Beauty Poems

Beauty is and will remain one of the important themes in poetry. There are a number of ways to define beauty. Literally, beauty is a set of qualities that pleases one’s aesthetic senses. What is beautiful in one’s sight, cannot appear as beautiful in that of others. This is why we find several interpretations of beauty in poems from different periods.

Consider the definition of beauty by John Keats, one of the famous poets of the British Romantic period. In ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn,’ he defines: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,— that is all.”

How do other poets describe beauty? In order to find out, dive into this list of incredible poems. You can also explore these best-loved poems about beauty.

Carpet-weavers, Morocco

by Carol Rumens

‘Carpet-weavers, Morocco’ is a challenging poem which explores issues such as child labour as well as examining the myriad origins of beauty.

The poem's central conflict is between beauty and suffering as it attempts to unravel the truth of the relationship between them.

The Tables Turned

by William Wordsworth

In ‘The Tables Turned,’ Wordsworth invites us to break free from the constraints of modern society and rediscover the natural world’s beauty and wisdom.

Nature and beauty as themes often go hand in hand when it comes to poetry, as when a poet writes about nature, they usually refer to it as "her" and define and capture "her" beauty throughout the piece. Wordsworth creates beautiful images of the natural world in this poem. He expresses the happiness in a sunset, the knowledge in a spring forest, and the depression one might achieve if one misses out on these beautiful moments.

Indian Weavers

by Sarojini Naidu

‘Indian Weavers’ explores the inevitability of death while celebrating the cycles of human existence and experience.

The beauty of the garments made by the weavers reflect how each stage of life is beautiful in its own way, even if those ways do not resemble one another.

Permanently

by Kenneth Koch

‘Permanently’ by Kenneth Koch is a poem that compares the speaker’s love to the part of speech they view as the most essential.

Since the poem deals so much with adjectives and their reverence in language, beauty is a natural part of the poem. From the way the speaker describes the "Adjective" to their fixation on specific physical features, though the descriptions are ambiguous enough to leave their imagining to the reader. Which points to the highly subjective nature of beauty in the first place.

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

by Tupac Shakur

‘The Rose That Grew From Concrete’ is a moving celebration of personal resolve against the backdrop of oppressive forces.

Shakur celebrates the rose for its beauty, especially against the backdrop of the plain and dull concrete.

A Bird, came down the Walk

by Emily Dickinson

‘A Bird, came down the Walk’ by Emily Dickinson is a beautiful nature poem. It focuses on the actions of a bird going about its everyday life.

The beauty of nature comes through very clearly from the first lines of the poem.

A Muse of Water

by Carolyn Kizer

‘A Muse of Water’ by Carolyn Kizer is a unique poem that places women as a force of nature, like water, that men attempt to control, redirect, and oppress.

'A Muse of Water' compares women's beauty to the beauty of nature. Both forces are always working to sustain life, creating beauty through their power to heal. However, this poem also juxtaposes the damaging forces of men beside beauty, revealing the ways in which men destroy it.

Next Day

by Randall Jarrell

‘Next Day’ by Randall Jarrell is a confessional poem with a conversational tone that articulates the complex emotions of aging and change.

The speaker in 'Next Day' spends most of the poem mourning her beauty and wilder youthful years, which make her seem very vain. However, as the poem progresses, it becomes clear that her nostalgia for her younger years is a product of her fear of death. Looking at her aging face, all she sees are the traces of her eventual death.

Lampfall

by Derek Walcott

‘Lampfall’ by Derek Walcott dives deep into an investigation of thought, dreaming, community and connection while also implying that nature and thought are more meaningful than development.

'Lampfall' by Derek Walcott is rich in natural imagery, exploring the aesthetics of the natural world. Walcott finds community, religion, dreams, nightmares, inspiration, and so much more in the natural world. The features of this world, including the sun, trees, fish, ocean, and stars all communicate ideas to the speaker-poet as he loses himself in thought.

[London, my beautiful]

by F.S. Flint

‘[London, my beautiful]’ by F.S. Flint describes one speaker’s love for the city of London and how he feels the city improves others and himself. 

29 April 1989

by Sujata Bhatt

‘29 April 1989’ by Sujata Bhatt is a sweet, little piece about a mother’s sudden found pleasure in nature’s soggy musicality.

A Bird That Was Most Used Up

by Riyas Qurana

‘A Bird That Was Most Used Up’ by Riyas Qurana is a four stanza poem about creativity. Here the poet illustrates himself and his creativity as an infinite source of greatness in his poetic writing

A Butterfly Talks

by Annette Wynne

‘A Butterfly Talks’ is a children’s poem written by the American poet Annette Wynne. In this short poem, the poet emphasizes the splendor of simple things in nature.

A Face

by Robert Browning

Written in response to fellow poet Coventry Patmore’s poem The Angel in the House (1854), ‘A Face’ by Robert Browning explores the poet’s fascination with a lady’s portrait, particularly her facial features depicted in it.

A Former Life

by Charles Baudelaire

‘A Former Life’ by Charles Baudelaire speaks on a the poet’s own imagination and how his creative works are born there and are at his beck and call. 

A Hymn to the Evening

by Phillis Wheatley

‘A Hymn to the Evening’ by Phillis Wheatley describes a speaker’s desire to take on the glow of evening so that she may show her love for God.

A Limb Just Moved

by Mirabai

‘A Limb Just Moved’ is a poem attributed to Mirabai, a Hindu mystic and Bahkti saint who lived in the sixteenth century and was well-known for her incredible devotion to Krishna, and to her faith.

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever (from Endymion)

by John Keats

‘A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever’ is famous as the first book in John Keats’ epic, ‘Endymion.’ It is based on the tale of Endymion, whose beauty was of such joy to Selene that it immortalized him for the rest of his days.

A Winter Blue Jay

by Sara Teasdale

‘A Winter Blue Jay’ by Sara Teasdale tells of a perfect day in which the speaker and her companion find the pinnacle of their love, and then surpass it.

After Love

by Sara Teasdale

‘After Love’ by Sara Teasdale expresses a relationship situation where, despite the “peace” and “safe[ty]” felt within it, the narrator still feels disappointed.

Afternoons

by Philip Larkin

‘Afternoons’ by Philip Larkin presents a brief depiction of post-war Britain. He explores less than ideal family relationships and gives the period an overall gloomy tone.