I have tried to range over the whole field of English Verse from the beginning, or from the Thirteenth Century to this closing year of the Nineteenth, and to choose the best.

我尝试遍览英语诗歌的整个领域，从最初，即从十三世纪，直至十九世纪末，并挑选其中的精华。

My scheme is simple. I have arranged the poets as nearly as possible in order of birth, with such groupings of anonymous pieces as seemed convenient.

我的方案很简单。我尽可能按出生年代排列诗人，并酌情将无名氏之作分组。