This poem by Tennyson is a classic New Year's poem, filled with good wishes and hopeful pleas. Read the post to find out more about its structure and metre, and you can also do a short vocabulary exercise.
“A Glimpse” by Walt Whitman
Weโve encountered Walt Whitmanโs poetry on this blog before: in a longish post where I offered some advice on how to interpret poems, I presented his poem To a Stranger. And now I would like to share with you another poem of his, on a similar theme of the need for love and companionship. Walt …
The Holly and the Ivy
This Christmas carol draws on the imagery and symbols that have for centuries been associated with the celebration of Christmas: holly is symbolic of Jesus, whereas ivy represents his mother Mary. The sharp, prickly leaves of holly stand as a reminder of the crown of thorns Jesus was forced to wear; the red berries represent his blood, shed for humanity.
“A Christmas Carol” by Christina Rossetti
With Christmas approaching, for this post I've selected โA Christmas Carolโ (better known as โIn the Bleak Midwinterโ), first published in 1872. Set to music by Gustav Holst in 1906, this poem / church hymn has since become part of the classic repertoire of Christmas carols.
