Summary: Selected by R. N. Green-Armytage.
A perfect primer to the work of the celebrated English poet.
"And he felt in his heart their strangeness,
Their stillness answering his cry,
While his horse moved, cropping the dark turf,
'Neath the starred and leafy sky;
For he suddenly smote on the door, even
Louder, and lifted his head:-
'Tell them I came, and no one answered,
That I kept my word,' he said."
--from "The Listeners"
This volume of Walter de la Mare's poems offers both the longtime fan and the new reader a thoughtful selection of his most poignant writing. Reminiscent of the works of Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Frost, and very much descended from the English Romantic movement, these poems draw on natural imagery and traditional poetic forms to celebrate the beauty of nature, while simultaneously prompting the reader to reflect on the implications of mortality. Collected herein are such classics as "The Listeners" and "The Traveler" as well as a number of rhymes and verses for children. Poetry students will appreciate his skillful use of meter and language, while the more casual reader will enjoy the simple but evocative incantations of the natural world.