Songs of Ourselves

by Cambridge International Examinations

This series contains poetry and prose anthologies composed of writers from across the English-speaking world. Songs of Ourselves is an accessible one-volume introduction to the astonishing range of forms, styles and content of verse written in the English language over more than four centuries, containing work by more than 100 poets from all parts of the English-speaking world.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Read For School, School

265 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2005

Reviews

[engy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'the city planners' by margaret atwood: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'rain' by edward thomas: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

'the spirit is too blunt an instrument' by anne stevenson: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'funeral blues' by w.h. auden: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'he never expected much' by thomas hardy: ⭐⭐

'the telephone call' by fleur adcock: ⭐⭐⭐

'a consumer's report' by peter porter: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

'ozymandias' by percy shelley: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

'away, melancholy' by stevie smith: ⭐⭐

[Keisya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, same case with everyone here. I read this book as part of my literature course. The poems are so diverse..it's written by authors from every part of the world and at different eras. There are poems about love, life, observations and changes. If you think that only love poems exist, then this book will prove you wrong.

[Nina]

Ozymandias!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kudzai Mhangwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poetry selection was amazing and I loved the first section in particular. I've been reading this book since 2012 when I started my IGCSE and I haven't put it down ever since. I pick the book up whenever I feel like reading the beautiful jewels in this anthology. I would recommend it for anyone who is a great lover of poetry.

[Anum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I had to read it for my exams. I didn't really like all the poems but some were really touching. It is a good anthology and I do intend to keep it on my book shelf for some time at least.

[Shany]

school :S

[Maia]

I enjoyed this selection of short stories, especially "Soft Rains".

[Vanessa Sölter · Rating 4 out of 5]

had to read it for IGCSE. some poems like continuum's a bit too hard. but i like some of them..

[Mweshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caged Bird, Little Boy Crying and Plenty are among my favourites!

[Arnau Bertran Manyé]

I read this book to have an overview about key poems in the English language. I enjoyed reading this book here and there, on a train ride, on a small café, or on my spare time when I had decided to take a rest. Out of all the beautiful and stunning poetry, I think the one I understood the most and the one I loved the most too (although hard to choose), was “I Grieve, and Dare Not Show my Discontent,” by Queen Elizabeth I, page 39. It is a poem that helps to understand how monarchy wasn’t as easy as some might think, and the poem exemplifies the pressure that royal queens had by that time. Just the same as someone who is in a high-ranked political position in our today’s time, societal pressure was also there in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. It is just fascinating how us, people in general, struggle and have struggled to showcase their real selves - how in a lot of social circles, we still play on with poker and face masks, without letting our true personalities to shine through. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is - somewhat - attracted to Old and New English poetry!

[engy.e · Rating 4 out of 5]

'the city planners' by margaret atwood: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'rain' by edward thomas: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

'the spirit is too blunt an instrument' by anne stevenson: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'funeral blues' by w.h. auden: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'he never expected much' by thomas hardy: ⭐⭐

'the telephone call' by fleur adcock: ⭐⭐⭐

'a consumer's report' by peter porter: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

'ozymandias' by percy shelley: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

'away, melancholy' by stevie smith: ⭐⭐

[Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it for school and loved most of the poems here. The anthologers seem to love child labour.

[Capucine 🎀]

read it for my igcses studies.
I quite enjoyed it!:)

[Alyssabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this anthrology of poems, as well as Stories of Ourselves, for my 11th grade lit class. It wasn't bad, but, eh, it could've been better. The poems consisted mostly of Elizabethan authors, some historically famous and some relatively unknown, but I really thought that it was lacking in diversity. The themes repeated themselves over and overrr: unrequited love, life and death, betrayal, ya da ya da ya da. Good school reading, but I'd rather read something else.

[Reneesh matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Songs of Ourselves is a perfect collection of poems for those love poems. It has a collection of great poetry form early 14th century to late 20th century

[Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent selection of poems, but there are too many typos, including some that result in significant deviations in meaning.

[Emma]

just read it for school.