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
Guilt.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about guilt, 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
To a Mouse
Robert Burns · 1785
“A Scottish farmer unintentionally destroys a mouse's nest while ploughing a field. Instead of simply moving on, he takes a moment to apologise to the mouse and…”
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02
Fishers of Men
Alfred Noyes · 1907
“Alfred Noyes reflects on the well-known Gospel moment when Jesus invites his disciples to become "fishers of men" and poses a challenging question: after two mi…”
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03
Home Burial
Robert Frost · 1914
“A husband and wife stand on a staircase after losing their baby. What begins as a tense discussion about what she keeps looking at out the window escalates into…”
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The complete index
- 04
Portrait of a Lady
T. S. Eliot · 1915
A young man meets with an older woman three times throughout the seasons. Each time, she pours out intense, needy speeches about friendship, life, and the desire to feel understood…
- 05
On the Western Front
Alfred Noyes · 1918
Written in 1916, at the peak of World War One, "On the Western Front" by Alfred Noyes reflects on the soldiers laid to rest in the battlefields of France. The poem shifts between t…
- 06
Ghosts of the New World
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Alfred Noyes strongly contests the notion that America is too new and modern to have ghosts. He guides the reader through centuries of American history—explorers, witch trials, rev…
- 07
Peace in a Palace
Alfred Noyes · 1922
The Empress of Germany dreams of drowning children reaching out to her, mistaking her for their mother. As the dream unfolds, it becomes evident that she's haunted by the passenger…
- 08
The Bell
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A temple bell keeps going out of tune no matter how often it’s recast with gold, silver, wine, and blood — until a mother throws her baby into the molten metal, and the bell finall…
- 09
The Old Gentleman with the Amber Snuff-Box
Alfred Noyes · 1922
An old man sits alone by a fading fire, pouring his heart into a poem that reflects on the friendships he ruined with his pride and ignorance. After writing it, he burns the poem,…
- 10
A Breton Legend
James Russell Lowell
A traveler in Brittany learns of a local legend about a ruined church where, once a year on All Souls' Eve, the spirits of the deceased must attend a sermon delivered by Death hims…
- 11
Acadia and the Acadians
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This is a prose introduction by Longfellow, not a poem, but rather the historical preface he created to set the stage for his epic poem *Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie*. It recounts…
- 12
A Chippewa Legend
James Russell Lowell
A dying Chippewa chief asks his two older children to take care of their little brother Sheemah, but one by one, they leave him to return to their tribe. Sheemah endures a harsh wi…
- 13
A Contrast
James Russell Lowell
A speaker admits that for years they overlooked God's love because it came in the form of the poor, the outcast, and the enslaved — individuals they were too proud to acknowledge.…
- 14
A Fable
James Russell Lowell
Two friends sneak away on a Sunday to go hunting and end up shooting a goose that belongs to a local deacon. They bicker over whether to eat it fresh or wait, eventually deciding t…
- 15
Against the Degeneracy of the Roman Youth
Horace
Horace urges Roman youth to be resilient, stand up for themselves, and adhere to a strict code of honor—because dying for your country is far better than dying in disgrace, and onl…
- 16
A Hall of the Prison
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This is the final scene from Shelley's verse drama *The Cenci*, set in a prison where Beatrice Cenci and her family await execution for killing their abusive father. Beatrice shift…
- 17
A Nameless Grave
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A speaker encounters the grave of an unnamed Union soldier in Newport News, Virginia, and feels the weight of the fact that this man gave everything, even his name, for his country…
- 18
An Apartment in the Castle
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This intense moment from Shelley's verse play *The Cenci* depicts Beatrice Cenci as she plots to kill her abusive father, Count Cenci. Just before the act, two hired assassins hesi…
- 19
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…
- 20
An Epistle to George William Curtis
James Russell Lowell
Lowell writes a lengthy verse letter to his friend George William Curtis, commending Curtis's character and civic bravery. He then reflects on his own inner turmoil: while he cheri…
- 21
A Tragedy in Five Acts
Percy Bysshe Shelley
*The Cenci* is Shelley's five-act verse tragedy centered on Beatrice Cenci, a young Roman noblewoman who orchestrated the murder of her father, Count Francesco Cenci, in 1599, afte…
- 22
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…
- 23
A Village Church
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A village church turns into a battleground of good versus evil: a humble priest struggles with his feelings of inadequacy while caring for his congregation, then steps outside — an…
- 24
A Winter's Tale
D. H. Lawrence
A man observes a woman's footprints cutting through a snowy, misty landscape heading toward the pine trees. He knows she’s waiting for him, even as he prepares to say goodbye for g…
- 25
Before the Castle of Petrella
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This is a tense moment from Shelley's verse play *The Cenci*, taking place on a castle's ramparts at midnight. Beatrice and her mother Lucretia are plotting the murder of Beatrice'…
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