Summer Poems
A collection of poems for summer, including an anonymous medieval lyric and classics by Thomas Nashe, William Shakespeare, Alexander Pope, William Blake, Emily Dickinson, John Greenleaf Whittier, John Clare, Robert Louis Stevenson, Paul Laurence Dunbar, James Russell Lowell, Amy Lowell and Gerard Manley Hopkins, plus new poems from contemporary poets around the world.

Poems of War and Remembrance
A collection of classic war poems, by Li Po, William Shakespeare, William Blake, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Herman Melville, Stephen Crane, Walt Whitman, Thomas Hardy, Wilfrid Wilson Gibson, John McCrae, Rupert Brooke, Carl Sandburg, Wilfred Owen, Alan Seeger, Robert Frost, Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves, William Butler Yeats and Thomas McGrath.

St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V by William Shakespeare
Poems of War: St. Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V by William Shakespeare (1599)

War Is Kind by Stephen Crane
Poems of War: “War Is Kind” by Stephen Crane (1899)

Spring Poems
A collection of poems for spring, including classics by Tu Fu, William Shakespeare, Thomas Nashe, John Webster, Thomas Carew, Robert Herrick, Matsuo Basho, Kobayashi Issa, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, D.H. Lawrence, Robert Louis Stevenson, Gerard Manley Hopkins, John Clare, Carl Sandburg, e.e. cummings, Edna St. Vincent Millay and A.E. Housman, plus new poems from contemporary poets around the world.

Poems for Fathers
A collection of classic poems about fatherhood, including classics by Su Tung-p’o, Robert Greene, Ben Jonson, Anne Bradstreet, Robert Burns, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Edgar A. Guest, Rudyard Kipling, Gerard Manley Hopkins and William Butler Yeats, plus father poems contributed by contemporary poets.

Waka Waka Bang Splat! The World's First Internet Special-Characters Poem
A poem created entirely of special characters -- it can only be properly appreciated by reading it out loud.

Sonnet
The sonnet defined, in our glossary of poetic forms, with links to examples of classic sonnets.

Song of Myself by Walt Whitman
“Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman (from Leaves of Grass, first published in the 1855 edition)

Baseball Poems
Our favorite baseball poems, selected for reading while you’re watching a game.

Winter Poems
A collection of poems for winter, including classics by William Shakespeare, Thomas Campion, Robert Burns, William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charlotte Bronte, George Meredith, Emily Dickinson, Thomas Hardy and Robert Frost, plus new poems from contemporary poets around the world.

Guide to “The Second Coming”
Notes on context, form and content, commentary and quotations on William Butler Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming” (1920).

Poems for Mothers
A collection of classic poems about motherhood, by Anne Bradstreet, William Blake, Christina Rossetti, Edgar Allan Poe, Rudyard Kipling, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, William Butler Yeats, Henry Van Dyke, Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes and Claude McKay.

Poems After the Attack
An collection of poems written during the “War on Terrorism” after the September 11, 2001 attack on America, from poets around the Net and in the About Poetry Forum.

Acrostic Poem
Acrostic poem defined, in our glossary of poetic forms, with links to examples of classic acrostic poems.

Sonnet 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Love Poems: Sonnet 43 (“How do I love thee?”) from Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1850)

How To Memorize a Poem
You memorize because you have to, the poem was written for you and you must make it your own, step-by-step you learn it by heart...

The Witches' Spell from Macbeth by William Shakespeare - Read The Witches' Spell from Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Halloween Poems: The Witches’ Spell from Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1606)

Locate the Text of a Poem
A simple step-by-step outline of how to find the text of a poem on the Net when you can only remember one line.

Poems of Sailors and Seafarers
An anthology of classic poems inspired by mariners, the sailing life and the sea itself, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Walt Whitman, Matthew Arnold, Robert Louis Stevenson, John Masefield, Ezra Pound, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Thomas Hardy, D.H. Lawrence and Carl Sandburg.

Classic Nursery Rhymes
A collection of classic English and American nursery rhymes—the lullabyes, counting games, riddles and rhymed fables that are children’s earliest experiences of poetry.

Poems for Peace
An anthology of poems for peace, gathered at About Poetry during the war in Iraq, as the necessary successor to our Poems After the Attack collection of 9.11.01 poems.

Carpe Diem Poems
A collection of classic poems on the passage of time and the human impulse to “Seize the Day,” by William Shakespeare, Thomas Jordan, Robert Herrick, Andrew Marvell, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, William Ernest Henley and Robert Frost.

The Soldier by Rupert Brooke
Poems of War: Sonnet V., “The Soldier” from the sonnet sequence 1914 by Rupert Brooke (1915)

Villanelle
The villanelle defined, in our glossary of poetic forms.

Love Poems
A collection of classic love poems by Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, John Donne, Robert Herrick, Anne Bradstreet, Andrew Marvell, Robert Burns, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Christina Rossetti and William Butler Yeats.

Not to Keep by Robert Frost
Poems of War: “Not to Keep” by Robert Frost (1917)

Autumn Poems
A collection of poems for the fall season, including classics by William Blake, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Robert Louis Stevenson, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Carl Sandburg, William Butler Yeats and Robert Frost, plus new poems from contemporary poets around the world.

Put Together a Manuscript
A simple step-by-step outline to help you gather your poems in manuscript form for submission to publishers or publication contests, transforming your sheaf of assorted poems into a book manuscript.

Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare
Love Poems: Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare (1609)

A something in a summer's Day by Emily Dickinson
Summer Poems: “A something in a summer’s day” (#122) by Emily Dickinson

Haiku
Haiku defined, in our glossary of poetic forms.

Summer Sun by Robert Louis Stevenson
Summer Poems: “Summer Sun” from A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson (1885)

Song of Myself by Walt Whitman (page 3)
“Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman (from Leaves of Grass, first published in the 1855 edition), page 3

Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
Love Poems: Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare (1609)

Independence Day Poems: 'A Nation's Strength' by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1904)
'A Nation's Strength' by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1904)

Father by Edgar A. Guest - Read the Poem Father by Edgar A. Guest
Poems for Fathers: “Father” by Edgar A. Guest (1909)

Storm Poems
A collection of classic poems inspired by stormy weather—tempests, tornadoes, hurricanes and all manner of storms, by William Shakespeare, William Cullen Bryant, Walt Whitman, Amy Lowell, Robert Frost, Siegfried Sassoon and Jean Toomer.

Robert Frost
A reference page on Robert Frost, celebrated American poet whose work is rooted in New England farm life, combining a modernist sensibility and sense of language in traditional verse forms.

Country at War by Robert Graves
Poems of War: “Country at War” by Robert Graves (1920)

Sylvia Plath
A reference page on Sylvia Plath, brilliant young confessional poet who committed suicide at the age of 30 amid the upheaval of her failed marriage to Ted Hughes, and became a poetic and feminist icon after her death.

July 4th Poems
A selection of classic poems about America for Independence Day, by William Blake, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Emma Lazarus, Walt Whitman, Carl Sandburg, Stephen Vincent Benét and Claude McKay.

Summer by John Clare - Read the Poem Summer by John Clare
Summer Poems: Text of the Poem “Summer” by John Clare (1865)

Guide to “Kubla Khan”
Notes on the content of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan” (1798).

Guide to “Tintern Abbey”
Notes on context, form and content, commentary and quotations on William Wordsworth’s poem “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” (1798).

Nefarious War by Li Po
Poems of War: “Nefarious War,” by Li Po (c. 750)

To Summer by William Blake - Read the Poem To Summer by William Blake
Summer Poems: Text of the Poem “To Summer” by William Blake (from Poetical Sketches, 1783)

The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Poems of War: “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1854)

Get Started Submitting
A simple step-by-step outline to help you manage the process of submitting your poems for publication in print.

Guide to Blake’s “The Tyger”
Notes on the content of William Blake’s poem “The Tyger” from Songs of Experience (1794).

Dirge for Two Veterans by Walt Whitman
Poems of War: “Dirge for Two Veterans” by Walt Whitman (from Leaves of Grass, first published in the 1867 edition)

The Summer Rain by Henry David Thoreau - Read the Poem The Summer Rain by Henry David Thoreau
Summer Poems: Text of the Poem “The Summer Rain” by Henry David Thoreau (1842)

Concrete Poems: 'The Bird' and 'The Quill' by Ernesto Santiago
'The Bird' and 'The Quill' by Ernesto Santiago: limitless sky concrete poems airborne ranger helvetica font body background

Only a Dad by Edgar A. Guest - Read the Poem Only a Dad by Edgar A. Guest
Poems for Fathers: “Only a Dad” by Edgar A. Guest (1916)

Ghazal
The ghazal defined, in our glossary of poetic forms, with links to read examples of ghazals written in English.

Holman Poems Everyone
A list of 11 essential poems everyone should know, selected by Poetry Guide Bob Holman—these are talisman poems, crucial revelations in his journey of exploration in the world of poetry.

Terza Rima
Terza rima defined, in our glossary of poetic forms.

Aftermath by Siegfried Sassoon
Poems of War: “Aftermath” by Siegfried Sassoon (1919)

Anecdote for Fathers by William Wordsworth - Read the Poem Anecdote for Fathers by William Wordsworth
Poems for Fathers: “Anecdote for Fathers” by William Wordsworth (1798)

The Artilleryman's Vision by Walt Whitman
Poems of War: “The Artilleryman’s Vision” by Walt Whitman (from Leaves of Grass, first published in the 1871-72 edition)

A Prayer in Spring by Robert Frost
Poems for Spring: Text of the poem “A Prayer in Spring” by Robert Frost (1915).

The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth
The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth (1803): solitary reaper by william wordsworth highland lass cuckoo bird william wordsworth arabian sands

The Secret of the Sea by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Poems of Sailors and Seafarers: “The Secret of the Sea” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1850)

Sweet Summer by Wayne Jarus - Read the summer poem Sweet Summer by Wayne Jarus
Summer Poems: “Sweet Summer” by Wayne Jarus

Summer by Amy Lowell
Summer Poems: “Summer” by Amy Lowell (1912)

A light exists in spring by Emily Dickinson
Poems for Spring: “A light exists in spring” (#812) by Emily Dickinson

Carpe Diem from Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare - Read the Poem Carpe Diem from Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Carpe Diem Poems: Text of “Carpe Diem” from Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (1623).

I Have a Rendezvous with Death by Alan Seeger
Poems of War: “I Have a Rendezvous with Death” by Alan Seeger (1917)

Iron and Grass by Carl Sandburg
Poems of War: “Iron” (1916) and “Grass” (1918) by Carl Sandburg

Summer Poems - Hot Summer Nights by Mary Hamrick
Summer Poems: “Hot Summer Nights” by Mary Hamrick

William Wordsworth
A reference page on British Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850), whose theory of poetry began the Romantic movement in English poetry at the end of the 18th century, and whose poems immortalize the sublime landscapes of his beloved Lake District.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Ballads and Poems of Sailors and Seafarers: “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1798)

Varieties of Nursery Rhymes
Nursery rhymes come in many different shapes, sizes and types. Here’s an annotated list of some of the varieties of nursery rhymes, with linked examples.

If by Rudyard Kipling - Read the Poem If by Rudyard Kipling
Poems for Fathers: “If” by Rudyard Kipling (1910)

Dust of Snow and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
Winter Poems: “Dust of Snow” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost (1923)

Summer from The Second Pastoral by Alexander Pope - Read the Classic Poem Summer from The Second Pastoral by Alexander Pope
Summer Poems: Text of the poem “Summer” from The Second Pastoral, by Alexander Pope (1709)

Blow, blow thou winter wind from As You Like It by William Shakespeare
Winter Poems: “Blow, blow thou winter wind” from As You Like It by William Shakespeare (1600)

Sestina
The sestina defined, in our glossary of poetic forms, with links to examples of classic sestinas.

On Being Asked for a War Poem by William Butler Yeats
Poems of War: “On Being Asked for a War Poem” by William Butler Yeats (1928)

To My Mother by Christina Rossetti
Poems for Mothers: “To My Mother” by Christina Rossetti (1842)

'An Acrostic' by Edgar Allan Poe
'An Acrostic' by Edgar Allan Poe (1829): edgar allan poe poems by edgar allan poe pride and passion acrostic poetic forms

To My Mother by Edgar Allan Poe
Poems for Mothers: “To My Mother” by Edgar Allan Poe (1849)

Summer - we all have seen by Emily Dickinson - Read the Poem Summer - we all have seen by Emily Dickinson
Summer Poems: Text of the Poem “Summer — we all have seen —” (#1386) by Emily Dickinson

Spring Song from Love's Labors Lost by William Shakespeare
Poems for Spring: “Spring” (song from Love’s Labors Lost) by William Shakespeare (1598)

In Flanders Fields by John McCrae
Poems of War: “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae (1915)

Two Tramps in Mud Time by Robert Frost
Poems for Spring: “Two Tramps in Mud Time” by Robert Frost (1934)

The Little Boy Found by William Blake
Poems for Mothers: “The Little Boy Found” by William Blake (from Songs of Innocence, 1791)

In the Mountains on a Summer Day by Li Po translated by Arthur Waley
Summer Poems: “In the Mountains on a Summer Day” by Li Po (c. 750, trans. Arthur Waley 1919)

The Barefoot Boy by John Greenleaf Whittier - Text of the Poem The Barefoot Boy by John Greenleaf Whittier
Summer Poems: Text of the Poem “The Barefoot Boy” by John Greenleaf Whittier (1855)

Song of Myself by Walt Whitman (page 2)
“Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman (from Leaves of Grass, first published in the 1855 edition), page 2

Abecedarian Poem
Abecedarian poem defined, in our glossary of poetic forms, with links to examples of poems written in abecedarian form.

William Blake
A reference page on William Blake, visionary poet and artist who created his own mythology, wrote epics and children's rhymes, and made illustrated books that are admired icons centuries after his death.

Carpe Diem by Robert Frost - Read the Poem Carpe Diem by Robert Frost
Carpe Diem Poems: Text of the poem “Carpe Diem” by Robert Frost (1923)

To Spring by William Blake
Poems for Spring: “To Spring” by William Blake (1783)

'Among School Children' by William Butler Yeats
'Among School Children' by William Butler Yeats (1928)

A Spring View by Tu Fu
Poems for Spring: “A Spring View” (c. 750), translated by Witter Bynner

Edgar Allan Poe
A reference page on Edgar Allan Poe, American Romantic poet, balladeer, journalist and inventor of the modern detective story and horror tale.

Spring, the Sweet Spring from Summer's Last Will and Testament by Thomas Nashe
Poems for Spring: “Spring, the Sweet Spring,” from Summer’s Last Will and Testament by Thomas Nashe (1600)

Cento
Cento defined, in our glossary of poetic forms, with links to examples of poems written in cento form.

HipHop, PerfPo, SpokenWd, Slam
Definitions of 'open mic,' 'poetry slam,' 'spoken word,' 'performance poetry,' 'poetry,' 'hiphop' & 'rap' from Eman, 16-year-old poet & host of two weekly open mics. 'If you’re looking for the definitions of the New Poetry from the younger generation, she’s the one to ask.'

Concrete Poems: 'Rain Song' by Ruth Nott
'Rain Song' by Ruth Nott: concrete poems rain song helvetica font body background puddles

Shiloh A Requiem by Herman Melville
Poems of War: “Shiloh: A Requiem (April, 1862)” by Herman Melville (1866)

The Spring by Thomas Carew
Poems for Spring: “The Spring” by Thomas Carew (1640)

My Mother by Claude McKay
Poems for Mothers: “My Mother” by Claude McKay (1922)

Mother o' Mine by Rudyard Kipling
Poems for Mothers: “Mother o’ Mine” by Rudyard Kipling (1891)

Imagism
A brief history of the Imagist movement in modernist poetry, summarizing its principles as outlined by Ezra Pound and Amy Lowell.

Lines Written in Early Spring by William Wordsworth
Poems for Spring: “Lines Written in Early Spring” by William Wordsworth (1798)

Look Down, Fair Moon and When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd by Walt Whitman
Poems of War: “Look Down, Fair Moon” and “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” by Walt Whitman (from Leaves of Grass, first published in the 1867 edition)

'The Second Coming' by William Butler Yeats
'The Second Coming' by William Butler Yeats (1920)

Sumer Is Icumen In - Read the Classic Summer Poem Sumer Is Icumen In
Summer Poems: Text of the poem “Sumer Is Icumen In” (traditional English round, c. 1250)

Back and Comrades by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson
Poems of War: “Back” and “Comrades” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson (1915)

Triolet
The triolet defined, in our glossary of poetic forms, with links to samples of poems written in the triolet form.

To Winter by William Blake
Winter Poems: “To Winter” by William Blake (1783)

Pantoum
The pantoum defined, in our glossary of poetic forms, with links to read examples of pantoums written in English.

In Time of The Breaking of Nations and The Man He Killed by Thomas Hardy
Poems of War: “In Time of ‘The Breaking of Nations’” and “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy (1915)

This Old Man - Read the classic nursery rhyme This Old Man
Original text of the poem This Old Man, 1906: knick knack helvetica font man body this old man he played one body background

Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen
Poems of War: “Anthem for Doomed Youth” by Wilfred Owen (1917)

Poets Laureate of the U.S.A.
A Net-annotated list of all the poets who have served the Library of Congress as Consultant (the old title) or Poet Laureate Consultant (the new title), linked to biographies and reference sites.

The Schoolboy by William Blake - Read the Classic Poem The Schoolboy by William Blake
Summer Poems: Text of the Poem “The Schoolboy” by William Blake (from Songs of Experience, 1794)

Summer in the South by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Summer Poems: “Summer in the South” by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1903)

There was a Child went Forth by Walt Whitman
Poems for Mothers: “There was a Child went Forth” by Walt Whitman (first published in 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass)

Sonnet 21 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Love Poems: Sonnet 21 from Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1850)

Poems from Poetry Africa 2003: 'Sisters' by Lebogang Mashile
'Sisters' a poem by Lebogang Mashile, gathered by Bob Holman at the Poetry Africa 2003 conference

Library: Frost Poems
Our library of poem texts – selected poems by Robert Frost, in chronological order.

Remembering That Island by Thomas McGrath
Poems of War: Selection from “Remembering That Island” by Thomas McGrath (1972)

Sonnet 14 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Love Poems: Sonnet 14 from Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1850)

Patterns by Amy Lowell
Poems of War: “Patterns” by Amy Lowell (1916)

Notes, “Nothing Gold Can Stay”
Notes on reading Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” an extremely compressed lyric on the evanescence of value and the inevitability of a fall, from his 1923 collection, New Hampshire.

An Old Man's Winter Night by Robert Frost
Winter Poems: “An Old Man’s Winter Night” by Robert Frost (1920)

Glossary of Poetic Forms
Traditional poetic forms briefly defined.

Poems for Peace: 'Holy War'
Hugh Hodge's contribution to the About Poetry anthology of peace poems

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe - Read the classic nursery rhyme One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Original text of the poem One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, 1805

The Sailor Boy by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Poems of Sailors and Seafarers: “The Sailor Boy” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1861)

Sonnet 98 by William Shakespeare
Poems for Spring: Sonnet 98 - “From you have I been absent in the spring” by William Shakespeare (1609)

Index of Poems by Poet Name
Alphabetical index by poet’s name of all the poems in the library at the About Poetry Web site.

A Sailor's Song by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Poems of Sailors and Seafarers: “A Sailor’s Song” by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1899)

Hush, Little Baby, or The Mockingbird Song - Read the classic nursery rhyme Hush, Little Baby, also called The Mockingbird Song
Original text of the poem Hush, Little Baby, also called The Mockingbird Song, traditional, probably 18th century

Requiem by Robert Louis Stevenson
Poems of Sailors and Seafarers: “Requiem” by Robert Louis Stevenson (1887)

Drawing the Line: Ed Sanders' 1968 is Poetry Book of the Year (1997)
This is 1997, not the most amazing year of the century. . . . But we have he who has refused to be burnt out, torch-bearer Ed Sanders, providing us with a way forward through the past.

Summer Three Ways by Dorothea Grossman - Read the summer poem Summer: Three Ways by Dorothea Grossman
Summer Poems: “Summer: Three Ways” by Dorothea Grossman

Mother and Poet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Poems of War: “Mother and Poet” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1862)

Poems After the Attack: 'If Only'
A poem written after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on America by Adam.

Walt Whitman
A reference page on Walt Whitman, quintessential American poet who sang of individual freedom, democracy and the brotherhood of man in the many editions of his compendious masterpiece, Leaves of Grass.

Poems After the Attack, One Year Later: 'Silence (over Manhattan)'
A poem written by Paula Bardell during the year since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on America.

Sonnets are full of love by Christina Rossetti
Poems for Mothers: “Sonnets are full of love” by Christina Rossetti (1881)

Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen
Poems of War: “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen (1917)

High from the earth I heard a bird by Emily Dickinson - Read the Poem High from the earth I heard a bird by Emily Dickinson
Poems for Fathers: “High from the earth I heard a bird;” (#1723) by Emily Dickinson

Snyder Poems Everyone
A list of essential poems everyone should know, selected by Poetry Guide Margery Snyder—these are classics of the English language, old poems that linger in the memory of English speakers and shape our thoughts.

Halloween Poems
A collection of classic Halloween poems, including a selection from Shakespeare's Macbeth, the traditional ballad 'Tam Lin' and poems by John Donne, Lord Brooke Fulke Greville, Robert Herrick, Robert Burns, George Gordon Lord Byron, Edgar Allan Poe & Christina Rossetti.