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Online poetry

Discover new poets through this free online collection of brilliant, moving, funny and groundbreaking poems curated by our specialist poetry librarians.

Search the poems by type or by topic, or use your own search terms.

 

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More details for 'That you cannot see where you tread'
A three-panel woodcut print with text and imagery: The top has a gray quote, the middle shows a black figure in a red sun over blue waves, and the bottom has a green poem.

'That you cannot see where you tread'

Helen McNabb / Paul Peter Piech

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Tagged with topic: Identity Oceans Rivers Seas
More details for from The Odyssey
A page with a red text excerpt from The Odyssey, the opening lines translated, credited to Homer, on a beige background.

from The Odyssey

Homer

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Tagged with topic: Nature Oceans Rivers Seas Society Travel & places
Audience in the National Poetry Library

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You can support our work and programme of free events for children and adults by making a donation. Every penny you give will go towards the National Poetry Library.

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For your visit

National Poetry Library Southbank Centre

The National Poetry Library is open six days a week.

Tuesday, 12 noon – 6pm
Wednesday – Sunday, 12 noon – 8pm
Monday, closed.

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Getting here

The National Poetry Library is on Level 5 of our Royal Festival Hall.

Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.

The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues.  More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.

We’re cash-free

Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.

 

Access

We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.

All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access. 

All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.

 

Study & library use

The library is London’s only space dedicated to poetry study. Visitors studying another subject or looking for a place to work are kindly asked to find an alternative space in the Royal Festival Hall.