W.B. Yeats: Selected Poems

By: William Butler Yeats

Narrated by: William Sutherland

William Butler Yeats, the first Irishman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, is not only one of the greatest poets of the 20th century but one of the most widely read. The landscape, myths, legends, and folklore of his homeland lie at the heart of his poetic imagination, and the unique musicality of Ireland adds to the richness of his verse. But the themes of his poetry are universal and timeless: the conflict between life and death, love and hate, and the meaning of man’s existence in an imperfect world.

This collection includes such favorites as “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” and “When You Are Old”, as well as two of his longer narrative works, “The Old Age of Queen Maeve” and “Baile and Aillinn”. It traces the poet’s artistry from his early days as a dreamy, late-romantic poet into one of the most individual and visionary voices of 20th-century verse.

Public Domain (P)1998 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Timeless

This is a reading from one of the actual volumes published during his lifetime so there is a blend of poems that would become world-famous, and lesser known works. All of them are worthwhile.

good but the audio quality

the story's read were great but the audio quality shifted throughout the reading. from good to bad and back the other way.

Beautiful Poetry

This work was beautifully written. While I don't agree with his religious views or lack thereof in these works; I do appreciate his writing. My only critique might be that the narrator, while working wonderful with other works made this piece difficult to focus on.

English narrator: wrong on a couple of pronunciations

But it’s no big deal—just saying. Maybe there’s a different way of saying Sidhe (like “she,” I’ve always believed.)

Narrator Acts Like Cops Are Coming

The guy is in a hurry to go do something else. Yeats needs a really vibrant reader.