Kytice was inspired by Erben's love of Slavonic myth and the folklore surrounding such creatures as The Noonday Witch and The Water Goblin. First published in 1853, these poems, along with Macha's Maj and Nemcova's Babicka, are the best loved and most widely read 19th century Czech classics. Published here in the expanded 1861 version, the collection has moved generations of artists and composers, including Dvorak, Smetana and Janacek. "There is no such degree of precision, clarity and truth as is found in The Water-Goblin" - Leos Janacek Translated and with an introduction by Susan Reynolds, Curator of the Czech, Slovak and Lusatian Collections at the British Library.