
LAST POEMS
By A. E. Housman
I. THE WEST
II.
III.
IV. ILLIC JACET
V. GRENADIER
VI. LANCER
VII.
VIII.
These verses form a modest but resonant farewell from a poet who sensed his creative well was running dry. Gathered from the years between the mid‑1890s and the early 1910s, the pieces capture a voice that has grown more reflective, aware of the passing of youthful vigor and the quiet inevitability of age. Listeners will feel the gentle urgency of a writer who wants his words set down while he can still shape their cadence.
The poems wander through familiar landscapes—bare woods where laurels once swayed, western horizons that beckon yet warn, and the stark realities of soldiers and deserters. Housman weaves classical references with plain, lyrical language, creating a rhythm that feels both intimate and timeless. The collection is a thoughtful meditation on love, loss, and the fleeting nature of fame, offering a calm yet poignant listening experience.
Language
en
Duration
~35 minutes (34K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by A. P. Saulters, and David Widger
Release date
2005-04-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1859–1936
Best known for the haunting poems of A Shropshire Lad, this English writer paired plain, memorable language with a deep sense of loss, youth, and passing time. He was also one of his era’s leading classical scholars, bringing the same precision to Latin texts that he brought to verse.
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