My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having read several books on books in a row, it was nice to get back to some poetry. This was a great volume to choose. The title piece was wonderful. Its rhythm was excellent. Byron used nature to cheer the prisoner, but not in a way that diminished the despair or hopelessness of the situation. It was a moment of beauty that wasn’t over-written. He captures the sadness of the prisoner’s food and the cruelty of his captors:

Our bread was such as captive's tears Have moisten'd many a thousands years Since man first pent his fellow man Like brutes within an iron den (lines 134-137)
I originally bought this volume for 'Darkness', and I wasn't disappointed. It is an apocalyptic tale that was influenced by a real world Indonesian volcanic eruption that affected weather throughout Europe (darkness, cold weather, etc.).

‘The Dream’ is a sad tale of young lovers who went their separate ways yet never could forget each other. As the man reflects while he is getting married, his new bride wasn’t “The Starlight of his Boyhood” (line 148).

Overall, a great read that I will come back to again.