Listen to a famous poem, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, written by William Wordsworth and performed by Noma Dumezweni.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
By William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed – and gazed – but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
What about you?
- Do you have a favourite poem that you could share with us?
- What's it called?
- Who wrote it?
- What's it about?
Tell us in the comments!
yes i like poem from emha ainun najib from indonesia
When You Pray (Emha Ainun Najib)
Reading Al-Fatihah and surah Makes the eyes of darkness open. Every prayer and statement of surrender Opens a bridge of light. Alifmu's body is rooted to the center of the earth.
Bow down your body looking at the origin of yourself Then prostrate yourself crying In the love of Allah, your heart drizzles
Prostration is the only essence of life Because travel is only for the old and dim Knowledge and civilization will not reach the origin of every soul to return
So prayer is life itself. Go as far as possible to return. The body is squeezed. The soul is pumped beyond measure. If the self is torn asunder, prostrate to make it whole.
Praying on a prayer mat of light Stepping slowly into the secret house A house with no space and no time That cannot be told to anyone
Your souvenir from prayer is the radiance of your face, a radiance that cannot be defined by physics. Your heart is patient and noble, your feet are as firm as a rock. Your chest reaches the horizon, as wide as the ninety-ninth throne.
Emha Ainun Najib or better known as Cak Nun, reveals the miracles of prayer. By praying, our streets will be bright, our faces will be bright and the burden of life will feel lighter. Prayer is life and the essence of life itself.
My favorite poems are the poems of Gabriele D'Annunzio, one of the great Italian poets; they are "Madrigali dell'estate": eleven liric poems on the theme of the end of the summer and of the anxiety because of the time which flees.
Hi cittàutopica,
Thank you for telling us about this Italian poet.
Many of the great poets wrote about this feeling of melancholy as autumn approaches, and use it as a symbol for the passing of time and mortality. I guess they are universal and timeless themes :-)
Best wishes,
Jo (LearnEnglish team)
My favorite poem came from my Father, it's called: MY BOOK
I will try to translate from Portuguese to English
My book is my best friend
it's the best I can have
I always carry it with me
because it's in it that I learn to read
how many stories it tells me,
my dear book contains
of animals and plants,
of the hero of our land.
it keeps me away from evil,
it teaches me to love good way
it is truly very blessed
whoever has a friend that remains.
My book
Thank you so much for sharing your Dad's poem with us Guilherme and also translating it. It really is lovely❤
Best wishes,
~ Tina ツ
LearnEnglish team
My favorite poem is a poem in Portuguese. Canção do Excílio by Gonçalves Dias.
It talks about how the author misses Brazil in its exile, and how everything is better there. I brought the poem and it's translation.
Canção do exílio
The Song of Exile
Minha terra tem palmeiras
Onde canta o Sabiá,
As aves, que aqui gorjeiam,
Não gorjeiam como lá.
My homeland has many palm-trees
and the thrush-song fills its air;
no bird here can sing as well
as the birds sing over there.
Nosso céu tem mais estrelas,
Nossas várzeas têm mais flores,
Nossos bosques têm mais vida,
Nossa vida mais amores.
We have fields more full of flowers
and a starrier sky above,
we have woods more full of life
and a life more full of love.
Em cismar, sozinho, à noite,
Mais prazer encontro eu lá;
Minha terra tem palmeiras,
Onde canta o Sabiá.
Lonely night-time meditations
please me more when I am there;
my homeland has many palm-trees
and the thrush-song fills its air.
Minha terra tem primores,
Que tais não encontro eu cá;
Em cismar – sozinho, à noite –
Mais prazer encontro eu lá;
Minha terra tem palmeiras,
Onde canta o Sabiá.
Such delights as my land offers
Are not found here nor elsewhere;
lonely night-time meditations
please me more when I am there;
My homeland has many palm-trees
and the thrush-song fills its air.
Não permita Deus que eu morra,
Sem que eu volte para lá;
Sem que desfrute os primores
Que não encontro por cá;
Sem qu’inda aviste as palmeiras,
Onde canta o Sabiá.
Don’t allow me, God, to die
without getting back to where
I belong, without enjoying
the delights found only there,
without seeing all those palm-trees,
hearing thrush-songs fill the air.
“Ho sceso dandoti il braccio almeno un milione di scale”
Eugenio Montale
Montale’s wife was dead and he described their life together in a few lines but very intense and representative. The most beautiful sad love poem that I have read.
I don´t like poems anymore and i don´t like to read it too.