Epics
Eirik the Red's Saga
Read by Julian Jamison
Anonymoustranslated Byjohn Sephton and William James Mcglothlin
In this saga, the events that led to Eirik the Red's banishment to Greenland are chronicled, as well as Leif Eirikson's discovery of Vinland…
Orlando Furioso
Read by Thomas A. Copeland
Ludovico Ariosto
Charlemagne's nephew Orlando (AKA Roland) is driven insane by the infidelity of his beloved Angelica. Angelica's relationship with him and o…
The Ramayan, Book 3
Read by om123
Valmiki
The Ramayan is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is attributed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon (smṛti). …
Jerusalem - The Emanation of the Giant Albion
Read by Nick Duncan
William Blake
The epic poem Jerusalem was in Blake's own opinion his masterpiece. It is the last of the great prophetic books. Originally produced as an e…
Don Juan, Canto 1
Read by Peter Gallagher
George Gordon, Lord Byron
Don Juan is a long narrative poem by Byron, based very loosely on the legend of the evil seducer, Don Juan. The first and second of (eventua…
Peer Gynt
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Henrik Ibsen
Peer is a dreamer, liar, excellent storyteller and an irresponsible person who avoids all problems. He uses and discards women and looks tow…
Milton: a Poem
Read by Brian Russell Graham
William Blake
Milton: a Poem is an epic poem by William Blake, written and illustrated between 1804 and 1810. Its hero is John Milton, who returns from he…
The Lusiads
Read by Leni
Luís Vaz de Camões
The Lusiads (Os Lusíadas) is a Portuguese epic poem, written in the 16th century by Luis Vaz de Camões. The poem tells the tal…
Don Juan, Cantos 13 - 16
Read by Peter Gallagher
George Gordon, Lord Byron
These are the last four Cantos of his mock epic that Byron completed in the year before his death at the age of 36 in Messolonghi, Greece, w…
Balder Dead (version 2)
Read by Thomas A. Copeland
Matthew Arnold
The poem begins with the beloved god Balder, thought to be invulnerable, dead at the hands of the inoffensive blind god Hoder, in a game. L…
Beowulf (Hall translation)
Read by clarinetcarrot
Unknowntranslated Byjohn Lesslie Hall and Translated Byjohn Lesslie Hall
The most famous piece of Old English literature, Beowulf was written by an unknown poet at least 1000 years ago and tells how the eponymous …
Jerusalem Delivered
Read by Thomas A. Copeland
Torquato Tasso
The First Crusade provides the backdrop for a rich tapestry of political machinations, military conflicts, martial rivalries, and love stori…
Balder Dead
Read by Nathan
Matthew Arnold
"Balder Dead" is a beautiful epic poem by Matthew Arnold. It draws from Norse mythology to retell the story of the the death of Od…
Drake
Read by Cynthia Moyer
Alfred Noyes
Alfred Noyes, in the blank-verse epic "Drake", fictionalizes the historical Francis Drake, who, during the reign of Elizabeth I of…
Sohrab and Rustum: An Episode
Read by Thomas A. Copeland
Matthew Arnold
A young soldier born among Tartars but sired by the mighty Persian lord Rustum, serves in the Tartar army, seeking his great father. To this…
The Giaour
Read by Grant Hurlock
George Gordon, Lord Byron
"The Giaour" is a poem by Lord Byron first published in 1813 and the first in the series of his Oriental romances. "The Giaou…
Hermann and Dorothea
Read by Foon
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
There are few modern poems of any country so perfect in their kind as the "Hermann and Dorothea" of Goethe. In clearness of charac…
The Ballad of the White Horse (Version 3)
Read by Robin Lamb
G. K. Chesterton
This epic poem is about Alfred the Great's defense of Christian England against the pagan Viking invaders. The decisive battle is fought in…
Georgics
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Virgil
Virgil's Georgics are the second of the three major poetic works ascribed to the poet. It was published probably around 29 BC and, as the na…
Pharsalia; Dramatic Episodes of the Civil Wars
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Lucan
Lucan's only surviving work, De Bello Civili, more generally known as the Pharsalia, is an epic poem about the civil war between Julius Caes…