During Your School Days, What Were Your Favourite Poems?

[anotheoldgit]

Mine was Sir Henry Newbolt's Vitaï Lampada' ('Torch of Life'),

Closely followed by Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray



and

ABOU BEN ADHEM by James Henry Leigh Hunt

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight of his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:-

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
'What writest thou?' - The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered 'The names of those who love the Lord.'

'And is mine one?' said Abou. 'Nay, not so,'
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said 'I pray thee then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow-men.'

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names who love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUpawNZNJfQ

[boxtops]

The Highwayman, Alfred Noyes http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171940
Mending Wall, by Robert Frost
http://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/frost-mending.html

[Svejk]

no interest in poetry when I was in school. Didn't know anyone who did.

[AB Editor]

Lovely thread AOG.

I found poetry at school a bit frustrating - it was clearly "good" to me, but often I found the content to be a bit dull. I think I had teachers who thought the strong stuff would be a bit much for us.

I always like a bit of the Charge of the Light Brigade:



And this is probably one of my favourites. The second coming by W B Yeats:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEunVObSnVM

[AB Editor]

Oh, and The Seafarer, from the Anglo-Saxon, Translated by Pound:



... read by some bloke on YouTube :)

If you can go find the Alan Drake reading you're in for a treat. I believe it is on Pennsounds.

[tamborine]

If, Rudyard Kipling

http://alkimie.com/?p=267

[anotheoldgit]

I enjoyed the Highwayman, but Mending Wall and Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum est didn't quite roll off my tongue.

But thanks for your contributions anyway.

[sandyRoe]

More Tennyson.
I think at school it might have been, The Donkey, GK Chesterton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhWgG42NhLU

[RATTER15]

Once I saw a little worm wriggling on its belly,
I stood and watched it for a while then stamped on it with my wellie!

[Peter Pedant]

Had to be strapped into poetry appreciation chairs I am afraid

Ozymandias

I am Ozymandias King of Kings
Look about ye mighty and despair.....

[RATTER15]

^^ sorry I never was much into poetry and that is the only one I know that doesn't start with .... Mary had a little lamb..

[Prudie]

Sorry I was also not interested but we were made to learn Tiger Tiger burning bright and of course Cargoes.

[Tilly2]

I loved poetry when at school and I still do. I am going to have to think very carefully about my answer. Can I choose more than one?

[tonyav]

We were more into Limericks at my school !.

[elliemay1]

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning.

[Georgiesmum]

At primary school it was "Old Meg she was a gypsy and lived upon the moors"...
and
"The Owl and the pussycat went to see in a beautiful pea green boat".....
At senior school we just had to learn long passages from Shakespeare..

[tonyav]

Blimey, jordy did you go to my school.

[tonyav]

If she was on holiday in Blackpool in 1971 I may have, jordy.