A drop fell on the apple tree
by Emily Dickinson
‘A drop fell on the apple tree’ by Emily Dickinson is filled with joy. It describes, with Dickinson’s classic skill, images of the summer season and how a storm can influence it.
Afternoon in February
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
‘Afternoon in February’ by Longfellow is a poem that explores profound sadness, and, more notable, the way that people can see their sadness in every aspect of life when the feeling is strong enough.
And Soul
by Eavan Boland
‘And Soul’ by Eavan Boland is a poem about death and a body’s dissolution into the elements that it is made up of. The poet emphasizes the connection between a human being made nearly entirely of water and a city that’s drenched by a particularly rainy summer season.
Barter by Sara Teasdale
by Sara Teasdale
‘Barter’ by Sara Teasdale describes the many lovely and splendid sights, sounds and experiences life has to sell to someone willing to invest in them.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
by William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth’s literary classic, ‘Daffodils,’ also known as ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,’ is one of the most popular poems in the English language. It is a quintessential poem of the Romantic movement.
Iris
by Sujata Bhatt
‘Iris’ by Sujata Bhatt is a narrative poem with lyric qualities. It depicts an artist’s wait for the sun to come out and bring out the colors in a single iris.
Life
by Charlotte Brontë
‘Life’ by Charlotte Brontë describes the overwhelming true merriment of life and dispels the images of life a dreary and dark dream to be suffered through.
Mad Song
by William Blake
‘Mad Song’ by William Blake describes the intense madness a speaker feels and the frantic pain that accompanies the dawning of a new day.
Mutability
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
‘Mutability’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley is a description of the variable nature of our world and the fleeting lives of human beings.
Old Ironsides
by Oliver Wendell Holmes
‘Old Ironsides’ by Oliver Wendell Holmes speaks on the glory of the USS Constitution on the eve of its decommissioning from the service.
On the Medusa of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Florentine Gallery
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
‘On the Medusa of Leonardo Da Vinci..’ by P.B. Shelley describes the beautiful and terrifying gaze of Medusa and the speaker’s perception of her life.
Retrospect
by Rupert Brooke
‘Retrospect’ by Rupert Brooke is a forty line poem in which a speaker describes all he would do to retrieve his deified lover from the depths of her “vast unconsciousness.”
The Darkling Thrush
by Thomas Hardy
‘The Darkling Thrush’ is typical of Thomas Hardy’s work in that it shows life on Earth, human as well as animal, existing under the iron grip of an unsympathetic force, in this case, Nature.
The House of Life: 19. Silent Noon
by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
‘The House of Life: 19. Silent Noon’ describes an “inarticulate” moment of peace that two lovers spend within the grass of a pasture.
The Little Girl Waved Her Hand
by Riyas Qurana
‘The Little Girl Waved Her Hand’ by Riyas Quarana describes a surrealist world in which the speaker reflects on the pond, clouds, and general evening.
The Poet and His Songs
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Poet and His Songs’ written by H. W. Longfellow is both inspirational and introspective, as this poem examines what it is that motivates a poet to write.
The Road Goes Ever On
by J.R.R. Tolkien
‘The Road Goes Ever On’ by J.R.R. Tolkien consists of only two verses, but the structure and approach within them are sufficient to highlight the epic journey before and after the song surfaces in the book.
Two Tramps in Mudtime
by Robert Frost
‘Two Tramps in Mudtime’ by Robert Frost is a poem about work, wealth, and the purpose of life. It is defined by an interaction between the speaker and two wanderers.
What Is Pink?
by Christina Rossetti
‘What Is Pink?’ shows similarity and beauty that can be achieved when granting things deeper considerations than just surface appearances.