grantchester. And Wilfred Owen, awarded the Military Cross, had been writing poetry since he was ten years old.This superb collection is the perfect introduction to two of our greatest poets.

'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways'Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a poet of passion, wit and conscience. She was also a woman who wrote to speak the truth about everything she knew - and she knew just what it was like to be a thinking woman in a society that wanted women to be weak. The eldest of twelve children, she wrote poetry from the age of eleven, and became a highly successful poet in her lifetime - and remains very much loved today.She was also a strong advocate for human rights, campaigning to abolish slavery and child labour, and her three-part poem A Curse for a Nation is a powerful polemic against the slave trade.'I heard an angel speak last night, and he said "write! Write a nation's curse for me, and send it over the western sea" '

The best-loved, bestselling poem ever published - a poem that embraces the theme 'seize the moment''One thing is certain, that Life flies; One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies'The epic, beautiful poem Rubaiyat is widely attributed to Omar Khayyam. As much a philosopher as a poet, he was a Persian astronomer, who praised the beauties of nature, the essence of love, the mysteries of existence, the limits of private life and the joys of wine.Translated in 1857 by Edward Fitzgerald it was originally published in English anonymously, but was later discovered and promoted by the Pre-Raphaelites, who would have emphathised with many of the poem's themes.Published here as part of the Great Poets series, it is without doubt one of the greatest works of literature of all time.

From the highly controversial Leaves of Grass, with its overt sexual imagery and delight of sensual pleasures, to the iconic Captain, oh my captain immortalised in the film Dead Poets Society, this short collection is the ideal introduction to the poetry of Walt Whitman.One of the greats, he was celebrated both during his lifetime and ever since - he is widely considered to be the father of free verse. During the American Civil War he worked in hospitals caring for the wounded, and his own funeral in 1892 was a public event.In the words of the modernist poet Ezra Pound, Walt Whitman was 'America's poet . . . he is America'.

One of the highly praised Lakeland poets, alongside his friend William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a founder of the Romantic movement in England. His work - still popular today - includes such classics as The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan as well as the beautiful early poem Frost at Midnight: 'Or if the secret ministry of frost, Shall hang them up in silent icicles, Quietly shining to the quiet Moon.'Despite the great beauty of his work, he suffered from bouts of depression and today it is speculated he may well have had bipolar disorder. For both mental and physical ailments he was treated with laudanum which led to a lifelong addition to opium.Coleridge's influence was widespread - he was a major influence on Ralph Waldo Emerson - indeed, he invented the phrase suspension of disbelief. This collection is a fascinating insight into his life, as well as his work.

'Another world must be unfurled, Another language known'Best known - and beloved - for her highly popular novels including Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen was also an accomplished, and often witty, poet:'I am going to have my dinner, after which I shan't be thinner'This collection, which also includes poems by the poets she herself admired, sheds light not only on Jane Austen the writer, but on the themes that are woven through her bestselling novels. Satirical, humorous and ironical, they will resonate both with readers who love her novels, and newcomers alike.'When stretched out on one's bed with a fierce throbbing head ... how little one cares for the grandest affairs''I am in a dilemma, for want of an Emma'

American poet Emily Dickinson is revered around the world, and influenced many feminist artists and writers. Her work is some of the best known and most quoted or adapted:'Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all' Emily DickinsonDickinson received a very good education, but chose to return home to Amherst, Massachusetts, where she spent the rest of her life, writing more than a poem a day until her death. Her refusal to compromise her highly condensed expression meant that only a tiny fraction of her work was published in her lifetime. Even today, her work feels startlingly modern:'Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell' Emily Dickinson'The dearest ones of time, the strongest friends of the soul - BOOKS'This is a superb collection from a truly iconic poet.

'Tread softly because you tread on my dreams' is one of the most well-known and repeated lines of poetry ever written. Less haunting, but still so relevant: 'Life is a long preparation for something that never happens.'W B Yeats was one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. Winner of a Nobel prize, he was also a political figure, and, as is evident from his earlier work, fascinated by Irish folklore and the occult. He was also deeply affected by the First World War and the Anglo-Irish and Irish civil wars. It is a testament to the greatness of Yeats' poetry that he attempts to bear witness to these emotional and historical forces.This perfectly pitched collection includes some of the greatest poetry of the 20th century.

The Bronte sisters lives and works have become modern-day cultural touchstones.Emily Bronte, best known for her novel WUTHERING HEIGHTS, began writing poetry first and, before her untimely death, wrote some of the most touching and emotive poems which often reflected the landscape of her Yorkshire home.Charlotte Bronte, whose novel JANE EYRE has had numerous TV and film adaptations, took responsibility for finding a home for their work. In her own words, ' We had very early cherished the dream of one day becoming authors'.Anne Bronte, author of AGNES GREY, often used autobiographical elements in her poems, giving us a hints of the struggles and turmoil of her life.These poems offer glimpses of the joys and sorrows of the Brontes and are a beautifully compelling introduction to their writing and lives.

'Oh would some power the gift give us, to see ourselves as others see us!' Robert BurnsRobert Burns, poet and lyricist, also known as Rabbie Burns, is widely regarded as the National Poet of Scotland - and much of his work has become part of everyday modern language:'The best laid schemes o' mice and men...''To see her is to love her...'Often credited with writing the lyrics for Auld Lang Syne, he almost single-handedly inspired the movement that preserved Scottish music and lyrics which had been handed down the generations vocally for centuries, thereby maintaining Scots culture and language.A cultural icon and pioneer of the Romantic movement, Burns was chosen as the greatest Scot in a 2009 poll. This collection includes some of his best-loved, most beautiful work.'Now's the day, now's the hour' Robert Burns

'To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour' William BlakeWilliam Blake was a poet and artist. Born in Soho in the eighteenth century, the son of a shopkeeper, he is now acclaimed as a radical left-field artist. Most recently, the Tate held an exhibition of his work: 'Magnificent ... reveal's Blake's vision at its most vivid and strange' GUARDIANBlake's written work was equally vivid. A major poet of the Romantic age, the full range of his poetry includes the joyful and sorrowful, the childlike and complex - and illustrates his original and prophetic vision. Considered mad by contemporaries for his idiosyncratic opinions, he is now revered for the depth of his poetry and art, and the philosophical undercurrents intrinsic to all his creative work.'If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, they'd immediately go out''The imagination is not a state; it is the human existence itself'