Poems on the Underground

by Judith Chernaik (Editor), Gerard Benson (Editor), Cicely Herbert

This wonderful new edition of Poems on the Underground is published to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Underground in 2013. Here 230 poems old and new, romantic, comic and sublime explore such diverse topics as love, London, exile, families, dreams, war, music and the seasons, and feature poets from Sappho to Carol Ann Duffy and Wendy Cope, including Chaucer and Shakespeare, Milton, Blake and Shelley, Whitman and Dickinson, Yeats and Auden, Seamus Heaney and Derek Walcott and a host of younger poets. It includes a new foreword and over two dozen poems not included in previous anthologies.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Joseph Hodgson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I am still new to poetry, I found this to be an excellent introduction to a wide range of poets. Thanks to my sister for the lended recommendation!

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the first time I looked up and saw a poem where the ads are on an underground train in London. I was completely mesmerized. I can’t remember what the poem was but I was totally charmed by the concept of making poetry a communal experience. What a thoughtful, lovely gift is this small book of poems from ancient to modern and all over the world. This book makes my heart sing.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really lovely collection of poetry. These are some translated, some old and some new. I love that this was split into sections so depending on the day you could pick this up and read a few poems on that particular genre (i.e. seasons, war, love, families, loss, dreams, music & many more)!!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cool Christmas gift from a British colleague and friend! This volume captures highlights from a project over 30 years old that posts poems on London’s tube.

Sharing a selection by Palladas that captures the spirit:

“Loving the rituals that keep men close
Nature created means for friends apart

Pen, paper, ink, the alphabet,
Signs for the distant and disconsolate heart.”

[maeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

once again my two favorite things. i remember seeing these all over the place and it warmed my soul, such a great use of funding for the arts

[LayDownYourSoul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection documenting a fantastic project.

This book (in a previous form) is legendary to me, as one of the first books I remember repeatedly getting out of the library as a kid. So in general this would be a 5 star, but rating and reviewing a recent read-through, now that I have my own copy!

I think this is more valuable as something to dip in and out of, but was also great to read front-to-back. Enjoyed the variety, across and within the themed sections. And that all these poems/fragments were short (1-2 pages), which makes sense given the original context.

Some highlights for me:
- A cluster of optimistic poems in the 'Poet as Prophet' section (starting with a poem with optimistic in the title)
- The John Agard poem following/responding to Wordsworth's Westminster Bridge poem before it
- The poems on exile: 'The Emigrant Irish' esp. the ending, 'Into my heart an air that kills', 'Exodus', 'Let a place be made'
- 'Wet Evening in April'
- 'Everything Changes'
- 'Thread suns' (ending is amazing)
- 'from Frost at Midnight'
- 'A Glass of Water'!
- 'A Dead Statesman', for the couple of iconic anti-war lines
- The Poetry a Defence section: 'From March '79' and 'The Red Cockatoo'
- Re-reading some classics from cold plums to iconic war poetry

Feel like I haven't seen poetry actually on the underground in a while, but I believe the project is ongoing. Look forward to encountering more of these in the wild!

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really strong anthology. All have been poems on the underground, hence the title of the book. They are arranged thematically and I particularly liked the fact that there is a huge range of voices here, not just dead, white, English men who show up in anthologies time after time. There are some of those poems here but they sit alongside poems and poets from all over the world. It's really interesting to see how universal some themes are. There were some fantastic poems I'd never read before and some old friends I had forgotten about. A really strong collection I know I will dip into over and over again.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poetry book exceeded all my expectations. An exceptionally attractive hard-back edition with a specially designed, colourful, (underground) cover. I love the shape of the book, which is rectangular, though this is not clear from the picture of it. I also love the way the poems are grouped for reference and particularly how they are set out on the page with the author discreetly placed at the bottom right hand corner of the page. There are poems for everyone, familiar and new. I am proud to own this edition which is to celebrate 150 years of the underground - it is lovely to look at and to touch - a book to treasure.

[Chris Merola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something has shifted in me and I'm finally able to meet some poems where they are. This is a beautiful collection filled with phrases that force me to find beauty where I saw none before.

'hearing the scrape-music of your shoes across gravel,'

'Here, gusts of heat; at my back, white clouds.
I stare and stare. It seems I was called for this:
To glorify things just because they are'

'But in love
our hearts have mingled
like red earth and pouring rain'

'Oh, God, make small
The old star-eaten blanket of the sky,
That I may fold it round me and in comfort lie'

[Natalie Millican · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poetry is a mostly a hit and sometimes a miss for me. This was a miss, as there were only two poems that I really felt something from within this book. Overall, it was special to read “Poems on the Underground” while on the underground. :) this was also the first book I checked out with my library card!

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought provoking collection with some great classics as well some brand spanking new editions. Perfect for every shelf.

[KD · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The most democratic artistic intervention of my lifetime”; “London’s most original contribution to urban civilisation.”

High praise indeed in the straplines on the cover. I loved it!

[Chahna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure delight 🤌

[Jaime Almansa · Rating 4 out of 5]

La edición es preciosa y la colección interesante, pero entre tanta variedad hay de todo.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved the poetry on the tube and I've very much enjoyed reading this collection. Hopefully they come out with a sequel.