Thomas Hardy, one of the most famous of the late-Victorian novelists, wrote poetry throughout his long life. Hardy published his first volume of poetry in 1898 at the age of fifty-eight. Over the next thirty years, he published a large and varied body of poetry. While some poems are highly innovative, the majority are accessible to readers in our century. Facing disappointments and loss (including the death of his first wife), Hardy ultimately finds consolation in family, nature, and the rhythms of rural life. After studying Hardy’s works for most of my adult life, I frequently turn to Hardy’s poetry in retirement. This essay chronicles my personal responses to Hardy’s later poems and the sense of consolation and joy that these poems offer.