INTRODUCTION
tains a representative selection of the best in English
poetry—not omitting that of the present day. It
supplies explanatory material and suggestions for
comparison and criticism that may remove difficulties
and clear the way for that delight in poetry which
is one of the most valuable and lasting acquisitions
in life.
For the characteristic of good poetry is that the
enjoyment of it is unfailing. It was a poet who wrote
" A thing of beauty is a joy for ever," and of no thing
is this more true than of a beautiful poem.
A. S. G.