William Blake's 1789 classic evokes an idyllic world, populated by pipers, shepherds, angels, and joyful children. Graced by Charles and Mary Robinson's ethereal Art Nouveau illustrations, this special edition comprises the complete Songs of Innocence, in addition to nine poems from Songs of Experience.
These passionate verses were published in Paris in 1894 as the lost works of a disciple of Sappho. Between their open celebration of lesbian love and the eventual revelation of their true authorship—the verses actually were written by French novelist and poet Pierre Louÿs—they became a succès de scandale. Although debunked as a work of antiquity, The Songs of Bilitis remains a classic of erotic literature.More than 160 sensual illustrations by the famed Hungarian-born American artist Willy Pogány grace the pages of this lovely keepsake edition. Reprinted from a sensitive translation of the original French edition by Alvah C. Bessie, it features extensive annotations. Contains adult material.
Recipient of the 1956 Nobel Prize for Literature, Jian Ramón Jiménez (1881–1958) ranks among the foremost Spanish poets. The early influences of German Romanticism and French Symbolism led Jiménez to the development of his unique voice, and he became a leader in the vanguard known as the modernistas, who staged a Spanish literary revival at the turn of the twentieth century.Jiménez's most popular work, Platero y yo, unfolds in his native Andalusia. A series of autobiographical prose poems about the wanderings of a young writer and his donkey, it first appeared in a shorter version, suitable for children, in 1914. This new, accurate English translation is drawn from the complete edition, which was published in 1917. The only dual-language edition of this classic of Spanish literature, it is accompanied by an excellent introduction and explanatory notes that will assist students in understanding and appreciating this work.
This anthology highlights seven centuries of Italian poetry that will help you learn the language as well. Included are 34 examples of Italian verse in the original with English translations on facing pages. Twenty-one poets are represented, from Saint Francis of Assisi, author of the first memorable Italian lyric, «Cancio delle creature,» to Salvatore Quasimodo, winner of the 1959 Nobel Prize for Literature. Also included are works by Dante, Petrarch, Ariosto, Tasso, and Montale, as well as such lesser known but significant poets as Compiuta Donzella and Cavalcanti. There are even important works by Boccaccio and Michelangelo.In addition to full Italian texts with expert literal translations on facing pages, this edition contains a wealth of biographical and critical commentary.
From the 12th-century Cantar de Mío Cid to the 20th-century poetry of García Lorca, Salinas, and Alberti, this book contains 37 poems by Spain's greatest poets. Selected by Professor Eugenio Florit, the poems are presented in the full original Spanish text, with expert literal English translations on the facing pages. Enjoy the poetic inspiration, imagery, insight, and wisdom of such masters as Lope de Vega, Miguel de Unamuno, Federico García Lorca, Margués de Santillana, Jorge Manrique, Garcilaso de la Vega, Fray Luis de León, San Juan de la Cruz, Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Antonio Machado, Rafael Alberti, Pedro Salinas, and many more. In addition to the poetic texts, Professor Florit has also provided a wealth of biographical and critical commentary, outlining the significance of the poets and their works in the long tradition of Spanish literature. Portraits of the poets are included where available.
The poems in this anthology represent a panorama of the main trends in the development of the poetry of the German-speaking people. Beginning with a minnesong of the early Middle Ages and a poem of the seventeenth century, the book then focuses on the Age of Goethe (1749–1832). Inspired by Goethe and his contemporaries, German poetry was able to develop according to its own genius and to advance along new lines that eventually led to the period of Expressionism and Post-Expressionism with which this anthology ends.Included here are the full German texts of 39 poems-lyrics, ballads, philosophical verse, humor, student songs-and three selections from longer works by Goethe, Novalis and Lenau. Some of the other poets represented are Walther von der Vogelweide, Schiller, Hölderlin, Heine, Rilke, Brecht, Hermann Hesse, Stefan George, Gryphius, Platen, Scheffel, Conrad Ferdinand Meyer and Albrecht Haushofer.For each poem, this book includes an expert literal English translation on the facing page. You'll also find a biographical and critical discussion of each poet, textual information and a portrait of the poet. Here is a wonderful opportunity to discover the depth and richness of the German poetic tradition, and learn the language at the same time.
Gustave Doré (1832–83) was perhaps the most successful illustrator of the nineteenth century. His Doré Bible was a treasured possession in countless homes, and his best-received works continued to appear through the years in edition after edition. His illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy constitute one of his most highly regarded efforts and were Doré's personal favorites.The present volume reproduces with excellent clarity all 135 plates that Doré produced for The Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. From the depths of hell onto the mountain of purgatory and up to the empyrean realms of paradise, Doré's illustrations depict the passion and grandeur of Dante's masterpiece in such famous scenes as the embarkation of the souls for hell, Paolo and Francesca (four plates), the forest of suicides, Thaïs the harlot, Bertram de Born holding his severed head aloft, Ugolino (four plates), the emergence of Dante and Virgil from hell, the ascent up the mountain, the flight of the eagle, Arachne, the lustful sinners being purged in the seventh circle, the appearance of Beatrice, the planet Mercury, and the first splendors of paradise, Christ on the cross, the stairway of Saturn, the final vision of the Queen of Heaven, and many more.Each plate is accompanied by appropriate lines from the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation of Dante's work.
Dating from the 8th century and earlier, the Manyoshu is the oldest Japanese poetry anthology; it is also widely considered to be the best. The 1,000 poems (out of a total of more than 4,500) in this famous selection were chosen by a distinguished scholarly committee based on their poetic excellence, their role in revealing the Japanese national spirit and character, and their cultural and historical significance. The acclaimed translations artfully preserve the simplicity and direct quality of the originals, and encompass an enormous range of human emotions and experiences. Text is in English only.
Generally considered Germany's greatest literary figure, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) produced a large body of fine literary work that includes novels, plays, stories, scientific treatises, travel accounts, and much other prose. Perhaps at his greatest as a poet, he was the author of numerous exceptionally fine lyric poems, ballads, and elegies.This convenient dual-language edition, spanning a wide range of styles, forms, and moods, allows readers to savor a rich selection of the poet's verse in the original German — from «An den Sclaf» («To Sleep»), written when he was 18, to his last great poem, «Vermächtnis» («Legacy»), written when he was 80. Several poems from the 1819 volume West-östlicher Divan (Occidental-Oriental Divan) are presented. Excellent line-for-line English translations on facing pages accompany such masterworks as «Prometheus,» typical of the Sturm and Drang (storm and stress) period; «Rastlose Liebe» («Restless Love») and «An den Mond» («To the Moon»), lyric pieces of intense beauty; and the narrative ballads «Der Fischer» («The Fisherman») and «Erlkönig» («Elf King»). Included among the 96 other works are these poems: «Auf dem See» («On the Lake»); «Zigeunerlied» («Gypsy Song»); «Jägers Abendlied» («Huntsman's Evening Song»); «Grenzen der Menschheit» («Limitations of Humanity»); «Der Zauberiehrling» («The Sorcerer's Apprentice»); and «An Werther» («To Werther»).For this edition, translator Stanley Appelbaum has provided an informative introduction and a commentary on each poem, which will prove invaluable to students, teachers, and general readers.
Lyric poetry blossomed in 19th-century Germany under the fertilizing influence of Romanticism with its focus on the primacy of the imagination, worship of nature and childhood, dreaminess and nostalgia and preoccupation with thoughts of night and death. Although strictly defined as flourishing from 1798 to 1835, Romanticism is not timebound and German Romantic poetry was written both before and after these dates. Indeed, the 131 poems in this volume range in date from 1770 to 1903.Collected here are great romantic poems by 23 poets: Goethe, Schiller, Hiilderlin, Novalis, Tieck, Brentano, Ruckert, Heine, Miirike, Storm, Nietzsche, and 12 more. Stanley Appelbaum has provided excellent new literal English translations of the poems on facing pages, along with an informative introduction and concise evaluations of each poet. This is a wonderful opportunity for any student of German or lover of poetry to enjoy a rich sampling from one of the world’s great poetic traditions.