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
hope.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about hope, 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
Hope
Percy Bysshe Shelley
“A young Shelley begins by expressing his feelings of utter hopelessness, but he gradually reassures himself by likening hope to a sunbeam that casts a beautiful…”
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02
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
Emily Dickinson
“Emily Dickinson likens hope to a little bird that resides within everyone, singing continuously regardless of how difficult life becomes. This bird provides war…”
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03
Prometheus Unbound
Percy Bysshe Shelley
“Prometheus Unbound is Shelley's epic lyrical drama centered on the Titan Prometheus, who is chained and tortured by Jupiter (Zeus) for bringing fire to humanity…”
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The complete index
- 04
To Hope
John Keats
A nineteen-year-old Keats pens a heartfelt prayer to Hope, pleading for her presence whenever life feels bleak — be it during moments of loneliness, heartbreak, political anxiety,…
- 05
The New Colossus
Emma Lazarus · 1883
A statue stands at the entrance to America, speaking not as a conqueror but as a mother welcoming the world's most desperate people. Emma Lazarus gives the Statue of Liberty a voic…
- 06
The New Morning
Alfred Noyes · 1918
Alfred Noyes's "The New Morning" welcomes a new day as a time for renewal and quiet awe, inspired by nature — light, birdsong, dew — to convey that every dawn brings the promise of…
- 07
And Death Shall Have No Dominion
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas's poem "And Death Shall Have No Dominion" is a bold declaration that the human spirit endures beyond death in some way — while bones may break and flesh may decay, som…
- 08
A Psalm of Life
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A Psalm of Life is Longfellow's invitation to stop dwelling on death and begin living with intention. He reminds us that life isn’t just a dream to drift through — it’s a struggle…
- 09
Blind Bartimeus
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This poem recounts the Biblical tale of Blind Bartimaeus, a beggar waiting outside Jericho who calls out to Jesus and is healed. Longfellow preserves the essential moments of the s…
- 10
By Francisco De Aldana
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This poem envisions heaven as the soul's true home — a realm filled with pure light and truth, where the spirit is liberated from its fragile, suffering body. The speaker describes…
- 11
By Siegfried August Mahlmann
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This short poem translates a German verse by Siegfried August Mahlmann into English, courtesy of Longfellow. It conveys a profound trust in God (Allah) to alleviate suffering and b…
- 12
Gaspar
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This short poem is delivered by Gaspar, one of the three Wise Men, as he welcomes the infant Jesus in the manger. Gaspar praises the newborn as something beyond all of life's highs…
- 13
God's-Acre
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A burial ground receives a new name — "God's-Acre" — and that name shifts our perspective on death. Longfellow employs farming imagery to suggest that dying is akin to planting: ou…
- 14
Hellas
Percy Bysshe Shelley
*Hellas* is a lyrical drama that Shelley penned in 1821 to support the Greek War of Independence against Ottoman rule. It envisions Turkish Sultan Mahmud II experiencing visions an…
- 15
In Absence
James Russell Lowell
A speaker gets through a cold, bleak winter by clinging to the hope that their beloved will return in spring. Each month — March, April, May — serves to highlight the loved one's b…
- 16
Ithaka
C. P. Cavafy
Cavafy uses Ithaka, the home of Odysseus in Homer's *Odyssey*, as a metaphor for any goal or destination we strive for in life. The central idea of the poem is that the journey, fi…
- 17
I Thank You God
E. E. Cummings
In this jubilant poem, E. E. Cummings expresses heartfelt gratitude to God for the simple yet profound joy of being alive and experiencing the world through his senses. He is in aw…
- 18
My Heart Leaps Up
William Wordsworth
A brief poem where Wordsworth expresses that witnessing a rainbow brings him joy—a feeling he's had since childhood and continues to have into old age, with hopes it never fades. H…
- 19
On Planting a Tree at Inveraray
James Russell Lowell
A man plants a tree and questions if that one act fulfills his duty in life. Lowell's response is affirmative: even after the planter has passed away and is forgotten, the tree con…
- 20
Sonnet 29
William Shakespeare
The speaker is having a terrible day—feeling like a failure, envious of those around him, and convinced that even God isn't paying attention. But then he thinks of the person he lo…
- 21
Star of the East
Eugene Field
This poem serves as a Christmas prayer directed at the Star of Bethlehem, the very star that led the Wise Men to the baby Jesus. Field calls on the star to continue its role — illu…
- 22
Still I Rise
Maya Angelou
Still I Rise is Maya Angelou's bold assertion that no amount of hatred, cruelty, or oppression can hold her — or, by extension, Black Americans — back. She layers vivid imagery of…
- 23
Sunflower Sutra
Allen Ginsberg
A dirty sunflower found next to a railroad track becomes the heart of a vision about human dignity and the beauty hidden beneath industrial grime. Ginsberg and his friend Jack Kero…
- 24
The Angels
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Seven angelic beings, each embodying one of the classical planets, soar through the sky to bring a star and their offerings to the newborn Jesus. Imagine a cosmic parade of gift-gi…
- 25
The Rainy Day
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A speaker gazes at a dreary, rainy day and perceives his own somber feelings mirrored in the weather. He feels trapped in memories, witnessing his youthful dreams fade away one by…
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