The Copybook: Readings in history and literature

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Featured

‘Hail, Liberty!’ by Rudyard Kipling

Kipling borrowed from the Greek Independence movement to give thanks for the end of the Great War.

1

Batter My Heart by John Donne

John Donne gives God a free hand to do whatever needs to be done.

2

She was a Phantom of Delight by William Wordsworth

Mary Wordsworth wasn’t pretty or bookish, but she was kind and vital, and William loved her.

3

If I Had But Two Little Wings by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Samuel Taylor Coleridge holds on to those precious moments when loneliness is a problem for tomorrow.

4

The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore

Irish poet Thomas Moore believed a life given for his country’s freedom was not given in vain.

5

Hiawatha Takes a Photograph by Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll records a suburban photoshoot in the style of Longfellow.

6

Hiawatha’s Inspiration by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Longfellow tells us how his tale of a heroic Native American warrior came to him.

Poets and Poetry