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
home.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about home, 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
A Tale of Acadie
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“This is the opening of Longfellow's epic poem *Evangeline*, which narrates the tale of Acadian settlers who were forcibly taken from their homes in Nova Scotia…”
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02
Frithiof's Homestead
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“This poem vividly depicts a grand Norse homestead—showcasing the land, animals, feasting hall, and its inhabitants. Longfellow lovingly describes the estate of…”
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03
The Hanging of the Crane
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“A poet sits alone by the fire after a housewarming party, watching visions of the future unfold for the young couple whose new home has just been blessed. The p…”
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The complete index
- 04
The Lake Isle of Innisfree
W. B. Yeats · 1890
A man in a bustling city yearns to escape to a small Irish island named Innisfree. There, he envisions constructing a modest cabin, cultivating beans, and ultimately discovering tr…
- 05
Drummer Hodge
Thomas Hardy · 1899
A young English drummer boy named "Hodge," a common name for a country worker, dies during the Boer War and is laid to rest in the South African veld, far from his homeland. Hardy…
- 06
The Death of the Hired Man
Robert Frost · 1914
A weary old farmhand named Silas has arrived unexpectedly and in a daze at the farm where he once worked. While he sleeps inside, the farmer Warren and his wife Mary sit on the por…
- 07
The Emigrée
Carol Rumens · 1993
- 08
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…
- 09
A Child's Christmas in Wales
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas's *A Child's Christmas in Wales* is a beautifully written memoir that captures the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of an adult reflecting on the snowy holidays of…
- 10
A Jacobite's Exile
Algernon Charles Swinburne
A Jacobite soldier, exiled in France after the devastating loss at Culloden in 1746, longs for his home in Northumberland. He gazes at the French countryside, which he finds beauti…
- 11
An Invitation
James Russell Lowell
Lowell writes a heartfelt, lengthy poem to his old friend John Francis Heath, who has spent the last nine years living abroad. He believes that everything — history, beauty, advent…
- 12
Argument
Homer
This is the opening book of Homer's *Odyssey*, which lays the groundwork for the entire epic: the gods agree it's finally time for Ulysses (Odysseus) to return home after a decade…
- 13
At Tomis, in Bessarabia, Near the Mouths of the Danube
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This poem is Longfellow's English translation of two elegies written by the Roman poet Ovid, who was exiled by Emperor Augustus to Tomis—a distant, icy outpost on the Black Sea. In…
- 14
Ballad of the Landlord
Langston Hughes
A Black tenant confronts his landlord, insisting on repairs for a leaking roof and broken steps, even threatening to withhold rent. In response, he finds himself arrested, jailed,…
- 15
Bliss it: A rather violent use of the word, not recognized by
James Russell Lowell
An Indian-Summer Reverie is Lowell's expansive, meandering love letter to Elmwood, his home in Cambridge, penned in his late twenties. He guides us through the familiar landscape —…
- 16
By Lefranc De Pompignan
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A traveler is departing from the harsh, cold mountains and hurrying back to the warm, gentle lowlands of southern France. Each stanza either exclaims "good riddance" to the rugged…
- 17
By Xavier Marmier
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A speaker reflects on a place called La Chaudeau, where he enjoyed his happiest youth, lamenting that time and travel have distanced him from it. Now, feeling old and detached, he…
- 18
Calypso's Island
Archibald MacLeish
In "Calypso's Island," MacLeish revisits the scene from Homer's *Odyssey* where Odysseus decides to leave Calypso's paradise behind to return home, despite the allure of immortalit…
- 19
Clearances
Seamus Heaney
*Clearances* is a sequence of sonnets by Seamus Heaney that he wrote following his mother's death. It reflects on the simple, everyday moments they experienced together—like peelin…
- 20
Cornish Lullaby
Eugene Field
A mother sings her baby to sleep, while outside in the hills, trolls and a miner sing solely about gold. This poem highlights a contrast: no amount of glittering wealth can compare…
- 21
Dutch Lullaby
Eugene Field
A parent sings a child to sleep by telling the story of three little figures — Wynken, Blynken, and Nod — who sail through the night sky in a wooden shoe, fishing for stars. As the…
- 22
Elmwood
James Russell Lowell
Elmwood isn't a poem; it's a prose portrait of the house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where James Russell Lowell was born, lived, and died. It intertwines the history of the house,…
- 23
Frithiof’s Farewell
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Longfellow's "Frithiof's Farewell" translates a poignant moment from the Swedish epic *Frithiofs saga*, where the hero Frithiof bids farewell to his cherished homeland and the woma…
- 24
Haunted Houses
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Every house where people have lived and died, in Longfellow's view, is filled with invisible presences — not frightening ghosts, but gentle impressions left by those who came befor…
- 25
Michael
William Wordsworth
Michael is a narrative poem that tells the story of an elderly shepherd from the Lake District who dedicates his entire life to his land and his son, Luke. However, his hopes are s…
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