Narrative Poems

an afternoon nap

by Arthur Yap

‘an afternoon nap’ by Arthur Yap explores the lacunae in the modern education system and how it results in anxiety and stress in students.

This poem utilizes the narrative form and is told from the perspective of a third-person, unemotional narrator.

the ambitious mother across the road

is at it again. proclaming her goodness

she beats the boy. shouting out his wrongs, with raps

she begins with his mediocre report-book grades.

The Raven

by Edgar Allan Poe

‘The Raven’ is commonly considered to be Edgar Allan Poe’s poetic masterpiece. It details a harrowing night in the speaker’s life that includes incessant knocking and a talking raven that only says one word–“Nevermore.”

This poem is a great example of a narrative poem, as it tells a story through the use of verse. The poem follows the speaker's descent into madness after the death of his beloved Lenore. The titular bird serves as a mysterious and foreboding presence, leading the speaker to confront his own mortality and the grief he feels over his loss.

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,

In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;

Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;

Death of a Young Woman

by Gillian Clarke

Explore ‘Death of a Young Woman,’ where Clarke depicts how a loved one’s death lets a person free from their inward, endless suffering.

This piece narrates the story of a woman who, after battling with an underlying illness for a certain period, accepted death at a young age.

He wept for her and for the hard tasks

He had lovingly done, for the short,

Fierce life she had lived in the white bed,

For the burden he had put down for good.

Maud Muller

by John Greenleaf Whittier

‘Maud Muller’ by John Greenleaf Whittier is a classic narrative ballad that recounts how the poor peasant, Maud, and an urban judge fantasize about getting married and living together. However, neither of them ever takes action, which fills their lives with regret.

This narrative ballad, told from the 3rd-person perspective, is an excellent example of poetic storytelling. Ultimately, the story offers the listener a moral that we could all bear to hear time and time again.

God pity them both! and pity us all,

Who vainly the dreams of youth recall.

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,

The saddest are these: “It might have been!”

The Ballad of Reading Gaol

by Oscar Wilde

‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ by Oscar Wilde is a heartbreaking depiction of the losses, betrayals, and tragedies that all ‘men’ suffer in their lifetime.

'The Ballad of Reading Gaol' by Oscar Wilde is incredibly significant because of its unique use of ballad form to record a narrative of prison life and some of the darkest parts of humanity.

He did not wear his scarlet coat,

For blood and wine are red,

And blood and wine were on his hands

When they found him with the dead,

The Shadow Bride

by J.R.R. Tolkien

‘The Shadow Bride’ conceptualizes the contrast between light and darkness, as well as stillness and movement through personification.

Tolkien's choice of narrative form is effective as it allows the reader to easily follow a plot, despite the writing being in a poetic form rather than prose.

There was a man who dwelt alone

Beneath the moon in shadow.

He sat as long as lasting stone,

And yet he had no shadow.

Kubla Khan (Xanadu)

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

‘Kubla Khan’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a poem that describes the poet’s dream of visiting the palace of Kubla Khan, a Mongol emperor who ruled over the ancient Chinese Yuan Dynasty.

This is a narrative poem that tells a story, albeit a fragmented one. The poem's structure is complex and non-linear, with multiple layers of meaning and interpretation.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately pleasure-dome decree:

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran

Through caverns measureless to man

Goblin Market

by Christina Rossetti

‘Goblin Market’ is one of Christina Rossetti’s most famous and well-studied poems. The symbolism in the poem has led to a number of interpretations. One could argue that it is a metaphor for drug addiction or female purity.

This is a narrative poem with a clear storyline and a cast of characters. The poem uses language to create a vivid and immersive world for the reader, inviting them to engage with the story and its themes.

Morning and evening

Maids heard the goblins cry:

“Come buy our orchard fruits,

Come buy, come buy:

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

by Edward Lear

‘The Owl and the Pussy-Cat’ by Edward Lear is a simple, joy-filled poem that tells the marriage story of an owl and a cat. 

This is a narrative poem that tells the story of a unique marriage between an owl and a cat. The poem uses easy-to-read language and a clear beginning, middle, and end that's amusing to fun for readers of all ages.

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea

In a beautiful pea-green boat,

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

Climbing Cader Idris

by Gillian Clarke

‘Climbing Cader Idris’ by Gillian Clarke celebrates the resiliency and the symbiotic relationship between individuals– representing beauty that can be found amid life’s challenges – as long as one is open to appreciate it during trying times.

This is a narrative poem about the experiences of two people ascending a mountain together. However, the poem differs from traditional narrative poetry in that it is much shorter and has no beginning, middle, or end. And so, in a broader sense, this poem can be thought of as having a narrative framework that conveys a story.

You know the mountain with your body,

I with my mind, I suppose.

Each, in our way, describes

the steepening angle of rock.

The Way Through the Woods

by Rudyard Kipling

‘The Way through the Woods’ by Rudyard Kipling explores the hidden depths of a forgotten road, once traversed but now concealed beneath the resurgent power of the natural world.

This poem can be categorized as narrative poetry, as it tells a story through its descriptive verses. The poem engages readers in a journey through the woods, revealing the presence of the hidden road and evoking a sense of mystery and exploration.

They shut the road through the woods

Seventy years ago.

Weather and rain have undone it again,

And now you would never know

Red Roses

by Anne Sexton

‘Red Roses’ by Anne Sexton is a story of child abuse told by a narrator, but with the vernacular, that represents the emotions and thoughts of the child undergoing the abuse.

'Red Roses' by Anne Sexton is a narrative poem, as it tells a story with characters, plot, and dialogue. Additionally, it has elements of a dramatic monologue, as it is told from the perspective of one character, Tommy, and his experiences with his mother.

Tommy is three and when he's bad

his mother dances with him.

She puts on the record,

"Red Roses for a Blue Lady"

The Badger

by John Clare

‘The Badger’ by John Clare is a narrative poem that portrays the cruelty and danger that animals face in the natural world.

The poem's narrative structure also makes it a great example of narrative poetry, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The poem's plot revolves around the badger's fight for survival against the men who want to kill it, creating tension and drama throughout.

When midnight comes a host of dogs and men

Go out and track the badger to his den,

And put a sack within the hole, and lie

Till the old grunting badger passes by.

Week-night Service

by D.H. Lawrence

‘Week-night Service’ creates a vivid scene of a church at night. The sound of bells disturbs the otherwise quiet church yard and the nature that surrounds it.

This is not an apparent narrative poem, nor is it a great example of the form. But, it does contain a few elements of a narrative that are worth noting. The poet, or at least the poet's speaker, tells a story. He starts with the "five old bells" in stanza one and carries the reader all the way to the bells ceasing their sound in the final stanza.

The five old bells

Are hurrying and eagerly calling,

Imploring, protesting

They know, but clamorously falling

August, Los Angeles, Lullaby

by Carol Muske-Dukes

‘August, Los Angeles, Lullaby’ by Carol Muske-Dukes is a contemporary poem about bringing life into the world and the worries that plague a mother after giving birth. 

This is a narrative poem, meaning that it's told from one person's perspective and describes events over a span of time. In this case, the speaker is a new mother describing the days after the birth of her daughter.

The pure amnesia of her face,

newborn. I looked so far

into her that, for a while,

a man who had fallen among thieves

by E.E. Cummings

E. E. Cummings’ ‘a man who had fallen among thieves’ is a modern retelling of the parable of the Good Samaritan who helped a robbed man lying unconscious on the road. In this poem, the speaker helps one such person who faced a similar accident.

Barn Owl

by Gwen Harwood

‘Barn Owl’ by Gwen Harwood is a powerful poem about losing one’s innocence. While using symbolism, the poet depicts a child sneaking off to shoot a barn owl.

Disabled

by Wilfred Owen

A harrowing poem that was written by a WW1 veteran, Wilfred Owen describing the haunting loneliness of life as an injured post-war soldier.

Ebb

by Derek Walcott

Derek Walcott’s poem ‘Ebb’ is about a car journey by the shore and comments on aging, industrialization, and the past.

Eel Tail

by Alice Oswald

‘Eel Tail,’ a poem by contemporary British poet Alice Oswald, is about the mysteriously beautiful eels and their swift movements in the water.

Elegy VII: Nature’s lay idiot, I taught thee to love

by John Donne

‘Elegy VII’ by John Donne, also known as ‘Nature’s lay idiot, I taught thee to love,’ is a typical piece about unrequited love.

Nature’s lay idiot, I taught thee to love,

And in that sophistry, oh, thou dost prove

Too subtle: Fool, thou didst not understand

The mystic language of the eye nor hand:

Epic Simile

by A. E. Stallings

‘Epic Smilie’ by A.E. Stallings uses a simile of an epic hero longing for a hero’s death to depict how as one seeks out happiness it may become more allusive and harder to enjoy than it was to begin with.

Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree

by A. E. Housman

‘Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree’ by A. E. Housman describes a traumatizing story of two brothers and how one of them accidentally met his end in a wheat field at the hand of the other.

For Nanabhai Bhatt

by Sujata Bhatt

‘For Nanabhai Bhatt’ is about the poet Sujata Bhatt’s grandfather, Nanabhai Bhatt, who was an educationist and activist active during the Indian independence movement.

Going for Water

by Robert Frost

‘Going for Water’ by Robert Frost depicts a simple errand in joyful, uplifting language. The poem suggests that any task, no matter how annoying, can be enjoyed if one is outside. 

The well was dry beside the door,

  And so we went with pail and can

Across the fields behind the house

  To seek the brook if still it ran;

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