Poems about Madness

I saw a man pursuing the horizon

by Stephen Crane

‘I saw a man pursuing the horizon’ by Stephen Crane is a short but incredibly moving poem about chasing impossibilities with multiple interpretations.

The man's refusal to be swayed by any kind of logic might be interpreted as a particular kind of madness or narcissism. The parable unfolds as an intervention by the speaker on behalf of a man caught in a loop of his own misguided ambitions. This also explains the vehemence with which the man rejects the speaker's advances.

I saw a man pursuing the horizon;

Round and round they sped.

I was disturbed at this;

I accosted the man.

In a Dark Time

by Theodore Roethke

‘In a Dark Time’ by Theodore Roethke is a powerful, short poem about identity. The speaker contends with their mental health while exploring their darkness.

Mad Girl’s Love Song

by Sylvia Plath

‘Mad Girl’s Love Song’ by Sylvia Plath explores the truth of a relationship. The speaker wonders how deep and meaningful it really was.

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;

I lift my lids and all is born again.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)

Much Madness is divinest Sense

by Emily Dickinson

‘Much Madness is divinest Sense’ by Emily Dickinson is an exacting and poignant poem that expresses the speaker’s opinion of sanity and insanity.

Much Madness is divinest Sense -

To a discerning Eye -

Much Sense - the starkest Madness -

On Being Cautioned Against Walking on an Headland…

by Charlotte Smith

‘On Being Cautioned Against Walking on an Headland…’, describes a wandering “Lunatic” and the freedom he has from niceties and the fear of death.

Pork Pies

by Jackie Kay

‘Pork Pies’ by Jackie Kay is a unique poem about the kidnapping of a child by two other young children who may have also taken his life. It was likely inspired by real-life events.

Sonnet 147

by William Shakespeare

‘Sonnet 147,’ also known as ‘My love is as a fever, longing still,’ is a dark poem. It expresses the speaker’s loss of control over his body and mind. The Dark Lady has consumed his life like an illness.

My love is as a fever longing still,

For that which longer nurseth the disease;

Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill,

The uncertain sickly appetite to please.

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