To a Nightingale: Sonnets and Poems from Sappho to Borges

Uniting the voices of thirty master poets, To a Nightingale traces the presence of literature's most celebrated bird from Sappho's fragments to the verse of Borges.

The collection reveals a time-honored, poetic discussion of grief, solitude, beauty, song, and artistic expression—a discussion that moved history's greatest literary minds to create their greatest works.

As Keats writes in his famous ode: "Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird...The voice I hear this passing night was heard in ancient days." His sentiment resounds throughout this book, echoing through the words of Milton, Shakespeare, Virgil, and other luminaries whose work directed the course of world literature. Bound by a common reverence for the nightingale's unchanging music, each author seems to speak intimately to the other, their sentiments resonating beautifully despite the passage of centuries.

To a Nightingale is a powerful homage that inspires appreciation not only for the nightingale herself, but also for the poets who collectively made her song sacred to us. This book will appeal to anyone seeking a glimpse into the world of celebrated poetry.