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
Betrayal.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about betrayal, 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
They Flee From Me
Thomas Wyatt · 1557
“A man reflects on the women who once chose to be with him, especially one who held him close and kissed him — but has now moved on to someone else. He feels hur…”
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02
A Poison Tree
William Blake · 1794
“A Poison Tree is a brief poem that explores the consequences of suppressing anger instead of expressing it. Blake illustrates that when you share your anger wit…”
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03
When We Two Parted
George Gordon Byron · 1816
“Byron's poem is actually two distinct pieces often published together. "When We Two Parted" is a heartfelt, subdued expression of sorrow over a secret love affa…”
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The complete index
- 04
Isabella; or, the Pot of Basil
John Keats · 1820
Isabella is a young woman from Florence who falls head over heels for Lorenzo, a servant in her wealthy brothers' household. To safeguard their social standing, her brothers murder…
- 05
Cousin Kate
Christina Rossetti · 1862
A young woman from the village is seduced and then left by a powerful lord, who goes on to marry her cousin Kate. The narrator finds herself cast out by society, but she concludes…
- 06
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Lewis Carroll · 1871
Two quick-talking strangers — a Walrus and a Carpenter — entice a group of young oysters away from their home with the promise of a pleasant stroll and friendly conversation, only…
- 07
The Highwayman
Alfred Noyes · 1906
A highwayman rides to meet his secret love, Bess, the landlord's daughter. However, a jealous soldier informs the redcoats, who set a trap using Bess. She fires a musket to warn he…
- 08
A Garden of the Cenci Palace
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This is the opening scene of Shelley's verse drama *The Cenci*, which takes place in the garden of the Cenci palace in Rome. Beatrice, a young noblewoman stuck in a harsh household…
- 09
A Misconception
James Russell Lowell
A Misconception is a clever four-line joke targeting a corrupt official referred to simply as "B." He has misunderstood Alexander Pope's well-known advice to "do good by stealth,"…
- 10
An Apartment in the Cenci Palace
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This is the opening scene of Shelley's verse drama *The Cenci*, where we meet Count Cenci, a ruthless Roman nobleman who has just bribed the Pope to hide a murder. Cardinal Camillo…
- 11
Ballad of Another Ophelia
D. H. Lawrence
A young woman, echoing Shakespeare's Ophelia, has been lured in and left behind, and the poem narrates her experience through the imagery of a rainy orchard, a brown hen mourning h…
- 12
Bartolome
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This scene from Longfellow's verse play *The Spanish Student* is intense. It centers on Bartolome, a jealous Romani man who has come back to Madrid to win over a young dancer named…
- 13
Belisarius
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A once-great general named Belisarius stands blind and begging beneath his own triumphal arch, recalling the victories he achieved for Emperor Justinian — only to be abandoned in h…
- 14
Beware!
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A speaker cautions an unnamed listener about a stunning yet deceitful woman, detailing her physical allure piece by piece to illustrate how each feature is a snare. Each stanza rei…
- 15
By Jacques Jasmin
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Longfellow recounts a poignant Occitan folk tale about Baptiste, a young man who leaves his blind sweetheart, Margaret, to marry the more beautiful Angela. Unaware of the betrayal,…
- 16
Chorus of the Eumenides
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This poem portrays the Eumenides — the ancient Greek goddesses of vengeance — cautioning that divine secrets should remain unspoken, as the gods will pursue anyone who dares to bre…
- 17
Christabel
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Christabel is a Gothic narrative poem that tells the story of a young noblewoman who meets a mysterious stranger named Geraldine in the woods at night and invites her home, unaware…
- 18
Damnation
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This poem is Shelley’s fierce comic critique of the poet Robert Southey, who is cleverly disguised as "Peter." Southey began as a radical writer but eventually conformed to the est…
- 19
Deacon
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A church community calls out one of its members, a deacon, asking him to explain his involvement in some undisclosed wrongdoing. The poem is minimal and almost clinical — it feels…
- 20
Enter Bernardo
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This is a powerful moment from Shelley's verse play *The Cenci*, where Beatrice Cenci — sentenced for the murder of her abusive father — confronts her accusers with bold defiance,…
- 21
Enter Mamm0n, the Arch-Priest,
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This scene is from Shelley's satirical play *Swellfoot the Tyrant*, featuring two corrupt power-brokers: Mammon, representing money and greed, and Purganax, the embodiment of polit…
- 22
Enter Orsino and Giacomo
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This is a tense moment from Shelley's verse play *The Cenci* (1819), where two men — Giacomo and Orsino — face off after being involved in the murder of the oppressive Count Cenci.…
- 23
Envoy
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This short poem delivers a clever jab at a hypocritical friar named Lubin. He’s all enthusiasm and skill when it comes to doing wrong, but as soon as something good comes up, he be…
- 24
Famous Blue Raincoat
Leonard Cohen
A man pens a late-night letter to the person who had an affair with his wife, addressing him with an unexpected tenderness instead of anger. The letter explores themes of loss, bet…
- 25
Forsaken
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A mother talks to her young child after the child's father has left, promising that she will never walk away like he did. In her child's innocent eyes, she sees a reason to perseve…
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