Edward Thomas

Edward Thomas Poems

Edward Thomas ranks alongside Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, Robert Graves, and Rupert Brooke as one of the best poets of the World Wars. Over the few years of his life, he composed more than 150 poems, many of which are read in schools and loved to this day. Read more about Edward Thomas.

Some of the most famous poems from Thomas include ‘The Owl‘, ‘The Dark Forest,’ ‘Haymaking,’ and the ‘The Sign-Post.’

Up in the Wind

by Edward Thomas

‘Up in the Wind’ captures a public house history with the nature surrounding it, and how it impacts others.

This poem is a dramatic monologue by Edward Thomas. The poem is excellently written and follows a simple story with complex themes hiding behind it. It is regarded as one of Thomas' best-known and most commonly read poems for the way it incorporates elements of a narrative with a Romantic depiction of experience and the natural world. Readers are likely to enjoy Thomas' use of perspective and characterization as well.

I could wring the old thing's neck that put it there!

A public-house! it may be public for birds,

Squirrels and suchlike, ghosts of charcoal-burners

Explore more poems from Edward Thomas

Adlestrop

by Edward Thomas

Adlestrop is based on a very specific and short event in the poet’s life. It describes an occasion when he

Aspens

by Edward Thomas

‘Aspens’ by Edward Thomas is a six stanza poem that is separated into sets of four lines, or quatrains. The

All day and night, save winter, every weather,

Above the inn, the smithy, and the shop,

The aspens at the cross-roads talk together

Of rain, until their last leaves fall from the top.

Beauty

by Edward Thomas

‘Beauty’ by Edward Thomas is an eighteen line poem that is contained within one block of text. The lines follow

Haymaking

by Edward Thomas

Within ‘Haymaking’ Edward Thomas depicts the English countryside, one of his favorite images. He speaks on themes of time, and the power

Home

by Edward Thomas

Home by Edward Thomas is an ode to the place he feels most comfortable in the world – home. It

Liberty

by Edward Thomas

Despite the wide array of themes and ideas present in his tragically small body of work, many view Edward Thomas

Lights Out

by Edward Thomas

In ‘Lights Out’ by Edward Thomas was first published in 1917. It explores themes of sleep, death, and the unknown.

Man and Dog

by Edward Thomas

Within ‘Man and Dog’ Edward Thomas explores themes of travel, memory, and companionships. The main speaker of this text, while

Old Man

by Edward Thomas

‘Old Man’ by Edward Thomas is a thoughtful piece about the loss of memory and a disconnect to one’s past. 

Rain

by Edward Thomas

‘Rain’ by Edward Thomas was written in 1916 while Thomas was in the trenches, serving in World War I. The

Tall Nettles

by Edward Thomas

Edward Thomas’s ‘Tall Nettles’ asks readers to see as much beauty in the world as possible, even where one doesn’t expect to find it. 

The Chalk Pit

by Edward Thomas

In ‘The Chalk Pit’ Thomas explores themes of mystery, story-telling, and the past. The tone is contemplative and calm throughout

The Dark Forest

by Edward Thomas

‘The Dark Forest’ is a multi-layered poem that uses an extended metaphor to depict life and death. Forests are familiar

The Glory

by Edward Thomas

‘The Glory’ by Edward Thomas is a thirty-four line poem that is contained within one block of text. The lines

The Gypsy

by Edward Thomas

‘The Gypsy’ by Edward Thomas is a twenty-eight line poem that is contained within one block of text. The lines

The New Year

by Edward Thomas

‘The New Year’ by Edward Thomas is a twenty line poem that is contained within one block of text. Thomas

The Owl

by Edward Thomas

‘The Owl’ by Edward Thomas is a four stanza poem that is divided into sets of four lines, known as

The Sign-Post

by Edward Thomas

‘The Sign-Post’ by Edward Thomas contains a discussion within a speaker’s mind about the progression of time and the nature of Heaven. 

The Thrush

by Edward Thomas

‘The Thrush’ is one of Thomas’s lesser-known poems, but it is well worth reading all the same. Within it, Thomas

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