The Daily Poem
An audio anthology of the best poetry ever written
- Update frequency
- every 2 days
- Average duration
- 7 minutes
- Episodes
- 984
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Oliver Herford's "The Platypus"
Oliver Herford (2 December 1860 – 5 July 1935), regarded as “the American Oscar Wilde,” was an Anglo-American writer, artist, and illustrator known for his pithy bon mots and skewed sense of humor. H…
Gerard Manley Hopkins' "As Kingfishers Catch Fire"
Today’s poem begins with humble beasts but wings its way to the loftiest mysteries of existence. Happy reading.
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Margaret Wise Brown's "Wild Black Crows"
Margaret Wise Brown (May 23, 1910 – November 13, 1952) was an American writer of children's books, including Goodnight Moon (1947) and The Runaway Bunny (1942), both illustrated by Clement Hurd. She …
Katherine Craster's "The Centipede's Dilemma"
Today’s poem, written in 1871, actually gave the name to the since-codified psychological phenomenon known as the “centipede effect” or “centipede syndrome.” Psychologist George Humphrey (for whom th…
Gerard Manley Hopkins' "Morning, Midday, and Evening Sacrifice"
G. K. Chesterton wrote: “Oscar Wilde said that sunsets were not valued because we could not pay for sunsets. But Oscar Wilde was wrong; we can pay for sunsets. We can pay for them by not being Oscar …
"The Lady of Shalott" Pt. 4
Today’s poem is the fourth and final section of Tennyson’s Arthurian ballad. I have been reading his 1842 version and (I think) the final stanza is where it differs most from the 1832 original. You c…
"The Lady of Shalott" Pt. 3
Today we come to the turning point for the Lady of Shalott. Happy reading.
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"The Lady of Shalott" Pt. 2
In part two, the “Lady” sits, weaving, in a world of images but pines for the world of solid realities.
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Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott" Pt. 1
Today is the first of four in which we’ll wend our way through Tennyson’s tragic Arthurian ballad.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonu…
John Hollander's "A Watched Pot"
Today’s poem is a shape poem dedicated to chefs, but (surprise?) it might be about more than cooking.
John Hollander, one of contemporary poetry’s foremost poets, editors, and anthologists, grew up in…
William Blake's "The Divine Image"
In today’s poem, from Songs of Innocence, we meet William Blake struggling to sort out his theological analogies.
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John Milton's "When I consider how my light is spent"
In today’s poem, also known as “Sonnet 19,” Milton offers a pious alternative to “raging” against the dying of the light. Happy reading.
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Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "A Musical Instrument"
Today’s poem muses on the sweet and awful creation of the poet. Happy reading!
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit da…
Ben Jonson's "Though I be young"
Today’s poem is a song from Ben Jonson’s final play, The Sad Shepherd (1641). Happy reading.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epis…
Amy Clampitt's "The Godfather Returns to Color TV"
Just when you thought you were out, The Daily Poem pulls you back in–to poems about movies. Today’s charming and earnest poem imitates the medium it describes (film) by swapping memorable images and …
Siegfried Sassoon's "Picture-Show"
Today’s poem–published in 1920–is one of the early intersections between poetry and cinema. Happy reading.
Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) is best remembered for his angry and compassionate poems about …
Hart Crane's "Chaplinesque"
In today’s poem, written a century ago, cinema (and Charlie Chaplin) is already supplying metaphors for the work and experience of modern poets. Happy reading.
Harold Hart Crane was born on July 21, 1…
Joseph Stanton's "Edward Hopper's 'New York Movie'"
Today’s poem (from an art scholar and master of ekphrastic poetry) features another classic Hopper painting and a contemplative trip to the movies. Happy reading!
Joseph Stanton’s books of poems inclu…
Cornelius Eady's "Charlie Chaplin Impersonates a Poet"
This week The Daily Poem heads to the movies.
Cornelius Eady is the founder of the poetry group Cave Canem and his published collections include Victims of the Latest Dance Craze (Omnation Press, 19…
Allison Adelle Hedge Coke's "America, I Sing You Back"
Today’s poem both responds to and carries on the work of Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes. Happy reading!
Allison Adelle Hedge Coke has written seven books of poetry, one book of nonfiction, and a pla…