Quiz: Famous Poetry First Lines
Ranked #10,172 in Education, #229,680 overall
Dedicated to my late Mum - Irene Lambert - a great poetry lover
Later on, my English teachers often chose me to read or recite a poem or a piece of prose to the class, and I took some of the Poetry Society exams.
I have not been fortunate enough to have a family, so I can ask the parents here - if your child shows a love of books and literature, reading and learning poetry can be a great pleasure and not a hard task or piece of homework - please share with them the work of some of the world's greatest literary figures.
Famous Poetry First Lines
I give you the first line, you tell me the poem
I hope that everyone will find a poem that they recognise here, even if they don't know the author
I am indebted to the compilers of the website 'Poets Corner' for the help their site provided in compiling this quiz and also for letting me discover some forgotten gems.
Favourite Poems
So, so hard to choose
If someone asks me what my favourite poem is, I have to really think hard and don't always give the same answer. The truth is there are SO many favourites.It might be one of the first ones I ever learned - about a caterpillar by Christina Rossetti that starts 'Brown and furry, caterpillar in a hurry". Here is the whole poem for you to enjoy
It might well be something humorous, perhaps from T. S Eliott's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats or one by Edward Lear or Lewis Carroll. Just don't get me started on 'The Walrus and the Carpenter' - there's a lot of it and you might be tired, thirsty or asleep by the time I finish.
Then again, it could be the poem that I learned for a Poetry Society exam, it surprised my teachers as it wasn't one we had studied and the subject was quite melancholy for a teenage girl - by William Butler Yeats, 'An Irish Airman forsees his death".
The easiest poems to remember, I found to be those with a strong and steady rhythm - like 'Night Mail' by W.H. Auden
If it was a labour of love deciding which poems to choose for the quiz itself, and it took me on a journey through many memories - it was even harder to choose the WRONG answers!
One of my favourite poetry books
Great if you love cats!
The Illustrated Old Possum: Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
Amazon Price: $6.39 (as of 06/04/2012)
The words of T.S. Eliot and his feline characters are now perhaps best known as characters in the musical 'Cats' but to be honest, I prefer them in their poetic original form. See what you think.
And if you decide that really, you prefer the musical version -
Here is the Amazon UK link to the PAL UK version of the DVD - other formats available
Did you take the Quiz?
What is your favourite poem
Tell us all what your favourite poem is, and if you only got a low score, I won't tell - promise - stats are anonymous!
-
-
susannaduffy
May 23, 2011 @ 6:00 am | delete
- Aggh!! I chose the wrong Masefield! My mother loved the Fitzgerald translation of the Rubaiyat too, and encouraged my teenage infatuation with Beouwulf. (I never grew out of it)
-
-
-
Plantobuildashed
Mar 10, 2011 @ 1:42 am | delete
- Well I got half right. Not too bad I suppose considering I don't really read all that much poetry.
-
-
-
Oct 4, 2010 @ 1:26 am | delete
- weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee luck!
-
-
-
JDWheeler
Sep 27, 2010 @ 11:03 am | delete
- Man, I'm not the master of prose by any means. Good quiz. Not for the faint of heart.
-
-
-
The_Afrikan
Sep 19, 2010 @ 2:04 am | delete
- 4/10 :P
i haven't read much poetry (or at least not the common poems)
-
- Load More
More poetry books
..and some Shakespeare plays
I have not ignored the fact that poetry in English is not the exclusive territory of those born in the British Isles and I much appreciate the work of American poets in particular.
For young people, there is no better introduction to Shakespeare's Plays than the marvellous classic by Charles and Mary Lamb. Knowing the story of the plays is very useful and encouraging and makes what may seem a dry and dusty literary relic come alive. I used it throughout my school days, including as an aid when helping to produce plays for the school Dramatic Society,
Twitters about Poetry
what people are tweeting
Take another quiz! (Or build your own).
It's free, and easy, and you even earn a royalty.
by jennysue19
Hi - I am a multiple blogger, network marketer, writer, poet, sailor, cook and hedgewitch.
I live in an almost-seaside town called Havant, not far f...
more »
- 29 featured lenses
- Winner of 7 trophies!
- Top lens » Chips, Fries - whatever we call 'em we love 'em
