The centrepiece is The Ballad of Reading Gaol, written after Wilde’s release from prison and first published under his cell number, C.3.3. Around it stand his earlier poems: ‘Ave Imperatrix’, ‘Magdalen Walks’, a villanelle to Theocritus, sonnets addressed to Ellen Terry, Henry Irving and Sarah Bernhardt, and a poem to his wife.
The essential poetry of Wilde in a slim volume, ideal for readers who know him only as a dramatist and wit. Download the free EPUB.