Best Poems About
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 by the British in 1755. In these initial stanzas, Longfellow paints a picture of
This poem vividly depicts a grand Norse homestead—showcasing the land, animals, feasting hall, and its inhabitants. Longfellow lovingly describes the estate of chieftain Thorsten, detailing everything from the cornfields and reindeer-filled
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 poem follows the crane — an iron bar hung in the fireplace to hold cooking pots —
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 tranquility. The entire poem unfolds like a vivid daydream; ho
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 porch steps, debating whether to take him in. Warren feels rese
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 the story of the Acadian people—French settlers in present-d
This text provides geographical footnotes from Longfellow's epic poem *Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie* (1847). It highlights real locations in Louisiana where Acadian exiles settled after being forced from Nova Scotia by the British in 1755.
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 his childhood in Wales. It weaves together a mix of real an
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 beautiful yet entirely foreign — the rivers, hills, and winds don’
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, adventure — can be discovered right at home in New England if you
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 of wandering since the fall of Troy. While the goddess Miner
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 the first elegy, Ovid paints a vivid picture of the harsh w
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, and portrayed in the newspaper as a dangerous criminal. The
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 — the river, the marshes, the trees, and the shifting seasons
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 landscape or embraces the soft, familiar countryside ahead.
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 revisits it in memory, longing for the days he never should
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 immortality and endless pleasure that staying offers. The poem takes t
*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 peeling potatoes and folding sheets—and how these small rituals ev
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 to a mother's love for her child. It serves as a gentle rem
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 laments that this everyday soldier lacks a proper grave or c
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 poem concludes, it reveals the truth: the entire adventure
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, Lowell's family background, and his own letters that expres
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 woman he loves before heading into exile. The poem vividly conve
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 before us. The poem then expands to suggest that the entire world
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 shattered when Luke leaves for the city and never comes back.