Poem of the Week
Sins of the Flesh, Ghosts and the Gallows
The flesh is weak, spirits are willing and the hangman [...]
Fairyland and Shipwrecks
Escaping from the evil queen of the fairies and failing [...]
A Rhymer Goes to Elfland
While one poet is cooing his coy mistress and another [...]
Cavalier Poets versus Puritans
Three poets raise a plaintive voice against Cromwell's Puritanitarianism... [...]
The Admirable Saint Teresa
From hell-bent poets making merry to heaven-sent saints and the [...]
Lost Lives and Loves
Unconquerable death, inconstant lovers and other permanent things...
Love and Death
Can love lost lead to madness? Can the love of [...]
A Garland of Flowers
When the poet Robert Herrick offers you a flower, he's [...]
Vanitas Vanitatum: A Memento Mori
Mortality and morality: The inanity and insanity of vanity. Poems [...]
Broken Hearts and Bridal Songs
Poets from the Age of Shakespeare sing of broken hearts [...]
True and False Love
Poets from the age of Shakespeare wax lyrical on the [...]
What is a Happy Life?
Songs of spring and winter nights, garlands of flowers, prayers [...]