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
Beauty.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about beauty, 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
Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds
William Shakespeare · 1609
“Sonnet 116 presents Shakespeare's belief that true love remains constant, regardless of life's challenges. If love diminishes in tough times or as people age, t…”
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02
Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare · 1609
“Shakespeare takes twelve lines to playfully point out how his girlfriend doesn't fit the grandiose compliments that poets often give to women—her eyes aren't li…”
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03
Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
William Shakespeare · 1609
“Shakespeare wonders if he should compare his beloved to a summer's day but ultimately concludes that he shouldn’t, since summer has its imperfections and eventu…”
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The complete index
- 04
Song: To Celia ("Drink to me only with thine eyes")
Ben Jonson · 1616
A man tells the woman he loves that just a look from her or a kiss on his cup means more to him than any wine could. He sends her a wreath of roses, wishing that her presence will…
- 05
The Flea
John Donne · 1633
A man is attempting to persuade a woman to sleep with him by highlighting a flea that has bitten them both. He argues that since the flea now has their blood mixed together, they a…
- 06
To His Mistress Going to Bed
John Donne · 1654
A man encourages his lover to take off her clothes and join him in bed, slowly removing each piece until they are both completely naked. Donne depicts this moment as a blend of rel…
- 07
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
William Wordsworth · 1807
A poet takes a solitary walk and unexpectedly discovers a vast field of daffodils by a lake. The sight brings him such joy that he stops in his tracks. He doesn't grasp the signifi…
- 08
The Solitary Reaper
William Wordsworth · 1807
A traveler strolling through the Scottish Highlands pauses to hear a young woman singing softly while she harvests grain. Though he can't grasp the words, the beauty and haunting q…
- 09
Love's Philosophy
Percy Bysshe Shelley · 1819
Shelley observes the natural world — rivers meeting the ocean, winds intertwining, mountains reaching for the sky — and sees it as proof that everything in existence is meant to co…
- 10
Lamia
John Keats · 1820
Lamia is a long narrative poem that tells the story of a serpent-woman transformed into a beautiful human who falls in love with a young man named Lycius in ancient Corinth. Their…
- 11
Music, When Soft Voices Die
Percy Bysshe Shelley · 1824
This short poem expresses that beautiful things leave behind traces even after they fade away — music remains in your memory, the scent of violets lingers long after the flowers ha…
- 12
To Helen
Edgar Allan Poe · 1831
A man recalls a brief, enchanting meeting with a mysterious woman in a moonlit garden, realizing her gaze has lingered on him ever since. That night, everything else faded into the…
- 13
The Rhodora
Ralph Waldo Emerson · 1839
A man comes across a wild flowering shrub known as the Rhodora, blooming all by itself in the woods, with no one else around to appreciate it. This sight prompts him to ponder why…
- 14
I Sing the Body Electric
Walt Whitman · 1855
Whitman's poem passionately celebrates the human body — every limb, organ, and gesture — as something sacred and inseparable from the soul. He expresses that loving a body means lo…
- 15
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat
Edward Lear · 1870
Two unexpected lovers, an Owl and a Pussy-Cat, set sail together, tie the knot in a distant enchanted land, and dance joyfully on the beach. This whimsical love story is filled wit…
- 16
A Bird, came down the Walk
Emily Dickinson · 1891
A person observes a bird going about its daily routine on a garden path — eating a worm, drinking dew, and politely stepping aside for a beetle — then attempts to offer it a crumb.…
- 17
I like to see it lap the Miles
Emily Dickinson · 1891
Dickinson depicts a steam train without ever directly mentioning it, employing the metaphor of a massive, strong horse to illustrate the locomotive's journey through the landscape.…
- 18
He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
W. B. Yeats · 1899
A speaker expresses his love by saying that if he had the wealth, he would lay the sparkling fabric of the night sky at their feet as a gift. Since he has nothing tangible, he offe…
- 19
Adam's Curse
W. B. Yeats · 1903
Three people gather at the end of summer — the speaker, a woman he loves, and her friend. Their conversation shifts from the challenges of writing poetry to the effort involved in…
- 20
Nippon
Alfred Noyes · 1907
Alfred Noyes imagines his journey across the Pacific to Japan, depicting it as a land of enchanting beauty—cherry blossoms, lantern-lit rivers, and the revered Mount Fuji. This poe…
- 21
In a Station of the Metro
Ezra Pound · 1913
Two lines and fourteen words, and Ezra Pound captures the strange beauty of human faces flashing by in a Paris subway. He likens those faces to flower petals clinging to a dark, ra…
- 22
Rose Pogonias
Robert Frost · 1913
Two people wander into a small, sunlit meadow full of wild orchids, feeling so awestruck by the beauty that it feels almost sacred. They gather some flowers and whisper a quiet pra…
- 23
Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock
Wallace Stevens · 1915
A neighborhood full of people is settling down for the night in plain white nightgowns, and Stevens feels let down by the dullness of their lives. In those houses, nobody will drea…
- 24
Sunday Morning
Wallace Stevens · 1915
A woman relaxes at home on a Sunday morning, savoring coffee and fruit instead of attending church. The poem explores her thoughts as she grapples with a profound question: if ther…
- 25
Ancient Music
Ezra Pound · 1916
A brief, tongue-in-cheek lyric by Ezra Pound that pokes fun at the well-known medieval round "Sumer Is Icumen In." Instead of joyfully welcoming summer, it grumbles about the drear…
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