Many famous poets travelled the world during their lives as they searched for literary inspiration and free slap-up meals. Some places inspired more poetry than most.
Flanders, Belgium – John McCrae, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, etc
The reason this part of Belgium is featured in so many poems is because it was the frontlines of World War I.
Millions of young men lost their lives here and it’s humbling to think that some found solace in writing poetry about the nightmare conditions of the trenches.
Today, the area is full of idyllic fields and country charm.
Paris, France – Oscar Wilde, Alfred Tennyson, Victor Hugo, etc
Paris has always been a hotbed of artistic expression, particularly throughout periods such as the Belle Époque and the 1920s.
Whether they are about the city’s inarguable and striking beauty, or its notoriously seedy underbelly, Parisian poems never disappoint.
Egypt – William Butler Yeats, Percy Shelley, Walt Whitman, etc
Egypt has been a source of fascination for poets due to its plethora of ancient myths, offering archetypes and legends ripe for poetic dissection.
The Nile as the vibrant source of life in a dry desert land has also given poets drink for thought.
(Featured image: Eric The Fish (2012))
