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National Poetry Day 2019: 28 of the most powerful lines ever written

On National Poetry Day, falling on 3 October, we recognise the moving spirit of poetry and its transformative effect on culture.

Here are a small collection of singular lines, stanzas, and notions possessing the power to spring the most moving of thoughts and feelings into the humming imagination of the reader.

Such poets as TS Eliot, Pablo Neruda, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Wilfred Owen are all included. Other much-celebrated authors to feature include Margaret Atwood, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath and Maya Angelou.

Click through the gallery below to see the 28 lines The Independent has selected.

The day, founded in 1999 by UNESCO, aims to celebrate poetry’s power. Many schools and bookshops around the country celebrate the occasion, with special events being held. Find out more about the day here.

This article was originally published 21 March 2016