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
Death.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about death, 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
On My First Son
Ben Jonson · 1616
“Ben Jonson penned this poem following the death of his son, Benjamin, on his seventh birthday in 1603. In the poem, Jonson bids farewell to his boy, expressing…”
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02
No Man Is an Island
John Donne · 1624
“John Donne's "No Man Is an Island" (from *Meditation XVII* in *Devotions upon Emergent Occasions*, 1624) expresses that every person is linked to one another —…”
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03
Death Be Not Proud
John Donne · 1633
“Death Be Not Proud is John Donne's bold challenge to the common belief that death holds great power. He turns the argument on its head: if sleep (essentially a…”
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The complete index
- 04
Ah! Sun-flower
William Blake · 1794
A sunflower that constantly turns to follow the sun represents Blake's metaphor for every person who spends their life yearning for something just beyond their grasp. The poem invi…
- 05
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 with a friend, it dissi…
- 06
She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways
William Wordsworth · 1800
This short poem tells the story of a woman named Lucy, who lived a quiet, unremarkable life in a secluded area of England. She was loved by few—only the speaker truly cared for her…
- 07
Strange fits of passion have I known
William Wordsworth · 1800
A man rides his horse toward Lucy's cottage on a moonlit evening, observing the moon descend as he approaches. Just as it vanishes behind her roof, an unsettling fear seizes him: w…
- 08
The Destruction of Sennacherib
George Gordon Byron · 1815
A vast Assyrian army advances on Jerusalem, appearing invincible. Yet, by morning, every soldier lies dead without a single sword being drawn. God's angel carries out the silent, i…
- 09
Darkness
George Gordon Byron · 1816
Byron envisions a world where the sun extinguishes, leading to a slow demise — every fire flickers out, every person succumbs to starvation, and ultimately, the last two survivors…
- 10
Thanatopsis
William Cullen Bryant · 1817
Thanatopsis — Greek for "a view of death" — is Bryant's reflection on death and our feelings about it. He suggests that nature offers a reassuring message: every person who has eve…
- 11
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…
- 12
The Kraken
Alfred, Lord Tennyson · 1830
A massive sea creature known as the Kraken lies undisturbed at the ocean's depths, surrounded by bizarre creatures thriving in the darkness. It has rested there for millions of yea…
- 13
The Lady of Shalott
Alfred, Lord Tennyson · 1832
A mysterious woman known as the Lady of Shalott is confined to an island, cursed to never look directly at the outside world — she can only observe it through a mirror and weave wh…
- 14
Porphyria's Lover
Robert Browning · 1836
A man waits alone in a stormy cottage for Porphyria, the woman he loves but who hesitates to fully commit to him. When she finally arrives and expresses her tender affection, he re…
- 15
The Conqueror Worm
Edgar Allan Poe · 1843
Poe envisions human life as a theatrical performance in front of sorrowful angels, with people acting as puppets manipulated by unseen powers. The true main attraction is a monstro…
- 16
Echo
Christina Rossetti · 1862
A speaker reaches out to a lost love, asking them to come back — not in reality, but in dreams. The poem balances on the line between memory and longing, where the only time the sp…
- 17
Remember
Christina Rossetti · 1862
A dying speaker asks her loved one to remember her after she’s gone. Yet, in a surprising twist, she says it’s okay to forget if that leads to happiness. The poem acts as a farewel…
- 18
Success is counted sweetest
Emily Dickinson · 1864
This poem suggests that those who truly grasp the concept of success are often the ones who have never experienced it. Dickinson employs the image of a dying soldier who has lost t…
- 19
O Captain! My Captain!
Walt Whitman · 1865
A sailor celebrates the end of a long, perilous voyage — but the captain who guided them through it has died just as the ship arrives at port. The crowd on shore is cheering, compl…
- 20
When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d
Walt Whitman · 1865
This poem is Walt Whitman's tribute to Abraham Lincoln, composed after Lincoln's assassination in April 1865. Whitman refrains from mentioning Lincoln by name; instead, he intertwi…
- 21
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…
- 22
Alone
Edgar Allan Poe · 1875
A lone rider crosses a vast, scorching wilderness, witnessing his companions perish one by one until only he and his horse remain. The desert deceives him, presenting a mirage of c…
- 23
Drummer Hodge
Thomas Hardy · 1899
A young British soldier named Hodge is buried without a coffin on the South African veldt during the Boer War, far from his home in Wessex. Although he never understood the foreign…
- 24
The Phantom Fleet
Alfred Noyes · 1902
A man falls asleep in a cottage adorned with naval paintings and awakens in a dream where the spirits of Britain's most legendary admirals — Nelson, Drake, Raleigh, and others — re…
- 25
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…
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