The poets in our collection of World Poems were born in forty-four different countries, spanning the continents. Some poets remained in their country of birth, identifying passionately with its language and culture; others roamed the world as students, travellers or exiles. Many settled in London, drawn by its long tradition of welcoming the wider diasporas from every corner of the world.
Common themes recur in these poems: the triumphs and tragedies of history, the sorrows of exile, the joys of return, the enduring consolations of art and poetry. The poets range from writers just making a name for themselves to Nobel laureates. Several write in English, others in over twenty different languages; their poems are translated here by distinguished British, Irish and American poets. Each poet contributes something unique and personal to the story of their lives and also of ours.
We hope the poems will introduce a new audience to a broad range of world poetry: a celebration in many eloquent voices of our common humanity
You can download a copy of our World Poems on the Underground Leaflet here or see all 44 poems in their original poster form below.
AFGHANISTAN: My Voice Partaw Naderi translated by Sarah Maguire & Yama Yari
ARUBA: Free Merle Collins
AUSTRALIA: Late Summer Fires Les Murray
AUSTRIA: A Collector Erich Fried translated by Stuart Hood
BARBADOS: Naima Kamau Brathwaite
CANADA: giovanni caboto/john cabot Earle Birney
CHILE Poetry Pablo Neruda translated by Alistair Reid
CHINA: Vase Yang Lian translated by John Cayley
CZECH REPUBLIC: In the microscope Miroslav Holub translated by Ian Milner
FINLAND: Almost without Noticing Eira Stenberg translated by Herbert Lomas
FRANCE: Distances Philippe Jaccottet translated by Derek Mahon
GERMANY: Boy with Orange Lotte Kramer
GHANA: Tin Roof Nii Ayikwei Parkes
GREECE: ‘Loving the rituals’ Palladas translated by Tony Harrison
GUYANA: Toussaint L’Ouverture Acknowledges Wordsworth’s Sonnet ‘To Toussaint L’Ouverture’ John Agard
HUNGARY: Accordionist George Szirtes
INDIA: Finding India in Unexpected Places Sujata Bhatt
IRAQ: Poetry Saadi Youssef translated by Khaled Mattawa
IRELAND The Emigrant Irish Eavan Boland
ITALY: The Aegean Maria Luisa Spaziani translated by Beverly Allen
JAMAICA: Sun a-shine, rain a-fall Valerie Bloom
JAPAN: Autumn evening Matsuo Basho translated by Kenneth Rexroth
Kurdistan My Children Choman Hardi
LUXEMBOURG: The birds will still sing Anise Koltz translated by John Montague
MALAWI: The Palm Trees at Chigawe Jack Mapanje
MALAYSIA: Modern Secrets Shirley Geok-lin Lim
NEW ZEALAND: Immigrant Fleur Adcock
NICARAGUA On Lake Nicaragua Ernesto Cardenal translated by Ernesto Cardenal and Robert Pring-Mill
NIGERIA: I Sing of Change Niyi Osundare
PAKISTAN: Carving Imtiaz Dharker
NORWAY Should You die First Annabelle Despard
POLAND: Star Adam Zagajewski translated by Clare Cavanagh
PORTUGAL: 25th April 1974 Sophia de Mello Breyner translated by Ruth Fainlight
ROMANIA: ‘Thread suns’ Paul Celan translated by Michael Hamburger
RUSSIA: from Requiem Anna Akhmatova translated by Richard McKane
ST. LUCIA: Midsummer, Tobago Derek Walcott
SENEGAL Nocturne Léopold Sédar Senghor translated by Gerard Benson
SERBIA Belgrade Vasko Popa translated by Anne Pennington
SOUTH AFRICA: Inside My Zulu Hut Mbuyiseni Mtshali
SPAIN: The waves, blue walls/of Africa Rafael Alberti translated by Mark Strand
SWEDEN: From March ’79 Tomas Tranströmer translated by John F. Deane
TRINIDAD Viv Faustin Charles
TURKEY: Baku at Night Nazim Hikmet translated by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk
UNITED STATES: The Undertaking Louise Glück