We asked a number of celebrities, public figures and people connected with the world of work to tell us their favourite poems. Here are their replies....
©Lain Philpott
Geri Halliwell
Phenomenal Woman, Maya Angelou
Asked to explain her choice, Geri said, ‘It’s pure girl power, Maya Angelou is pure inspiration – I love, love her!’
Phenomenal Woman, Maya Angelou
Asked to explain her choice, Geri said, ‘It’s pure girl power, Maya Angelou is pure inspiration – I love, love her!’
©John Swannell
Cherie Blair
Sonnet 116, Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediment, William Shakespeare
Cherie says, ‘In life, in death, all that matters is love.’
Sonnet 116, Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediment, William Shakespeare
Cherie says, ‘In life, in death, all that matters is love.’
Michael Rosen
Dulce et decorum est, Wilfred Owen
It's the most moving and powerful poem I know to express both the personal and the political. The strength of the language seems to me to come directly from Owen's desperate wish to make the news hurt…. In a way, it's a savage attack on spin. When people say that poetry can't be political, I think they forget that Owen showed us how good it can be.
Sir Terry Wogan
The Song of Wandering Aengus, W B Yeats.
Sir Terry chose Ireland’s most famous poet of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, in one of his earlier works.
Lisa B, Author, model & actress
Love, Roy Croft
This was one of the readings at my wedding. Not only is it a true and wonderful affirmation of the love I have for my husband, but it can be expressed to all those close to my heart - my dear friends and family.
Rt Hon David Cameron MP
Dulce et Decorum Est, Wilfred Owen.
This poem is incredibly moving and powerful. It provides a poignant and haunting account of life on the front line. I vividly remember being really taken aback by it when I first read it.
Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP
Eternity, William Blake
Because it expresses the fleeting nature of happiness, and the need to accept life with all its ups and downs.
©Eleanor Bentall
Rowan Williams - Archbishop of Canterbury
I am the Great Sun, Charles Causley
A flawlessly simple statement of the ways people betray each other, and of the hope they don’t let themselves see.
I am the Great Sun, Charles Causley
A flawlessly simple statement of the ways people betray each other, and of the hope they don’t let themselves see.
Ed Vaizey MP, Shadow Minister for the Arts
The Soldier, Rupert Brooke
Alexandra Shulman, Editor, Vogue:
Snow, Louis MacNeice
Alexandra chose this poem ‘because of its beautiful language.’
Howard Davies – Director, London School of Economics
A Kumquat for John Keats, Tony Harrison
It is both witty and profound. Artfully and mischievously rhymed, yet seeming spontaneous. A celebration of poets and poetry in itself.
Guy Hands - CEO of Terra Firma Capital Partners
If, Rudyard Kipling
The poem inspires me and motivates me, especially in challenging times. It contains principles to aspire to, and a guideline for how to live your life courageously and humbly. A timeless poem.