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
doubt.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about doubt, 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
For Once Then Something
Robert Frost · 1920
“A person peers into a well and typically only sees their own reflection staring back. For a brief moment, they think they catch a glimpse of something deeper—so…”
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02
Three Voices
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
“Three Voices is a dramatic poem by Tennyson featuring three distinct inner voices that address a despairing man, each urging him toward hopelessness, doubt, and…”
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03
Universe Not Convinced?
Percy Bysshe Shelley
“This is a philosophical prose-poem (or polemical essay fragment) by Shelley where he argues that Christianity — and religion overall — rests on weak foundations…”
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The complete index
- 04
Yet Do I Marvel
Countee Cullen
A Black poet observes a world filled with cruelty and contradiction, expressing his belief that God has good reasons for everything — even if those reasons are beyond our comprehen…
- 05
The Open Door
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A person reflects on the harsh timing of life — how we often learn to truly live just as life is coming to an end — and wonders if that’s really all there is. The poem grapples wit…
- 06
Ash Wednesday
T. S. Eliot · 1930
*Ash Wednesday* is T. S. Eliot's lengthy poem exploring the challenge of shifting focus from worldly matters to God, composed following his conversion to Anglican Christianity in 1…
- 07
And There Thou Shalt Serve Other Gods, Which Neither Thou nor Thy
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This text isn't a poem in the traditional sense; it's a fragment of prose-essay by Shelley, likely taken from his early pamphlet *The Necessity of Atheism* or from the notes to *Qu…
- 08
Credidimus Jovem Regnare
James Russell Lowell
Lowell reflects nostalgically on a time when people accepted the stories about gods and the universe without question. He acknowledges that modern science has shattered that comfor…
- 09
Dover Beach
Matthew Arnold
A man stands by a window at night, gazing out at the English Channel while listening to the waves pulling pebbles along the beach. This sound reminds him of how religious faith see…
- 10
Dunno
Carl Sandburg
In "Dunno," Carl Sandburg presents a straightforward, working-class speaker who casually dismisses life's big questions — where we come from, where we're headed, and what it all si…
- 11
Fancy's Casuistry
James Russell Lowell
A poet sits in quiet solitude as the city around him burns and storms rage. He wonders if it's acceptable to observe it all like a painting rather than take action. The poem unfold…
- 12
Gamaliel the Scribe
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Gamaliel the Scribe is an elderly Jewish teacher who contemplates the Law, the traditions of his faith, and a remarkable boy he met years ago in the Temple — a carpenter's son from…
- 13
Giacomo Alone
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This is a powerful moment from Shelley's verse play *The Cenci*, where Giacomo anxiously waits at midnight for news of his father's death—his brutal father, Count Cenci. Unfortunat…
- 14
I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died
Emily Dickinson
A dying person reflects on their last moments: the room is quiet, surrounded by loved ones, all anticipating something profound and sacred. Instead, a lone fly buzzes in and obscur…
- 15
King Trisanku
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
King Trisanku is a brief poem that tells a tale from Hindu mythology: a king is magically propelled toward heaven, only to be rejected by the gods and left stuck in midair. Longfel…
- 16
Lines Written in the Vale of Chamouni
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A young Shelley stands in the Alps, gazing up at Mont Blanc and the Arve valley, wrestling with the meaning behind the mountain's overwhelming silence and power. He wonders if natu…
- 17
Nicodemus
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, quietly makes his way through the still streets at night to meet Jesus for a private conversation. He acknowledges Jesus as a teacher and a prophet sent…
- 18
On His Blindness
John Milton
Milton wrote this sonnet after he lost his sight completely, pondering whether God still expects him to create great poetry despite his blindness. The poem explores that fear and r…
- 19
The Collar
George Herbert
A frustrated speaker pounds his fist on the table and announces he's finished serving God — he craves his freedom, his pleasures, his life. He rants and raves throughout the poem,…
- 20
The Father
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This brief, heartfelt poem expresses a father's urgent plea to God for help and mercy for his child. It's a powerful expression of faith stretched to its limits, where the speaker…
- 21
The Tyger
William Blake
A speaker gazes at a tiger, endlessly pondering one question: who or what could create something so terrifying and powerful? Blake uses the tiger to grapple with the concept of a G…
- 22
Thomas
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This short poem expresses the thoughts of the apostle Thomas right after the Resurrection, illustrating his blend of faith and deep disappointment. Thomas has witnessed the risen C…
- 23
When I Consider How My Light Is Spent
John Milton
Milton wrote this sonnet after losing his sight, grappling with the fear that he could no longer serve God through his poetry. He is concerned that his talent is wasted if he can't…
- 24
Cathedral, The
James Russell Lowell
The Cathedral is a reflective poem by James Russell Lowell, influenced by his visit to Chartres Cathedral in France. He takes the magnificence of this medieval structure as a start…
- 25
Peter
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This brief dramatic monologue immerses us in the thoughts of Simon Peter, the fisherman destined to become one of Jesus's closest disciples, immediately following the miraculous ca…
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