
1919
INTRODUCTION
A SHROPSHIRE LAD
These verses unfold in the quiet hills and rivers of an English county, where every meadow and ancient oak becomes a stage for the human heart. The poet’s voice is both plain‑spoken and sharply observant, turning simple scenes of rural life into reflections on love, loss, and the fleeting nature of youth. Listeners will hear the gentle cadence of a world that feels both timeless and immediate, as the poems capture moments of personal triumph and quiet melancholy.
The collection balances a tender affection for the landscape with an unflinching awareness of life’s harsher edges. While the language remains modest, each line glows with a resonance that makes ordinary details—be it a blooming cherry tree or a distant beacon—feel profoundly significant. As you move through the verses, the poet’s subtle humor and quiet optimism emerge, offering a comforting companion to anyone who has ever wrestled with memory, longing, or the simple beauty of a countryside afternoon.
Language
en
Duration
~59 minutes (56K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Albert Imrie, and David Widger
Release date
2004-05-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1859–1936
Best known for the much-loved collection A Shropshire Lad, this English poet wrote in a plain, musical style that gives sorrow, youth, and lost time unusual force. He was also one of his age's leading classical scholars, bringing the same precision to Latin texts that he brought to verse.
View all books
by A. E. (Alfred Edward) Housman

by Dion Boucicault

by Maria Edgeworth

by Eliza Fowler Haywood

by Ben Jonson

by Lady (Sydney) Morgan

by Ben Jonson