The bird has served as one of poetry’s greatest muses since ancient times. This exhibit explores the roles birds have played in poetry over the centuries, from the Middle Ages to contemporary times. Distinct poems have been selected for various species in order to display the diversity of influence birds convey to writers. The exhibit contains selections by poets such as St.-John Perse, James Wright, Charles Simic, Sylvia Plath, Matthew Arnold, Gary Snyder and many others.