Match the Poem Title to the Author Quiz

Answer: Robert Frost

'Stopping By The Woods on a Snowy Evening' was first included in Frost's 'New Hampshire' collection in 1923, for which he was awarded his first of four Pulitzer Prizes. Like many of Frost's poems, the theme explored in this poem, is one of an individual caught between nature and civilization.

Frost was a huge supporter of John Kennedy during the Presidential Elections of 1960. In fact, Frost had, at a news conference prior to his 85th birthday celebrations in March 1959, declared that the next President of the United States would be from Boston, Massachusetts. In return for Frost's support, Kennedy would often close his campaign meetings by quoting the final stanza of the poem 'Stopping By The Woods on a Snowy Evening': "But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep."

Answer: W. H. Auden

'Night Mail' was a commissioned poem written by W. H. Auden in 1936 to accompany a G.P.O. (General Post office) documentary programme about the London, Midland and Scottish (L.M.S.) mail train which travelled from London to Glasgow each night. The poem describes various types of mail which may be carried by the train and imagines the different types of people who will be receiving it.

He also describes the scenery the train passes as it traverses through the English and Scottish landscapes. Auden himself read the poem for the programme, which came toward the end of the documentary.

Answer: William Wordsworth

'The Solitary Reaper' was written by William Wordsworth in 1805 and published in 1807 in a collection titled 'Poems, in two Volumes'. The poem postdates his 'Lyrical Ballads' by seven years and is classed as Pastoral. The setting for the poem was inspired by a holiday he and his sister Dorothy took in Scotland in September 1803 when they stayed in the village of Strathyre. However, the theme of the poem was based on the experiences of his friend Thomas Wilkinson as described in his book 'Tours of British Mountains'. This book was not published until 1824, but Wordsworth had read the manuscript copy, which had been written prior to 1803.

The original manuscript of 'The Solitary Reaper' is held in the British Library.

Answer: Emily Dickinson

'"Hope" is the thing with feathers' was written by the American poet Emily Dickinson, and it is considered by many that it was written around 1861. At this point in time she was writing prolifically. As with the majority of her poetry, it was published posthumously. This particular poem was published in a collection of her works titled 'Poems by Emily Dickinson, Second Series'.

The poem is one of Dickinson's most famous and popular, often taught in schools. Hope is a recurring subject in much of her work.

Answer: W. B. Yeats

'When You Are Old' was written by the Irish poet W. B. Yeats in 1891. It is a bittersweet poem which he wrote for Maude Gonne, an Irish Revolutionary beauty with whom he had fallen in love. She, however, only desired his friendship and indeed turned down several proposals of marriage from him.

The poem reflects on how the object of his affections might feel when she is elderly and her looks have faded and he no longer dotes on her. Yeats based his poem on the 1892 Petrachan sonnet of the same title written by Pierre de Ronsard, although he changed the number of lines from fourteen to twelve.

Answer: Walt Whitman

First published in 1855 in the anthology 'Leaves Of Grass', this epic poem by Walt Whitman did not display a title. In 1856 it became known as 'Poem of Walt Whitman, an American' and remained with this title until 1860 when it was reduced to just 'Walt Whitman'. From its first publication in 1855 until it appeared as 'Song of Myself' in a publication of 1881, the poem underwent many revisions.

Answer: Rupert Brooke

'The Soldier' was the final sonnet in a collection by Rupert Brooke entitled '1914' and had been written in December 1914 when Brookes was home on Christmas leave. The poems in this small collection are his reflections on the outbreak of war.

Rupert Brooke did not experience front line battle himself, but died from blood poisoning following a mosquito bite whilst he was travelling to join the landings at Gallipoli with the 'British Mediterranean Expeditionary Force'.
The first public reading of this poem was given by Dean William Ralph Inge at St Pauls Cathedral, London nineteen days prior to Brookes death. Brooke was buried on the Greek Island of Skyros and his grave can still be visited.

Answer: Alfred Lord Tennyson

'The Lady of Shalott', by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is a Victorian ballad. It was based on the Arthurian legend of Elaine of Asolet as told in a 13th century novella, 'Donnadi Scalotta'.

There were two versions of 'The Lady of Shalott'. The first was written in 1833 and consisted of 20 stanzas, and the second was written in 1842 and was reduced to 19 stanzas. The poem was written when Tennyson was 22 years of age and was first published in the collection 'Poems' in 1833.

Tennyson was Poet Laureate in the United Kingdom from 1850 until his death in 1892. He is buried in Westminster Abbey, London.

Answer: Gerard Manley Hopkins

'Pied Beauty' was written by the Jesuit priest Gerard Manley Hopkins in 1877. It was published posthumously in 1918 in the collection titled 'The Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins'. The publication was arranged by his friend and fellow poet Robert Bridges, whom he had met whilst studying Classics at Balliol College,Oxford.

Following his conversion to Roman Catholicism and his entry into the Jesuit Priesthood in 1867, Hopkins vowed never to write poetry again, and he burnt all his poetic writings. He began writing again in 1876 following a shipping disaster in the mouth of the Thames Estuary, which claimed the lives of five nuns.

Answer: James Leigh Hunt

The poem 'Abou Ben Adhem (May his tribe increase!)' was written by James Leigh Hunt, and was first published in a three volume collection of poetry of 'Poets and Artists of Great Britain', called 'The Book of Gems' which was printed between 1836 and 1838.

The poem is based on the French book 'Bibliotheque Orientale' by Barthelemy d'Herbelot de Molainville (1625 - 1695). Abou Ben Adhem was a Muslim mystic in Persia who was venerated as a saint after his death (circa 777AD).