Poets have long treated birds as a captivating source of inspiration as metaphors, references, and symbols of death, eternity, life, love, power, religious beliefs, and superstitions. Others have used different types of birds to express their thoughts and emotions. This volume highlights these remarkable creatures as they take flight from the Elizabethan era through the twentieth century. Selections from classic to contemporary authors include poems by Samuel Beckett, William Blake, Emily Dickinson, John Keats, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Rainer Maria Rilke, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, William Butler Yeats, and others. This anthology is ideal for classroom use, independent study, and personal perusal.