Poet Recommondentations

[dgs]

Basically,
For the research I'm carrying out I need to find poets who discuss animals (other than Hughes etc.), preferably in an interesting way. It can be about pets, wild animals, whatever.

Any suggestions would be incredibly useful.


Thank you in advance!

[BenJohnson]

I'm not sure what other poets you are including in Hughes, etc but how about D.H.Lawence's snake poem or John Clare's badger poem.

[rantingpete]

Edward Lear's 'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat'?

[smorzando]

@ rantingpete: OMG I LOVE The Owl and the Pussy Cat -- it was one of my favourites growing up!! hehe...

I'm not sure what you're looking for but these are what I can come up with off of the top of my head:

-Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll (and other poems by him..?)
-Hurt No Living Thing by Christina Rosetti
-Auguries of Innocence or The Tyger (which is one of my favourites!) by Blake
-My Cat Jeoffry by Christopher Smart
-Night and Dreams by Gwen Harwood
-The Secret Life of Frogs by Harwood
-Slate by Harwood

Hmmm I'm not sure what you're looking for, like I said but you could try some of those.

smorz.

[Bear]

Selima Hill Selima Hill Selima Hill (sorry. overexcited!)

She uses lots quirky animal metaphors/similes as part of her trademark. But if the subject itself must be animals that is possibly no use to you... If it is however, I can recommend specific poems of hers.

[rantingpete]

@ rantingpete: OMG I LOVE The Owl and the Pussy Cat -- it was one of my favourites growing up!! hehe...

- I love it too. I wrote a parody of it once called 'The Foul and Silly-Twat'. It's on here somewhere. hehe

[dgs]

These are all really good recommendations (and from the look of things in really good taste).

The poets I've been mostly looking in to are Hughes, Plath, Heaney, Larkin, Polly Clark and the Faber Book of Beasts, as well as various others (I'd list but I'm very scatter-brained and can't remember).

--

Selima Hill! I didn't even think of her!
Basically I'm looking at the changing symbol of the animal, so interesting imagery would probably work.

Thanks again - and if anybody feels compelled to list more I'd be very grateful.

[BenJohnson]

Robert Henryson