Elegy Before Death
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
‘Elegy Before Death’ is a poem about the physical and spiritual impact of a loss and how it can and cannot change one’s world.
Flash Crimson
by Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg’s ‘Flash Crimson’ is an emotionally charged, devotional poem where a speaker is eager to ask God for more hardships. It deals with the themes of devotion, morality, legacy, and the afterlife.
Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward
by John Donne
‘Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward’ by John Donne is a poem about spiritual transformation. It also depicts the speaker’s fear of confronting God.
Green Grow the Rushes, O
by A List of Popular Nursery Rhymes
Read ‘Green Grow the Rushes, O’, with a complete analysis and summary of the song/poem.
Heart, we will forget him! By Emily Dickinson
by Emily Dickinson
‘Heart, we will forget him!’ by Emily Dickinson is a keen observation of the aftermath of a powerful love affair and how it will, or will not, be “forgotten.”
Holy Sonnet 17 (XVII)
by John Donne
Holy Sonnet 17 (XVII) by John Donne is a religious poem. It takes an affectionate tone as the speaker addresses his love for God.
Holy Sonnet II
by John Donne
‘Holy Sonnet II’ by John Donne is the second in a series of religious sonnets that Donne is well-known for. This poem is directed to God and explores a speaker’s concerns about their fate.
Holy Sonnet IX
by John Donne
‘Holy Sonnet IX’ by John Donne, also known by its first line ‘If poisonous minerals, and if that tree’ is one of several “Holy Sonnets” the poet composed during his lifetime. This particular poem focuses on a dispute between the speaker and God.
Holy Sonnet VII: At the round earth’s imagin’d corners, blow
by John Donne
Holy Sonnet 7, ‘At the round earth’s imagin’d corners, blow’ contains a speaker’s description of Judgment Day and an appeal to God to forgive him his sins.
Hospital for Defectives
by Thomas Blackburn
‘Hospital for Defectives’ by Thomas Blackburn depicts a speaker’s inability to understand why God would create men who are unable to communicate.
I did not reach Thee
by Emily Dickinson
‘I did not reach Thee’ by Emily Dickinson is a complex poem about a speaker’s journey through life. She expresses both optimism and hesitation in the face of her death and attempts to reach God.
I Have Fallen in Love
by Akka Mahadevi
‘I Have Fallen in Love’ by Akka Mahadevi expresses the poet’s faith with incredible honesty. She uses powerful images and metaphors to speak of religion and love.
I Know a Man
by Robert Creeley
Creeley’s ‘I Know a Man’ is about the growing darkness gnawing at the human soul, affecting its light and diminishing its inherent goodness. This poem hints at the condition of humankind in modern times.
i thank You God for most this amazing
by E.E. Cummings
‘i thank You God for most this amazing’ by E.E. Cummings is addressed to God and expresses a speaker’s thanks for being allowed to exist in the world.
I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day
by Gerard Manley Hopkins
‘I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins tells of a speaker’s suffering as he tries to understand the role of God in his life.
If Ever the Lid Gets off my Head
by Emily Dickinson
‘If Ever the Lid gets off my head’ by Emily Dickinson is a thought-provoking poem. In it, the poet makes a distinction between her mind and common sense.
In the Bleak Midwinter
by Christina Rossetti
‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ describes the birth of the Christ child on a “bleak midwinter” day and those who came to see him.
In the Servants’ Quarters
by Thomas Hardy
‘In the Servants’ Quarters’ by Thomas Hardy speaks into a biblical story and gives the reader insight as to what Peter may have been feeling, and the pressure he was under at the time when he denied knowing Jesus.
Journey of the Magi
by T.S. Eliot
Journey of the Magi’ by T.S. Eliot describes the terrible conditions through which the Magi traversed to meet the Christ child.
Lot’s Wife by Anna Akhmatova, Translated
by Anna Akhmatova
This intriguing poem, ‘Lot’s Wife’, by Anna Akhmatova, translated by Richard Wilbur, takes an age-old story that has been passed down from generation to generation and tells it from a new perspective, that of Lot’s wife.
Love (III)
by George Herbert
‘Love (III)’ is part of The Church, the central section of George Herbert’s ‘The Temple’. The Church collects devotional lyrics.
May-Flower
by Emily Dickinson
‘May-Flower’ is a beautiful short poem in which Dickinson uses her skill with imagery to depict a forest scene, a May flower, and its connection to the human soul.
Meru
by William Butler Yeats
‘Meru’ by William Butler Yeats describes the illusion of civilization and the importance of embarking on a spiritual journey.
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.