Getting into poetry. Poets to start with?

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George M

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Hey I want to get into poetry. Not necessarily writing but reading. A diverse list would be appreciated. I don't care what era, race, style, subject matter...whether it be Langston Hughes, TS Elliot, etc.

Also if you would suggest some good collections of the authors poems.

Again doesn't matter the style. Some deep poetry maybe, medieval based, folklore, oppression, political, social, epic poems etc.
Well known poets.
 
John Milton-Paradise Lost
-Rime of the Ancient Mariner
e e cummings
sorry, don't really know that many. I really loved the first two though, although i haven't had the chance to complete paradise lost.
 
Definitely try Paradise Lost. Yes, it'll take a while to get through, but it is most certainly worth it. It's got a bit of everything in it and even just the beauty of the poetry itself is enough to read it for.

I'd also personally recommend you read some Homer - as in the Iliad and Odyssey. I always thought they would be hard to get into and stuffy, unrelatable and just a bit too archaic. Then I read them and I COULDN'T get enough. They're fantastic and you will realise how indebted modernity is to these poems.

For some shorter stuff, I'd go for the Cavalier poets if you fancy something a bit fun and very well-written. Try Thomas Carew, Herrick, Lovelace and Sir John Suckling. If you want to see what the raciest poem in the seventeenth century was, go for 'A Rapture' by Carew (it's actually a fantastic read, the metaphors are mindblowing).

I have to say that the most aesthetically beautiful and re-re-re-readable verse I've come a cross is John Keats. I could think bout each line for hours and never get tired of all the facets to his poetry.

You could also go for something a bit more modern like William Carlos Williams. It may not be what you're used to from other poetry but it is very interesting. Try 'The Rose' for a fresh take on an overused image.

These are just a few but they are quite diverse and hopefully you should find some you like in them. There are so many poets out there. It might be worth buying an anthology like Romanticism by Duncan Wu or especially the Norton Anthology of Poetry, which have a huuuuge range of poems and will give you a taste of every style, time, subject, etc.
 
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