This is an inspirational collection of masterpieces from the world's greatest poets. Poetry has the power to give us strength, inspiration, and hope, helping us to make meaning from our hectic lives and giving us the opportunity to appreciate new ways of thinking about universal themes and observations. Whether you are a newcomer to poetry or a lifelong lover of verse, in this indispensable compilation you will find the greatest poems of all time, powerful words that have delighted and inspired generations of readers - words that are sure to inspire you today. In this portable volume, William Wordsworth wanders "lonely as a cloud" to gaze blissfully at a crowd of daffodils, Percy Bysshe Shelley pronounces his profound "Ode to the West Wind," Edgar Allan Poe quotes the raven, "Nevermore," and William Shakespeare is consumed by love in "That Time of Year."Replete with timeless masterpieces, this keepsake includes such American classics as "Paul Revere's Ride" and "Hiawatha's Childhood" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; "Concord Hymn" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and "God Save the Flag" by Oliver Wendell Holmes.For nature lovers (and city dwellers longing for an escape), there is Shelley's blithe skylark, Robert Frost's mending wall, and Joyce Kilmer's unforgettably lovely trees. In addition to the poems, the collection also contains a special selection of popular prose, including the Gettysburg Address, the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, and the full text of Patrick Henry's famous "give me liberty or give me death" speech. The pleasures of poetry are many, and the masterpieces in this volume are sure to enrich and encourage.So take a break from the rush and noise of life, find a quiet spot, and lose yourself between these pages. Poetry has long been called upon to enrich and inspire our lives, especially in moments of stress. If you are one of those souls in these noise-tired times who longs for a little peace and quiet, a stolen moment of contemplation, this volume is sure to offer you respite. Whether you are on the subway, in the grocery line, or on the elevator, this portable collection is your perfect companion.Whether you're an avid consumer or a newcomer to poetry, you're sure to discover verses to cherish among these unforgettable works that continue to inspire the lives of so many.The authors include: Alexander Anderson; Elizabeth Barret Browning; Robert Browning; Robert Burns; John Burroughs; Lord Byron; Edmund Vance Cooke; Emily Dickinson; George Eliot; Ralph Waldo Emerson; Eugene Field; Robert Frost; Thomas Gray; Patrick Henry; Oliver Wendell Holmes; John James Ingalls; King John; John Keats; Rudyard Kipling; Abraham Lincoln; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; Edna St. Vincent Millay; John Milton; Alfred Noyes; Edgar Allan Poe; Carl Sandburg; Sir Walter Scott; William Shakespeare; Percy Bysshe Shelley; Frank L. Stanton; Robert Louis Stevenson; Alfred Tennyson; Walt Whitman; John Greenleaf Whittier; and, William Wordsworth.