Satires of Circumstance, Lyrics and Reveries, with Miscellaneous Pieces

** "Satires of Circumstance, Lyrics and Reveries, with Miscellaneous Pieces" by Thomas Hardy is a collection of poems and reflections from the late 1800s and early 1900s, expressing Hardy's feelings about love, sadness, and what it means to be human, centered around ideas of missing the past, feeling sorry, and how time keeps moving forward. Hardy, well-known as a poet and novelist, shows his skill with words in this collection. Starting with "In Front of the Landscape," the speaker is lost in old memories and places, thinking about life and how quickly memories disappear, then, in "Channel Firing," the sounds of war are set against the peacefulness of death. Additionally, "The Convergence of the Twain" thinks about winning and losing, especially related to the Titanic. This beginning part sets a thoughtful mood, inviting readers into Hardy's look at the hard parts of living through his strong poems. **