Thank you, everyone, for all these contributions. Here is an old Anglo-Saxon (Old English) poem, "Deor", which contains one of my favourite refrains to see me through hard times:

Þæs ofereode, ðisses swa mæg
That passed, so may this

You can read the whole poem in Modern and Old English here: DEOR and also hear it spoken in the beautiful sounds of Old English.

Here are a couple of poetry anthologies that I thoroughly recommend, and which see me through all the ups and downs:

"101 Poems that could save your life: An Anthology of Emotional First Aid", edited by Daisy Goodwin, publ. Harper Collins

"Staying Alive: real poems for unreal times", edited by Neil Astley, publ. Bloodaxe Books.

- jeanie