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Poetry Guides
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On the Grasshopper and Cricket
by John Keats
The English Romantic poet John Keats (1795-1821) wrote "On the Grasshopper and Cricket" during an 1816 sonnet competition with his friend Leigh Hunt; he published the poem in his first collection, ...
Afternoons
by Philip Larkin
"Afternoons" appears in Philip Larkin's collection The Whitsun Weddings (1964). The poem presents a melancholy portrait of families at a playground, centered on "Young mothers" who have transitione...
The Fly
by William Blake
"The Fly" is one of English Romantic poet William Blake's visionary poems from Songs of Experience (the second volume of his groundbreaking 1794 collection Songs of Innocence and of Experience). Th...
On the Grasshopper and Cricket
by John Keats
The English Romantic poet John Keats (1795-1821) wrote "On the Grasshopper and Cricket" during an 1816 sonnet competition with his friend Leigh Hunt; he published the poem in his first collection, ...
Afternoons
by Philip Larkin
"Afternoons" appears in Philip Larkin's collection The Whitsun Weddings (1964). The poem presents a melancholy portrait of families at a playground, centered on "Young mothers" who have transitione...
The Fly
by William Blake
"The Fly" is one of English Romantic poet William Blake's visionary poems from Songs of Experience (the second volume of his groundbreaking 1794 collection Songs of Innocence and of Experience). Th...
In Your Mind
by Carol Ann Duffy
The British poet Carol Ann Duffy published "In Your Mind" in her 1990 collection The Other Country. Like many of the poems of this collection, "In Your Mind" explores the startling journeys people ...
On the Grasshopper and Cricket
by John Keats
The English Romantic poet John Keats (1795-1821) wrote "On the Grasshopper and Cricket" during an 1816 sonnet competition with his friend Leigh Hunt; he published the poem in his first collection, ...
Afternoons
by Philip Larkin
"Afternoons" appears in Philip Larkin's collection The Whitsun Weddings (1964). The poem presents a melancholy portrait of families at a playground, centered on "Young mothers" who have transitione...
The Fly
by William Blake
"The Fly" is one of English Romantic poet William Blake's visionary poems from Songs of Experience (the second volume of his groundbreaking 1794 collection Songs of Innocence and of Experience). Th...
In Your Mind
by Carol Ann Duffy
The British poet Carol Ann Duffy published "In Your Mind" in her 1990 collection The Other Country. Like many of the poems of this collection, "In Your Mind" explores the startling journeys people ...
Byzantium
by William Butler Yeats
"Byzantium" is Irish poet W.B. Yeats's meditation on the relationship between mortality and immortality, the physical world and the spiritual world, and humanity and art. In this complex, mysteriou...
I died for Beauty—but was scarce
by Emily Dickinson
Written around 1862 and published posthumously in 1890, "I died for Beauty—but was scarce" is one of Emily Dickinson's most haunting and well-known poems. The speaker, a cryptic voice from the afte...
In Your Mind
by Carol Ann Duffy
The British poet Carol Ann Duffy published "In Your Mind" in her 1990 collection The Other Country. Like many of the poems of this collection, "In Your Mind" explores the startling journeys people ...
Byzantium
by William Butler Yeats
"Byzantium" is Irish poet W.B. Yeats's meditation on the relationship between mortality and immortality, the physical world and the spiritual world, and humanity and art. In this complex, mysteriou...
I died for Beauty—but was scarce
by Emily Dickinson
Written around 1862 and published posthumously in 1890, "I died for Beauty—but was scarce" is one of Emily Dickinson's most haunting and well-known poems. The speaker, a cryptic voice from the afte...
Mrs Aesop
by Carol Ann Duffy
Carol Ann Duffy's "Mrs Aesop" is a poem about an ancient Greek storyteller famous for his fables, or short tales that teach a moral lesson. The poem takes the form of a dramatic monologue from the ...
The Spirit Is Too Blunt an Instrument
by Anne Stevenson
"The Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument" was published in English poet Anne Stevenson's 1969 collection Reversals. The poem's speaker marvels at the incredible complexities of a newborn baby's body,...
William Street
by Kenneth Slessor
Kenneth Slessor's "William Street," included in the poet's 1939 collection Five Bells: XX Poems, finds the beauty in urban grunge and chaos. The speaker vividly describes the sights, smells, and so...
From An Essay on Criticism: A little learning is a dangerous thing
by Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" seeks to lay down rules of good taste in poetry criticism, and in poetry itself. Structured as an essay in rhyming verse, it offers advice to the aspiring c...
Rain
by Edward Thomas
Written in 1916, during his training as a World War I soldier, Edward Thomas's "Rain" contemplates the solitude of life and the inevitability of death. The poem's speaker lies awake and alone at ni...
I cautious, scanned my little life
by Emily Dickinson
The American poet Emily Dickinson wrote "I cautious, scanned my little life" around 1860, though, like most of her poems, it wasn't published until after her death. The poem's speaker takes stock o...
The Man with Night Sweats
by Thom Gunn
"The Man with Night Sweats" appears in Thom Gunn's 1992 collection of the same title. Often acclaimed as his masterpiece, The Man with Night Sweats reflects on the HIV/AIDS epidemic (at a time when...
On the Day of Judgment
by Jonathan Swift
"On the Day of Judgment" is a poem usually attributed to Jonathan Swift, an 18th-century Irish poet, essayist, and Anglican cleric known for his biting satire. The poem imagines the arrival of Judg...
The Wind – tapped like a tired Man –
by Emily Dickinson
"The Wind – tapped like a tired Man" is Emily Dickinson's tale of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. When the poem's speaker treats a wind tapping at the door as an honored guest, they're r...
Byzantium
by William Butler Yeats
"Byzantium" is Irish poet W.B. Yeats's meditation on the relationship between mortality and immortality, the physical world and the spiritual world, and humanity and art. In this complex, mysteriou...
I died for Beauty—but was scarce
by Emily Dickinson
Written around 1862 and published posthumously in 1890, "I died for Beauty—but was scarce" is one of Emily Dickinson's most haunting and well-known poems. The speaker, a cryptic voice from the afte...
Mrs Aesop
by Carol Ann Duffy
Carol Ann Duffy's "Mrs Aesop" is a poem about an ancient Greek storyteller famous for his fables, or short tales that teach a moral lesson. The poem takes the form of a dramatic monologue from the ...
The Spirit Is Too Blunt an Instrument
by Anne Stevenson
"The Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument" was published in English poet Anne Stevenson's 1969 collection Reversals. The poem's speaker marvels at the incredible complexities of a newborn baby's body,...
William Street
by Kenneth Slessor
Kenneth Slessor's "William Street," included in the poet's 1939 collection Five Bells: XX Poems, finds the beauty in urban grunge and chaos. The speaker vividly describes the sights, smells, and so...
From An Essay on Criticism: A little learning is a dangerous thing
by Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" seeks to lay down rules of good taste in poetry criticism, and in poetry itself. Structured as an essay in rhyming verse, it offers advice to the aspiring c...
Rain
by Edward Thomas
Written in 1916, during his training as a World War I soldier, Edward Thomas's "Rain" contemplates the solitude of life and the inevitability of death. The poem's speaker lies awake and alone at ni...
I cautious, scanned my little life
by Emily Dickinson
The American poet Emily Dickinson wrote "I cautious, scanned my little life" around 1860, though, like most of her poems, it wasn't published until after her death. The poem's speaker takes stock o...
The Man with Night Sweats
by Thom Gunn
"The Man with Night Sweats" appears in Thom Gunn's 1992 collection of the same title. Often acclaimed as his masterpiece, The Man with Night Sweats reflects on the HIV/AIDS epidemic (at a time when...
On the Day of Judgment
by Jonathan Swift
"On the Day of Judgment" is a poem usually attributed to Jonathan Swift, an 18th-century Irish poet, essayist, and Anglican cleric known for his biting satire. The poem imagines the arrival of Judg...
The Wind – tapped like a tired Man –
by Emily Dickinson
"The Wind – tapped like a tired Man" is Emily Dickinson's tale of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. When the poem's speaker treats a wind tapping at the door as an honored guest, they're r...
Mrs Aesop
by Carol Ann Duffy
Carol Ann Duffy's "Mrs Aesop" is a poem about an ancient Greek storyteller famous for his fables, or short tales that teach a moral lesson. The poem takes the form of a dramatic monologue from the ...
The Spirit Is Too Blunt an Instrument
by Anne Stevenson
"The Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument" was published in English poet Anne Stevenson's 1969 collection Reversals. The poem's speaker marvels at the incredible complexities of a newborn baby's body,...
William Street
by Kenneth Slessor
Kenneth Slessor's "William Street," included in the poet's 1939 collection Five Bells: XX Poems, finds the beauty in urban grunge and chaos. The speaker vividly describes the sights, smells, and so...
From An Essay on Criticism: A little learning is a dangerous thing
by Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" seeks to lay down rules of good taste in poetry criticism, and in poetry itself. Structured as an essay in rhyming verse, it offers advice to the aspiring c...
Rain
by Edward Thomas
Written in 1916, during his training as a World War I soldier, Edward Thomas's "Rain" contemplates the solitude of life and the inevitability of death. The poem's speaker lies awake and alone at ni...
I cautious, scanned my little life
by Emily Dickinson
The American poet Emily Dickinson wrote "I cautious, scanned my little life" around 1860, though, like most of her poems, it wasn't published until after her death. The poem's speaker takes stock o...
The Man with Night Sweats
by Thom Gunn
"The Man with Night Sweats" appears in Thom Gunn's 1992 collection of the same title. Often acclaimed as his masterpiece, The Man with Night Sweats reflects on the HIV/AIDS epidemic (at a time when...
On the Day of Judgment
by Jonathan Swift
"On the Day of Judgment" is a poem usually attributed to Jonathan Swift, an 18th-century Irish poet, essayist, and Anglican cleric known for his biting satire. The poem imagines the arrival of Judg...
The Wind – tapped like a tired Man –
by Emily Dickinson
"The Wind – tapped like a tired Man" is Emily Dickinson's tale of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. When the poem's speaker treats a wind tapping at the door as an honored guest, they're r...
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