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New to poetry?

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English

Some helpful ways to get started

You can read over 3000 poems on our website, by both Scottish and international poets. Use the poem search box at the bottom of this page to find poetry by title, author, or keyword. If you’re stuck for inspiration, you can browse categories by mood, occasion, language or place.

Gaelic

Dòighean feumail airson tòiseachadh.

’S urrainnear còrr agus 3000 dàn a leughadh air an làraich-lìn againn, cuid le bàird Albannach agus cuid le bàird eadar-nàiseanta. Cleachd bosga lorg dhàn aig bonn na duilleig airson dàin a lorg a rèir tiotail, ùghdair, no facal sònraichte. Ma tha beachdan a dhìth oirbh, ’s urrainnear coimhead bho na cinn seo: faireachdainn, tachartas, cànan no àite.

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English

Reading guides

  • How to read a poem
  • How to read a single collection
  • How to read an anthology
  • Familes and British Sign Language (BSL)
  • How to memorise poems

Gaelic

Iùilean leughaidh

  • A’ leughadh dàn
  • A’ leughadh cruinneachadh
  • A’ leughadh duanaire
  • Teaghlaichean agus Cànan-soidhnidh Bhreatainn (BSL)
  • Dàin air an teanga

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English

Taking a novel approach

Perhaps you are in a book group, and you’d like to try poetry alongside the novels. Or you are an avid reader who hasn’t tried any poetry for ages. Where to start? Well, you might want a few recommendations to get you going. And what about the kinds of books you enjoy already?

Novel Approach lists popular novels and suggests a contemporary poetry collection that gets to the heart of each one. We’ve picked collections in print wherever possible, by living poets from the UK or Scotland. We’ve also added some further ideas for poets you could try. Altogether, there are some far-fetched connections that still work – and there are bound to be some great pairings we haven’t thought of. Try a few of the combinations and let us know what you think.

Gaelic

Bho nobhail gu dàn

’S dòcha gu bheil sibh ann am buidheann-leabhraichean, agus gu bheil sibh airson bàrdachd a leughadh cuide ri nobhailean. No dh’fhaoidte gur e leughadair èasgaidh a th’ annaibh nach eil air bàrdachd a leughadh airson greis. Càit am bu chòir dhuibh tòiseachadh? Uill, dh’fhaoidte gum biodh moladh no dhà feumail, gu h-àraidh moladh ceangailte ri litreachas a tha còrdadh ribh mu thràth?

Tha Novel Approach a’ moladh bàrdachd a rèir nobhailean ainmeil a chòrdas ribh. Far an deach againn air, tha sinn air cruinneachaidhean a thaghadh a tha ann an clò, le bàird bheò an Alba no anns an RA. Tha sinn cuideachd air ainmean bàird eile a chur ris a shaoil sinn a chòrdadh ribh. Uile gu lèir, tha measgachaidhean àraid ann a tha ag obrachadh – agus is cinnteach gu bheil measgachaidhean air nach eil sinn air smaoineachadh fhathast. Feuchaibh cuid de na measgachaidhean agus leigibh fios ma chòrdas iad ribh!

Find poems

Search from over 3,000 selected poems on this site or explore our full collection in our online catalogue

  • Search our website
  • Browse categories
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Browse by Category

Language
  • British Sign Language (BSL)
  • Cornish
  • English
  • Gaelic
  • Scots
  • Shetlandic
Mood
  • Courage
  • Despair & Loneliness
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  • Homesickness
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  • Optimism & Happiness
Occasion
  • Birth
  • Burns Night
  • Christmas
  • For Funerals
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Place
  • Dumfries & Galloway
  • Edinburgh
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  • Glasgow
  • Highlands & Islands
  • Scotland
Curriculum Level
  • SQA Higher texts
  • SQA National 5 texts
I had to get nearer the sky,
For the city was too full of rooms
And I can’t be content with a window.
Continue reading A Poem for a Morning
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