Editor's note
Ranking is generated by Storgy's classification model, which scores each poem's thematic depth on this subject relative to the rest of the corpus. The list is re-indexed weekly as new poems enter the public-domain corpus.
Best poems about — Storgy
Autumn.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about autumn, ranked by thematic depth. Scored by Storgy's classification model against the rest of the corpus, and re-indexed weekly as new works enter the canon.
The leading three
01
Ode to Autumn
John Keats
“Keats's "Ode to Autumn" feels like a heartfelt tribute to the harvest season — that ripe, heavy, sleepy period right before nature takes a rest. He brings autum…”
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02
Autumn
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“Longfellow's "Autumn" celebrates the fall season while subtly inviting reflection on living well and dying peacefully. The poem begins with a broad depiction of…”
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03
Autumn
James Russell Lowell
“Written thirteen years after losing someone cherished, this poem explores the speaker's sorrow through autumn imagery — bare trees, an empty bird's nest, a crea…”
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The complete index
- 04
Dolor of Autumn
D. H. Lawrence
In "Dolor of Autumn," D. H. Lawrence captures the sensation of being utterly stripped bare — emotionally, spiritually, and physically — by the raw, animal-scented air of an autumn…
- 05
October
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
October has its own distinct voice, portraying itself as a season adorned with colorful leaves and ripe fruit, presiding over orchards and vineyards. As autumn edges closer to the…
- 06
September
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
September is an eight-line stanza where the month itself speaks in the first person, sharing the signs it brings: equal days and nights, wild autumn winds, migrating birds, red ber…
- 07
To Autumn
John Keats
Keats pens a love letter to autumn, personifying the season as a living being that ripens fruit, relaxes in fields, and observes the cider-making process. The poem unfolds in three…
- 08
Autumn Journal
Louis MacNeice
*Autumn Journal* is a lengthy poem by Louis MacNeice, composed during the autumn of 1938, as Europe edged closer to World War II. It weaves together his personal experiences — a fr…
- 09
Under the October Maples
James Russell Lowell
A speaker strolls under the autumn maple trees, envisioning the red leaves drifting down like a royal carpet spread out for a cherished woman. The entire scene feels as if it was a…
- 10
After Apple-Picking
Robert Frost · 1914
A weary apple-picker wraps up his harvest and starts to drift off, but this poem goes beyond just fruit and tiredness. Frost captures the entire apple-picking experience — the sore…
- 11
An Indian-Summer Reverie
James Russell Lowell
It's a long autumn afternoon in the Massachusetts countryside, and Lowell watches the season come to a close — the leaves, the marshes, the river, the familiar village — as his tho…
- 12
At the Window
D. H. Lawrence
A speaker observes an autumn evening from behind a window, where the wind rustles through the trees, mist envelops the graveyard, and falling leaves appear to carry a message to th…
- 13
Autumn Within
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A man surveys the vibrant world of spring and comes to understand that the chill and stillness he experiences have nothing to do with the season outside — it's all happening within…
- 14
November
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In this brief poem, Longfellow allows November to express itself, taking on the persona of the mythological centaur Sagittarius — a creature that's half-horse and half-human, emerg…
- 15
On an Autumn Sketch of H.g. Wild
James Russell Lowell
Lowell expresses gratitude to a painter friend for an autumn landscape that brightens his wall, allowing the season's vibrant colors to endure throughout the year. He contrasts tha…
- 16
Poem in October
Dylan Thomas
Written on his thirtieth birthday, Dylan Thomas strolls through the Welsh town of Laugharne on a rainy October morning, feeling a rush of nostalgia for his vibrant childhood. The s…
- 17
Sonnet 73
William Shakespeare
Sonnet 73 is Shakespeare's reflection on aging, as he invites his beloved to see him as someone in the twilight of life. He layers three vivid images — a bare winter tree, a dimmin…
- 18
The Harvest Moon
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A harvest moon illuminates rooftops, vacant bird nests, resting children, and fields of harvested grain, signaling summer's conclusion. Longfellow employs this one image of the moo…
- 19
The Maple
James Russell Lowell
A maple tree blooms softly in spring, but it reserves its brightest, fiery hues for autumn — and Lowell uses this to reflect on human life. Young people etch names into trees, unaw…
- 20
Visionary tints: The term Indian summer is given to almost any
James Russell Lowell
This short prose-poem by James Russell Lowell captures the essence of Indian summer—those fleeting, golden days of warmth and haze that follow the first chill of autumn. Lowell con…
- 21
Orchard
H. D. · 1916
A speaker is so struck by the beauty of a harvest-season orchard that she collapses to the ground and pleads with a god to intervene — the beauty feels nearly unbearable. She then…
- 22
An Elder
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A very old speaker observes the modern world and feels utterly abandoned—like a dead leaf that rustles briefly before turning to dust. The poem may only be four lines long, but it…
- 23
Autumn, 1863
James Russell Lowell
A troubadour named Blondel shares two contrasting tales: at first, he is consumed by loyalty to his exiled king, dreaming of bringing him back to power. Years later, however, he fi…
- 24
Bliss it: A rather violent use of the word, not recognized by
James Russell Lowell
An Indian-Summer Reverie is Lowell's expansive, meandering love letter to Elmwood, his home in Cambridge, penned in his late twenties. He guides us through the familiar landscape —…
- 25
Contemplations
Anne Bradstreet
Written by Anne Bradstreet during the Puritan colonial era, "Contemplations" is a lengthy meditative poem where the speaker strolls through a New England landscape. She reflects on…
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