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
Honour.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about honour, 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
The Flea
John Donne · 1633
“A man is attempting to persuade a woman to sleep with him by highlighting a flea that has bitten them both. He argues that since the flea now has their blood mi…”
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02
My Last Duchess
Robert Browning · 1842
“A Duke is displaying a painting of his deceased ex-wife to an envoy sent to discuss his upcoming marriage. As he speaks, it becomes evident that he orchestrated…”
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03
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, Rale…”
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The complete index
- 04
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…
- 05
Kilmeny
Alfred Noyes · 1907
A British naval drifter named Kilmeny heads out to sea at dusk, undertakes a secret and lethal task during World War One, and returns with her skipper dead but her mission fulfille…
- 06
The Golden Hynde
Alfred Noyes · 1908
Alfred Noyes's "The Golden Hynde" tells the exciting story of Sir Francis Drake's adventurous journey on his legendary ship, embodying the excitement of Elizabethan maritime explor…
- 07
Laugh and Be Merry
John Masefield · 1910
This poem passionately urges us to embrace life while we can. Masefield reminds us that joy is woven into the essence of creation — God crafted the world from delight — so we shoul…
- 08
The Contest
H. D. · 1916
H.D.'s "The Contest" presents an intense, almost legendary conflict — probably between two opposing forces, characters, or wills — where beauty and power clash, and neither side em…
- 09
The Wind Sleepers
H. D. · 1916
A restless group of spirits, swept along by the wind, calls on the living to construct an altar and offer songs to help them find peace. Forced from their natural home by the sea a…
- 10
Disabled
Wilfred Owen · 1917
A young soldier sits in a wheelchair, waiting for someone to help him to bed, while he reflects on the life he had before the war took his legs and his future. Owen contrasts the s…
- 11
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…
- 12
Hugh Selwyn Mauberley
Ezra Pound · 1920
Hugh Selwyn Mauberley marks Ezra Pound's farewell to his early career and offers a sharp critique of modern Western culture. A poet who feels out of sync with his time struggles to…
- 13
Demeter
H. D. · 1921
Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest, shares her feelings about being revered as a grand, heavy statue adorned with gold, while her daughter Persephone is the one who captures…
- 14
Hymen
H. D. · 1921
H.D.'s "Hymen" is a ceremonial poem-sequence that enacts a Greek-style wedding ritual, featuring processions of children, maidens, matrons, and Love himself. Each group carries flo…
- 15
Cap'n Storm-Along
Alfred Noyes · 1922
This is an energetic sea shanty-style poem celebrating a legendary British naval commander, "Cap'n Storm-along," who guides a ragtag fleet of fishing and patrol boats against Germa…
- 16
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…
- 17
Princeton
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Written as a tribute to Princeton, New Jersey — the location of a significant Revolutionary War battle — this poem envisions the ghost of George Washington strolling through the no…
- 18
The Lost Battle
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A poet inspires fellow idealists feeling weary from a lengthy battle for truth and justice, reminding them that the cause persists even when its champions fade. Noyes suggests that…
- 19
The Night of the Lion
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Written just before Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, this poem envisions the British Empire as a mighty lion stirring from restless slumber in response to a moral su…
- 20
The Old Meeting House
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A quiet graveyard in New Jersey, filled with colonial-era Americans, remains undisturbed as World War One unfolds far away — until a bell rings, awakening the buried Founding-era d…
- 21
The People's Fleet
Alfred Noyes · 1922
This poem honors the small civilian boats that journeyed to Dunkirk in 1940 to rescue British soldiers stuck on the beaches of France. Noyes highlights the simple, familiar names o…
- 22
The Union
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Written in 1917, "The Union" is Alfred Noyes's homage to the United States joining World War One alongside the Allied nations. He honors America as a nation formed by people from d…
- 23
The Vindictive
Alfred Noyes · 1922
This poem pays tribute to the sailors who served on HMS *Vindictive* during the Zeebrugge Raid in April 1918, a bold British mission to obstruct a German submarine base. Noyes vivi…
- 24
To the Memory of Sir Cecil
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Alfred Noyes penned this poem in honor of a friend or admired figure, Sir Cecil, expressing his grief over his passing while also celebrating his life and values. The poem explores…
- 25
Victory
Alfred Noyes · 1922
"Victory," written after a memorial service in New York at the end of World War One, is Alfred Noyes's reflection on the true meaning of winning a war in the wake of so much loss.…
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