Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© Pauline E, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
A poem of nostalgia tinged with regret.
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US National Archives and Records Administration, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain image.
In Coleridge’s epic poem, the Ancient Mariner, amid the horrors of a ship of dead men, sees a sight both beautiful and surreal.
© Lewis Clarke, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
Humorist Thomas Hood obviously didn’t like to see the nights drawing in
© Hajor, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.
The glory of political power soon passes away.
© Stephen McKay, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
The poet reflects on the obscure lives that most of us lead.