A Shropshire Lad by A.E. Housman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sad stuff and somewhat repetitive in theme, but Housman is a great poet, and there are some real gems here.

I love an anecdote from Lenten Lands, the autobiography of Douglas Gresham. Gresham's mother, Joy Davidman Gresham, was the American poet who became Lewis's wife.

One day, the 14-year-old Douglas walked into the living room, and there were his mother and Lewis, both with tears running down their cheeks. Wondering what was wrong, Douglas asked, "What's the matter?"

Lewis replied, "Nothing's wrong, Doug. We're reading the poems of A. E. Housman and they always do this to us."

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