Love, Poetically Trivia Quiz

Answer: Andrew Marvell

Marvell lived from 1621 until 1678 and was classed, by Samuel Johnson, as one of the English metaphysical poets. Probably his best known poem is 'To His Coy Mistress', in which he tries to persuade his lady friend not to waste time and to give in to his advances. 'The Definition of Love' begins 'My Love is of a birth as rare; As 'tis for object strange and high' and ends with the lines 'Is the conjunction of the mind; And opposition of the stars'.

Answer: He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

All the options listed could be classed as love poems by Yeats. 'He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven' describes how the writer would love to spread the richest cloths on the ground for his love to walk upon, but he is poor and can spread only his dreams for her. Yeats was born in 1865 in Dublin, although his family moved to England only two years later. Yeats wrote the poem for Maude Gonne, with whom he fell in love, only to be rejected. Gonne inspired much of his poetry, possibly more than she would have done had she accepted his proposals of marriage.

Answer: Sir Thomas Wyatt

'Farewell, Love, and all thy laws for ever; Thy baited hooks shall tangle me no more' are the opening lines of the poem. Wyatt was a member of the court of Henry VIII, and wrote poems in praise of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, including 'Whoso List to Hunt'. Wyatt was arrested in 1536 and charged with having committed adultery with Anne.

He was fortunate to escape with his head, thanks to friends in high places, notably Thomas Cromwell, who secured his release. Sir Philip Sidney was a poet from the Elizabethan era, and Masefield was born in 1878. Tennyson was a poet from the nineteenth century.

Answer: Ulysses

In mythology, Calypso entranced Ulysses, or Odysseus, and held him for seven years, according to Homer's work 'Odyssey'. Mitchell's poem goes some way to explaining her hold on Ulysses, beginning 'My hands are tender feathers; They can teach your body to soar' and ending 'Lose yourself again; On the island of Calypso'.

The lines in between you'll have to look up for yourself, as they would probably not pass the editing process. Adrian Mitchell was born in 1932 and began his career as a journalist, before turning to full time writing in the 1960s.

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

This was Juliet, pleading for the night to fall so Romeo could use the darkness of the night to come to her in secret. They come from Act III, Scene 2, with the 'fiery-footed steeds' representing the daylight. Since the quiz is about love poetry, I had to include something from the most famous love story of all. Of course, as we all know, their love was doomed to end in tragedy.

Answer: Dover Beach

The poem is believed to have been written when Arnold was on his honeymoon in 1851, although it was not published until 1867. The poem expressed his feelings that humans should rely on their love for each other. The other poems listed are also by Arnold.

He was born in 1822, with his father being Thomas Arnold, who became the headmaster of Rugby School in 1828. Matthew himself began his working life as a schools' inspector, before becoming Professor of Poetry at Oxford University in 1857.

Answer: Emily Dickinson

'My life closed twice before its close' is the opening line, and the poem reminds us that the loss of someone we love is a source of pain, which can feel like a death, even though we remain alive. Dickinson was born in Massachusetts in 1830 and was known as a recluse.

She rarely left home, and spent her time writing, although few of her poems were published in her lifetime. Following her death, in 1886, her sister discovered the huge number of poems (over 1500) Emily had left, and arranged for their publication.

Answer: Greensleeves

The composition of the lyrics is often attributed to King Henry VIII, but the poem was not registered until 1580, more than thirty years after Henry's death. It was registered by Richard Jones, but most sources that I have checked record it as by the prolific 'Anon'.

It is usually referred to as a 'traditional English folk song and tune', and there are references to it in Shakespeare's play 'The Merry Wives of Windsor'. The other options listed are also traditional English songs, although 'Uncle Tom Cobley' would not be classed as a love poem by any stretch of the imagination.

Answer: Robert Herrick

Herrick was born in London in 1591 and lived until 1674. In the poem which begins 'Gather ye rosebuds', Herrick is advising young women not to waste time and allow their beauty to fade, but to make the most of it while it lasts. Herrick's other works include 'A Hymn to Love', 'A Meditation for his Mistress' and 'A Hymn to Venus and Cupid'. Ironically, he actually remained single his whole life.

The other poets listed were of a similar era to Herrick.

Answer: Cecil Day-Lewis

The poem was published in 1962 in an anthology called 'The Gate and other Poems'. It was written about his son, Sean, rather than the better known Daniel, who made his name in the acting profession. Although born in Ireland, Day-Lewis was raised in England and described himself as 'Anglo-Irish'.

He became Poet Laureate in 1968 and was succeeded by John Betjeman in 1972, following Day-Lewis's death. All the poets named have been Poet Laureate, but they were all English by birth as well as upbringing.

The final two lines of 'Walking Away' are 'How selfhood begins with a walking away; And love is proved in the letting go'.