Poetry makes the mundane melodious. Poetry soothes the soul. As one of the oldest forms of writing, poetry has mesmerized people for hundreds of thousands of years. Here's a list of books of poetry so brilliant that it continues to enchant readers long after it was first composed.
The Divine Comedy
Author: Dante Alighieri
An epic poem written by Dante sometime between the years 1308-1321, The Divine Comedy is a fantastic piece of world literature whose appeal has not faded even 700 years after it was written. The Book divided into three parts - Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso is about Dante’s journey down through Hell, Purgatory and finally to Paradise where he witnesses the Triune God and feels that his soul has become one with the Supreme Godhead. In his journey, Dante is led by the ancient poet Virgil who takes him through Hell and Purgatory and later by his beloved Beatrice who leads him into Paradise. It is a spiritual journey of Dante’s soul, struggling because of the sins, undergoing purification, and finally seeing the beatific vision which brings celestial joy to him. It is a fascinating book that makes you view life and religion in a different perspective.
Paradise Lost
Author: John Milton
Paradise Lost, the great epic poem of the English language revolves around the Christian theme of the Fall of Man due to disobedience and the consequent expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden through Satan’s agency. As stated in Book I, Milton’s purpose to write the epic poem was “to justify the ways of God to man”.
Marked by Milton’s versatile eruditeness, Paradise Lost is an epic in magnitude as well as in ambition and has had profound influence on generations of scholars, students, and readers.
Leaves Of Grass
Author: Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman published his first edition of Leaves of Grass in 1855 which had twelve untitled poems and a preface. Popularly known as the American bard, Whitman experimented with form and subject matter in poetry to create something new and remarkable and was successful in that. He wrote about America, but included a variety of subjects in his work ranging from slavery, the Civil War, social change, democracy to American landscape, sea, romantic love, and spirituality. Leaves of Grass has been harshly criticized as much as it has been loved. From the book being banned for sensuality, it is now hailed as the touchstone for originality in the New World poetics.
Venus and Adonis
Author: Shakespeare
Venus and Adonis, the first published work of Shakespeare, is a narrative poem about Venus - the love goddess and her passionate love for a young mortal - Adonis. Though Venus relentlessly seduces Adonis but he rejects her love for he is “frosty in desire” and would rather go hunting. He is killed by a boar in the hunting expedition. Venus discovers his body and is left devastated. This poem of 1,194 lines is written in sesta rima with an ababcc rhyme scheme. The beauty of this poem lies in its eloquent speeches, vivid depiction of landscape and a graphic description of sexual excitement.
Fruit Gathering
Author: Rabindranath Tagore
Fruit Gathering, written in 1916, is a collection of eighty-six poems written by Rabindranath Tagore, one of India's greatest poets who won the 1913 Nobel Prize in literature for his work "Gitanjali". Like most of his poetry, the poems in Fruit Gathering are influenced by the traditional Vaishnava folk poetry and take us on a quest that helps us discover the divine in all beings.
The Divine Comedy
Author: Dante Alighieri
An epic poem written by Dante sometime between the years 1308-1321, The Divine Comedy is a fantastic piece of world literature whose appeal has not faded even 700 years after it was written. The Book divided into three parts - Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso is about Dante’s journey down through Hell, Purgatory and finally to Paradise where he witnesses the Triune God and feels that his soul has become one with the Supreme Godhead. In his journey, Dante is led by the ancient poet Virgil who takes him through Hell and Purgatory and later by his beloved Beatrice who leads him into Paradise. It is a spiritual journey of Dante’s soul, struggling because of the sins, undergoing purification, and finally seeing the beatific vision which brings celestial joy to him. It is a fascinating book that makes you view life and religion in a different perspective.
Paradise Lost
Author: John Milton
Paradise Lost, the great epic poem of the English language revolves around the Christian theme of the Fall of Man due to disobedience and the consequent expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden through Satan’s agency. As stated in Book I, Milton’s purpose to write the epic poem was “to justify the ways of God to man”.
Marked by Milton’s versatile eruditeness, Paradise Lost is an epic in magnitude as well as in ambition and has had profound influence on generations of scholars, students, and readers.
Leaves Of Grass
Author: Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman published his first edition of Leaves of Grass in 1855 which had twelve untitled poems and a preface. Popularly known as the American bard, Whitman experimented with form and subject matter in poetry to create something new and remarkable and was successful in that. He wrote about America, but included a variety of subjects in his work ranging from slavery, the Civil War, social change, democracy to American landscape, sea, romantic love, and spirituality. Leaves of Grass has been harshly criticized as much as it has been loved. From the book being banned for sensuality, it is now hailed as the touchstone for originality in the New World poetics.
Venus and Adonis
Author: Shakespeare
Venus and Adonis, the first published work of Shakespeare, is a narrative poem about Venus - the love goddess and her passionate love for a young mortal - Adonis. Though Venus relentlessly seduces Adonis but he rejects her love for he is “frosty in desire” and would rather go hunting. He is killed by a boar in the hunting expedition. Venus discovers his body and is left devastated. This poem of 1,194 lines is written in sesta rima with an ababcc rhyme scheme. The beauty of this poem lies in its eloquent speeches, vivid depiction of landscape and a graphic description of sexual excitement.
Fruit Gathering
Author: Rabindranath Tagore
Fruit Gathering, written in 1916, is a collection of eighty-six poems written by Rabindranath Tagore, one of India's greatest poets who won the 1913 Nobel Prize in literature for his work "Gitanjali". Like most of his poetry, the poems in Fruit Gathering are influenced by the traditional Vaishnava folk poetry and take us on a quest that helps us discover the divine in all beings.
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