A Poetry Gathering: Browning, etc

For our second Classics Book Club discussion, we are gathering to share and discuss poetry. Each of us is bringing one or more poems.

I've selected "Rabbi ben Ezra" by Robert Browning, since it recently came up in the Charlotte Mason Study Group's reading of Towards a Philosophy of Education, when Mason quoted the following to illustrate that the physical effort of smiling affects our souls positively when we are in sour moods:

"Nor soul helps flesh more now, than flesh helps soul"

THE POET

Robert Browning  (1812-1889) was born into Victorian England, in the town of Camberwell, and his education mostly took place among his father’s 6,000-book library under a tutor. As a writer, Browning was regarded as a failure for many years, living in the shadow of his wife Elizabeth Barrett Browning. However, late in life Browning’s brilliant use of dramatic monologue made him a literary icon. Today, his most widely read work is Men and Women, a collection of dramatic monologues dedicated to his wife. (Poetry Foundation) Read his fascinating life and background at wikipedia.

THE POEM

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!'' 

Read the rest of the poem ...

WHAT ABOUT THE RABBI?

The great Hebrew scholar and religious expositor Abraham ben Meir ibn Ezra, is apparently the Rabbi ben Ezra of Browning's poem. In 1150, ben Ezra wrote a poem upon the ten stages of life, a concept adopted by William Shakespeare in his poetic speech "Seven Ages of Man," which appears in As You Like It.

Enjoy this lovely poetry reading of "Seven Ages of Man" at YouTube:

"GROW OLD WITH ME" SONG

While I'm no Beatles devotee, I enjoyed John Lennon's, "Grow Old with Me," a song inspired by Browning's poem and prompted by his wife, who likewise wrote a song inspired by Browning's wife's poem, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." 

Enjoy this recording of the song at YouTube:

OTHER SELECTIONS

The other ladies plan to share some or all of the following:

Carrie: Poems children may appreciate

• A.A. Milne: The King's Breakfast
• David McCord: Every Time I Climb a Tree

Ariana: The first was on her wedding invitation

• Christina Rossetti: That First Day
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson: The Lady of Shalott, more at wiki

Abigail: Chosen for its relevance to Lent and her catholic faith

• John Henry Cardinal Newman's prayer: The Mission of My Life

MY CHILDREN'S EDUCATION

I've recently begun reading poetry to the children during lunchtime. So far, we're enjoying some oldies found in The Classic Treasury of Best-Loved Children's Poems, on loan from the library, as well as poems from 3 other 2nd-hand poetry books I've picked up along the way.

I just ordered a very good used edition of The Golden Book Family Treasury of Poetry, since it's one of the few poetry books recommended by Ambleside Online for 0 to 6 year olds. It contains more than 350 classic poems and received rave reviews by Amazon readers.

AND YOU?
Do you have a favorite poem? Or perhaps you write poetry? How do you incorporate an appreciation of poetry into your life?