Poetry Documents

Poets convey deep thoughts with few words. How do poets approach their subjects? Why is the rhythm of words important to them? Poets want their words to be heard. Here's a collection to read "out loud."

Antony and Cleopatra by William Haines Lytle (1826–1863)I am dying, Egypt, dying.      Ebbs the crimson life-tide fast, An...

Image of the poem called Major Andre's Arrest and Execution, honored the gallantry of John Andre. Click on the image for a better view.

Image of Lawrence Nowell's self-portrait from his 1564 pocket atlas.

Image of the original poem The Star Spangled Banner, by Francis Scott Key. Click on the image for a better view.  

This poem is by S. Torre. No other words needed.  

Rufus Griswold, purporting to be Poe's friend, wrote a very unflattering and damaging obituary after Poe's death.

This issue of the Southern Literary Messenger - dated December, 1835 - contains Poe's story M.S. Found in a Bottle.  (See "Selected Prose Article...

This map, based on the 1981 Census of India, depicts the general breakdown of religious affiliation in the country.  Mumbai, located in the state...

This is one of the original manuscripts which Francis Scott Key penned following the Battle of Fort McHenry.  It is online, courtesy the Smithson...

The follow excerpts from John Brown's Body—a 15,000-line epic Civil-War poem by Stephen Vincent Benet, published in 1928—tell the story of...

When the Grimm Brothers and Charles Perrault were gathering and writing fairy tales, their works were intended more for young adults than young childr...

This sheet music, of the "Star-Spangled Banner," is from the nineteenth-century.  The poem, by Francis Scott Key, was set to the music of a popul...

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