I have been dipping into this great selection of poems by Thomas Hardy. I have loved his poetry for years and this is a great volume to have at one’s disposal.

Long ago, I read A Trampwoman’s Tragedy while traveling in Hardy’s homeland. I remember reading The Convergence of the Twain in a college class. Some time after reading those and a few of his other poems, I fell in love with The Darkling Thrush (who wouldn’t!). It was one of a handful of poems I worked at committing to memory. I still love it!

Another that brings me delight whenever I revisit it is An August Midnight. Likewise, An Ancient to Ancients is one I discovered in a collection of English language poetry I picked up almost ten years ago when I was camping and traveling into town for medical treatment. That book was a source of sustenance, solace, and beauty then. And still is.

I’ve loved the Hardy novels I’ve read and his poems I’ve revisited so many times. Now, with this collection that I’ve only recently picked up, I am exploring many of his poems that are new to me. What a wonderful thing it is to travel down the many and sinuous paths branching through this collection.