This is an anti-war poem that considers the human cost of a senseless war (the Second Boer war) — Drummer Hodge by Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) was first published in the journal “Literature” on 23rd November 1899 with the title The Dead Drummer. It later appeared as one of the War Poems in Hardy’s 1901 collection Poems of the Past and the Present with its new title. The Boer War context Drummer Hodge is…

The city of Hull is surveyed from west to east and then beyond, in a search for where the poet can be truly himself — Philip Larkin (1922–85) was one of the most highly regarded and respected poets of post-World War II Britain. He achieved considerable popularity although he was never an “easy” poet, and many of his poems offer intriguing insights to the mind of a complex and flawed personality. By profession, Philip Larkin…

The journey is in both space and time — “After a Journey” is a poem by Thomas Hardy. The journey in question is one in both space and time, and it is also a journey into the poet’s psyche. Here is a description of the poem and the story of how it came to be written. A troubled marriage On 27th November…

The poet’s possibly over-romanticised view of how his parents fell in love — “A Church Romance” by Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) was first published in the “Saturday Review” on 8th September 1906 and was later included in his 1909 collection entitled “Time’s Laughingstocks and Other Verses”. …

This poem has an air of mystery and something sinister about it — Walter De la Mare (1873–1956) was a highly regarded English poet and short story writer who had a particular talent for writing for and about children, although he was by no means exclusively a children’s writer. His “The Children of Stare” was originally published in his first collection, “Poems” that…

A short poem with a message of hope during wartime — “In Time of ‘The Breaking of Nations’” by Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) was first published in the “Saturday Review” of 19th January 1916 and then in his “Selected Poems” which appeared in October of that year. It was reprinted in his 1917 collection “Moments of Vision” with minor changes. The poem…

A poem that had its origins in a music festival held in 1970 — The poet Lydia Fulleylove is a poet who lives on the Isle of Wight, which is a short ferry ride from the south coast of England. A teacher until 1997, Lydia Fulleylove now works as a leader/facilitator on combined arts projects with community groups, including young people and mental health patients. …

This is a parody of the “Liver poet’s” own poem Summer with Monika, and could be one reason why he never became Poet Laureate! — Roger McGough (born in 1937) has been one of Britain’s most popular poets since the 1960s, becoming known as one of the trio of “Liver poets” (the others being Adrian Henri and Brian Patten) who emerged alongside the Beatles as the progenitors of Merseyside culture. Poetry and music were closely…

A celebrated call to “stand and stare” — William Henry Davies (1871–1940), who wrote as W H Davies, was a Welsh poet and prose writer who is best known for two works, his early “Autobiography of a Super-Tramp”, which detailed his life as a hobo in the United States from 1893 to 1899, and the short poem “Leisure”…