Earth Poems

A Hymn to God the Father

by John Donne

‘A Hymn to God the Father’ by John Donne is a well-loved poem about God and religion. It contains a speaker’s prayers that he be forgiven a series of unnamed sins.

A Route of Evanescence

by Emily Dickinson

‘A Route of Evanescence’ by Emily Dickinson describes its subject through a series of metaphors, allusions, and images. But, never actually states that the subject is a hummingbird.

Ah, Moon–and Star!

by Emily Dickinson

‘Ah, Moon–and Star!’ by Emily Dickinson is an unforgettable love poem. The poet skillfully uses the universe to depict what it’s like for two lovers to be separated.

Apparently with no surprise

by Emily Dickinson

In ‘Apparently with no surprise,’ Emily Dickinson explores themes of life, death, time, and God. The poet takes the reader to a moving snapshot of life and death.

Australia 1970

by Judith Wright

‘Australia 1970’ by Judith Wright speaks on the changing landscape of Australia in the 1970s. It promotes a version of Australia that is fierce, wild, and dangerous just like the animals that have always lived within its boundaries.

Check

by James Brunton Stephens

‘Check’ by James Bunton Stephens is a short poem that presents a personified description of the coming of night as a woman.

Crow Sickened

by Ted Hughes

‘Crow Sickened’ is a brilliant example of Hughes’ playful style, in which Crow attempts to work out the cause of his misery.

Darkness

by Lord Byron

‘Darkness’ by Lord Byron serves as a warning against the growing inequality in Byron’s time and a prediction for what will happen to the planet if the human race does not change. 

De Profundis

by Christina Rossetti

‘De Profundis’ by Christina Rossetti describes a speaker’s longing for heaven, and the impossibility of reaching it during one’s lifetime. 

Earth

by John Hall Wheelock

‘Earth’ by John Hall Wheelock is a short poem that addresses humanity’s intelligence. It features a Martian astronomer who is considering what happened to planet Earth. 

God’s World

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

‘God’s World’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay describes the wonders of nature and the value a speaker places on the sights she observes.

In the Prison Pen

by Herman Melville

‘In the Prison Pen’ by Herman Melville describes the life of a prisoner who is unable to recall his past life and is haunted by his present and future.

On Time

by John Milton

‘On Time’ by John Milton describes the one element of human existence which must be extinguished for a truly utopian world to exist.

Our revels now are ended

by William Shakespeare

‘Our revels now are ended’ is the name given to one of the best-known speeches from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. It can be found in Act IV, Scene 1, and is spoken by Prospero. 

Poppies on the Wheat

by Helen Hunt Jackson

‘Poppies on the Wheat’ by Helen Hunt Jackson describes the pleasure in the sight of a wheat field in Italy which is covered in lines of poppies. 

Redemption

by George Herbert

‘Redemption’ by George Herbert speaks on one man’s long journey to find God amongst the secular, and therefore the ability to start a new life.

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