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As well as new recordings by contemporary poets the Poetry Archive also contains selections of classic poems recorded by contemporary voices.

238 poems

Poem

On First Looking Into Chapman’s Homer

Read by Simon Russell Beale

On First Looking Into Chapman’s Homer - John Keats - Read by Simon Russell Beale

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Poem

God’s Grandeur

Read by Simon Russell Beale

by Gerard Manley Hopkins

God’s Grandeur - Gerard Manley Hopkins - Read by Simon Russell Beale

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Poem

Is it thy will thy image should keep open (Sonnet 61)

Read by Simon Callow

by William Shakespeare

Is it thy will thy image should keep open (Sonnet 61) - William Shakespeare - Read by Simon Callow

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Poem

Oh Mistress Mine

Read by Jude Law

by William Shakespeare

Oh Mistress Mine - William Shakespeare - Read by Jude Law

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Poem

Dover Beach

Read by Romola Garai

by Matthew Arnold

Dover Beach - Matthew Arnold - Read by Romola Garai

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The Classics

To A Stranger

Read by Kenneth Branagh

by Walt Whitman

To A Stranger - Walt Whitman - Read by Kenneth Branagh

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Poem

Ulysses

Read by Simon Russell Beale

by Alfred Tennyson

Ulysses - Alfred Tennyson - Read by Simon Russell Beale

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Poem

Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal

Read by Stephen Fry

by Alfred Tennyson

Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal - Alfred Tennyson - Read by Stephen Fry

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Poem

Love’s Philosophy

Read by Keira Knightley

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley - Read by Keira Knightley

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Poem

Weary with Toil (Sonnet 27)

Read by Rosamund Pike

by William Shakespeare

Weary with Toil (Sonnet 27) - William Shakespeare - Read by Rosamund Pike

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Poem

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day (Sonnet 18)

Read by Ian McKellen

by William Shakespeare

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day (Sonnet 18) - William Shakespeare - Read by Ian McKellen

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Poem

Wild Nights

Read by Helen Mirren

by Emily Dickinson

Wild Nights - Emily Dickinson - Read by Helen Mirren

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Poem

How do I Love Thee (Sonnet 43)

Read by Judi Dench

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I Love Thee (Sonnet 43) - Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Read by Judi Dench

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Poem

If Thou Must Love Me (Sonnet 14)

Read by Rosamund Pike

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

If Thou Must Love Me (Sonnet 14) - Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Read by Rosamund Pike

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Poem

The Passionate Shepherd to his Love

Read by Ian McKellen

by Christopher Marlowe

The Passionate Shepherd to his Love - Christopher Marlowe - Read by Ian McKellen

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The Classics

The First Day

Read by Judi Dench

by Christina Rossetti

The First Day - Christina Rossetti - Read by Judi Dench

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The Classics

Remember

Read by Rosamund Pike

by Christina Rossetti

Remember - Christina Rossetti - Read by Rosamund Pike

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The Classics

A Birthday

Read by James Earl Jones

by Christina Rossetti

A Birthday - Christina Rossetti - Read by James Earl Jones

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