Selected Poems (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Sea Lyrics, Narrative Ballads, and Humane Reflections in Classic English VerseBy John Masefield
Length4h 9m
About this audiobook
Selected Poems gathers the characteristic range of John Masefield's verse: sea lyrics, narrative ballads, meditations on wandering, labour, suffering, and spiritual endurance. Written in a vigorous, musical idiom, these poems unite traditional meters with a modern directness of speech. Pieces such as "Sea-Fever" and "Cargoes" reveal his gift for rhythm, image, and memorable cadence, while his longer dramatic and reflective poems place him within the late Victorian and Georgian transition, where popular song, moral seriousness, and lyrical immediacy converge. Masefield's poetry was deeply shaped by experience rather than literary seclusion. Born in 1878, orphaned young, and trained for the merchant service, he knew the discipline, danger, and romance of maritime life firsthand. His years at sea, his later travels, and his sympathy for working people gave his writing an authenticity unusual among poets of his generation. As Poet Laureate from 1930, he became a public voice, yet retained the urgency of personal memory. This selection is recommended to readers interested in accessible yet finely crafted poetry, especially those drawn to the sea, adventure, and humane reflection. It offers an ideal introduction to a poet whose best work remains energetic, compassionate, and sonorous.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenrePoetry
Length4 hrs 9 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 9, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Selected Poems (Annotated)
34THE SOUTH-WEST WIND
2Introduction
35WE THEREFORE COMMIT OUR BROTHER.
3Historical Context
36Selections from THE DAFFODIL FIELDS.
4Synopsis (Selection)
37THE RIVER.
5Selections from SALT-WATER BALLADS
38THE RETURN.
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6TRADE WINDS
39THE END OF THE TROUBLE.
7SEA-FEVER
40Selections from PHILIP THE KING
8PRAYER
41TRUTH
9THE WEST WIND
42THE “WANDERER”
10Selections from POEMS AND BALLADS
43AUGUST, 1914
11CARGOES
44BIOGRAPHY
12AN OLD SONG RE-SUNG
45SHIPS
13TWILIGHT
46SONNET ON THE DEATH OF HIS WIFE (From the Portuguese of Antonio di Ferreiro)
14INVOCATION
47THEY CLOSED HER EYES (From the Spanish of Don Gustavo A. Becquér)
15A CREED
48Selections from GOOD FRIDAY A DRAMATIC POEM
16WHEN BONY DEATH
49Selections from LOLLINGDON DOWNS
17THE DEATH ROOMS
50From GALLIPOLI
18C. L. M.
51Epilogue
19WASTE
52Selections from REYNARD THE FOX
20THE WILD DUCK
53Selections from ENSLAVED
21Selections from POMPEY THE GREAT
54THE KHALIF’S JUDGMENT.
22Chorus
55THE HOUNDS OF HELL
23Chorus
56ANIMULA
24Epilogue
57FORGET
25Selections from THE EVERLASTING MERCY
58ON GROWING OLD
26THE SCALLENGE
59Selections from RIGHT ROYAL
27Epilogue
60Selections from ESTHER
28Selections from THE WIDOW IN THE BYE STREET
61Chorus.
29THE END
62ACT II
30Selections from DAUBER
63Analysis
31THE SETTING OF THE WATCH
64Reflection
32THE WATCH BELOW
65Memorable Quotes
33THE HORN
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