The Oxford Book of Narrative VerseIona Opie, Iona Archibald Opie, Peter Opie Succinctly called "a book of tales of various kinds, romantic, humorous, ghostly, and gory, written at any time over the past six hundred years" by the compilers, Iona Opie and the late Peter Opie, this universally-appealing collection of 59 poems presents a comprehensive literary tradition of narrative verse from Chaucer to Auden. The anthology includes Pope's "The Rape of the Lock," Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott," Poe's "The Raven," and Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark," along with such twentieth-century narrative classics as G.K. Chesterton's "Lepanto," Robert Frost's "The Code," Marriott Edgar's "The Lion and Albert," and W.H. Auden's "The Ballad of Barnaby." Abridgements and extracts from book-length narratives such as Spenser's The Faerie Queen and Milton's Paradise Lost add to the richness and variety of the collection. The Opies also provide extensive notes which trace the source of the poet's inspiration, whether fact or fiction, and demonstrate how the creative process has transformed that source into a work of art. |
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Page 59
... Heaven's sons Conjured against the Highest , for which both thou And they outcast from God , are here condemned To waste eternal days in woe and pain ? And reckon'st thou thyself with spirits of Heaven , Hell - doomed , and breath'st ...
... Heaven's sons Conjured against the Highest , for which both thou And they outcast from God , are here condemned To waste eternal days in woe and pain ? And reckon'st thou thyself with spirits of Heaven , Hell - doomed , and breath'st ...
Page 60
... Heaven , when at the assembly , and in sight Of all the seraphim with thee combined In bold conspiracy against Heaven's King , All on a sudden miserable pain Surprised thee , dim thine eyes , and dizzy swum In darkness , while thy head ...
... Heaven , when at the assembly , and in sight Of all the seraphim with thee combined In bold conspiracy against Heaven's King , All on a sudden miserable pain Surprised thee , dim thine eyes , and dizzy swum In darkness , while thy head ...
Page 62
... Heaven , and therein placed A race of upstart creatures , to supply Perhaps our vacant room , though more removed , Lest Heaven surcharged with potent multitude Might hap to move new broils . Be this or aught Than this more secret now ...
... Heaven , and therein placed A race of upstart creatures , to supply Perhaps our vacant room , though more removed , Lest Heaven surcharged with potent multitude Might hap to move new broils . Be this or aught Than this more secret now ...
Contents
GEOFFREY CHAUCER c 13431400 | 1 |
ANONYMOUS c 1475 | 22 |
ROBERT HENRYSON ?14301506 | 37 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
anon arms ballad bell Bellman Betty blood blow Camelot Chanticleer cried cursed Cymon dark dead dear death Donostia door dread dream eyes face fair father fear fell fight goblin grace grey hair hand hast hath head hear heard heart Heaven horse hounds Inchcape Rock John of Austria Johnny King Arthur King Estmere knew Lady of Shalott land Laura lips Little John living looked Lord loud merry moon moonlight morning Nabara never night o'er Oxus pain poem poor pray quoth ride Robin Robin Hood rose round Rustum sails seemed ship Sir Bedivere slain smile Snark Sohrab soul spake spoke stood story sweet sword tale Tam Lin tell thee thing thou thought tide town turned Twas voice W. H. Auden wind word young