Sep 17– Poems by John Greenleaf Whittier

 The fact that you used to be able to get records of poetry is kind of wild

Sep 17– Poems by John Greenleaf Whittier 

Summary: Good poems!

Commentary: Most nights (if the author is new, which is rare these days) I take a minute and skim a little about them. Whittier was supposedly inspired by Burns, so I wasn't too excited. He's actually solid. He avoids one of my biggest complaints about the poems in T5FSOB by keeping a nice rhythm and avoiding too many awkwardly forced rhymes. He's got impressive range as well. Romance, battles, childhood, nature. All in the space of a half dozen poems. My favorite couplet comes from "Maud Muller"

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,

The saddest are these: ‘It might have been!’

 Unlike the more conventional (but absolute) , "LIVE LIFE WITH NO REGRETS!" *insert motivational animal here* Whittier can acknowledge the negativity of dwelling on the past without pretending it's not inevitable to do it somewhat.