A poem on the page, and a voice to read it with

Four ways into poetry: search by a familiar feeling, hear a poet’s delivery, and compare a translation with the language it came from.

A poem does not need to be the start of a reading challenge. It can occupy the few minutes between two tasks. These collections offer different entrances: a searchable selection, recordings, multilingual poems, and translations into English. Reading and listening are different experiences; a pause or repeated sound can change a line you thought you understood.

Try this first

Choose a subject from your day, such as home, rain, or leaving. Read one poem silently, then listen if a recording is available. Write down where you paused and compare that with the reader’s phrasing. Save the poem’s own page, with the poet and translator credited, rather than copying an unattributed quotation.

Keep in mind

Translations offer interpretations rather than interchangeable copies. Audio and translated text are not available for every poem, and the ability to read a work online does not give permission to republish it.