Companion Poems

This unit consists of three sets of companion poems (Shakespeare and Moss, Marlowe and Raleigh, and two versions of Lawrence’s “Piano” poem). Companion poems are simply poems that are associated in some way. The poets may be of the same era or separated (as Shakespeare and Moss) by centuries. Companion poems may also be reworkings, as in Lawrence’s examples, of earlier poems. What types of associations do you see in these sets of poems? How do the companion poems interrelate?

THE POEMS ARE BELOW-

http://www.william-shakespeare.info
/william-shakespeare-sonnet-18.htm

AND

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?
BY Howard Moss

Who says you’re like one of the dog days?
You’re nicer. And better.
Even in May, the weather can be gray,
And a summer’s sub-let doesn’t last forever.
Sometimes the sun’s too hot;
Sometimes it’s not.
Who can stay young forever?
People break their necks or just drop dead!
But you? Never!
If there’s just one condensed reader left
Who can figure out the abridged alphabet,
After you’re dead and gone,

In this poem you’ll live on!

AND

http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/shepherd/shepherd.html

AND

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174205

AND

http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/piano.html