If It's Ever Spring Again

Thomas Hardy is among the most loved English poets. A renowned novelist, he nevertheless wrote poetry throughout his life and returned to it with a passion following the death of his first wife, Emma. His inspiration was rooted in the Dorset countryside and the rural life he knew best although his subjects - life, love, and loss - are universal. His poetry has a directness and simplicity inspired by the ballads and songs of ordinary people and his poetic voice often reflects the rural dialect of his home county. Collected here are some of his best-known and most well-loved verses, including 'Channel Firing', 'To Lizbie Browne', 'The Choirmaster's Burial', 'Drummer Hodge', 'The Darkling Thrush' and many, many more.