Richard Wilbur has translated poems and plays from the French, Russian, Spanish, and Italian. His translations of Old English include parts of the epic Beowulf. One Russian poet whose work Wilbur has translated into English is Joseph Brodsky, and Brodsky, in turn, has translated Wilbur's work into Russian. These two poets are similar in their use of rhyme and meter - aspects of poetry that are difficult to translate. Wilbur's translation of Brodsky's "The Funeral of Bob" appears in both New and Collected Poems and Brodsky's A Part of Speech.

Robert Frost (1874 - 1963) was a major influence on Wilbur. Like Wilbur, Frost was from a New England family and drew inspiration from that area of the country. The poets share an attention to detail in nature and the use of formal rhyme and meter. Frost has many books; one to...