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
Identity.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about identity, 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 Ruined Maid
Thomas Hardy
“Two women run into each other in the city: one is still a poor farm girl, the other has clearly come up in the world — nice clothes, soft hands, polished speech…”
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02
Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare · 1609
“Shakespeare takes twelve lines to playfully point out how his girlfriend doesn't fit the grandiose compliments that poets often give to women—her eyes aren't li…”
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03
No Man Is an Island
John Donne · 1624
“John Donne's "No Man Is an Island" (from *Meditation XVII* in *Devotions upon Emergent Occasions*, 1624) expresses that every person is linked to one another —…”
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The complete index
- 04
A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
John Donne · 1633
John Donne is bidding farewell to his wife before embarking on a lengthy journey, urging her to hold back her tears and avoid making a fuss. He believes their love is profound and…
- 05
The Canonization
John Donne · 1633
Two lovers face criticism from someone who claims they're squandering their lives on love rather than pursuing something "useful." Donne responds, urging them to mind their own bus…
- 06
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 mixed together, they a…
- 07
The Good-Morrow
John Donne · 1633
Two people wake up side by side, and the speaker wonders: what were we even up to before we fell in love? Everything that came before this moment feels like a dream or childhood, e…
- 08
The Sun Rising
John Donne · 1633
A man wakes up beside the woman he loves and feels irritated by the sunlight streaming through the curtains, disrupting their moment. He insists that love is so strong it surpasses…
- 09
To His Mistress Going to Bed
John Donne · 1654
A man encourages his lover to take off her clothes and join him in bed, slowly removing each piece until they are both completely naked. Donne depicts this moment as a blend of rel…
- 10
On Being Brought from Africa to America
Phillis Wheatley · 1773
A young enslaved woman contemplates her journey from Africa to America, viewing it as a spiritual path toward Christianity. At the same time, she firmly confronts white Christians…
- 11
Infant Joy
William Blake · 1789
A newborn baby hasn't been given a name yet, so the speaker asks what to call it — and the baby responds: "Joy." This sweet moment captures a tiny, joyful interaction between a par…
- 12
The Divine Image
William Blake · 1789
Blake's poem expresses that the four great virtues — Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love — are not merely attributes of God but also qualities inherent in every human being. Since God ins…
- 13
The Human Abstract
William Blake · 1794
Blake suggests that virtues such as Pity and Mercy arise solely because humans inflict suffering — they aren’t indicators of goodness but evidence that something has gone awry. He…
- 14
The Eolian Harp
Samuel Taylor Coleridge · 1796
A man sits outside his cottage with his wife, Sara, enjoying the soothing sounds of an Aeolian harp—a stringed instrument played by the wind. As he takes in the beauty of the eveni…
- 15
Dejection: An Ode
Samuel Taylor Coleridge · 1802
Coleridge sits alone on a stormy night, feeling utterly numb. He notices the beauty in nature but struggles to feel it. He attributes this to a loss of inner joy, which he thinks i…
- 16
London, 1802
William Wordsworth · 1807
Wordsworth surveys England in 1802 and concludes that it has lost its moral compass—its churches, armies, writers, and homes have become weak and self-centered. He reaches out to t…
- 17
Prometheus
George Gordon Byron · 1816
Byron's "Prometheus" is a retelling of the Greek myth about the Titan who took fire from the gods and shared it with humanity, only to be bound to a rock and tortured for eternity.…
- 18
When We Two Parted
George Gordon Byron · 1816
Byron's poem is actually two distinct pieces often published together. "When We Two Parted" is a heartfelt, subdued expression of sorrow over a secret love affair that ended poorly…
- 19
Mont Blanc
Percy Bysshe Shelley · 1817
Shelley stands before the towering, icy Mont Blanc, pondering one of the most profound questions of existence: is there a hidden power governing the universe, or does the human min…
- 20
Lamia
John Keats · 1820
Lamia is a long narrative poem that tells the story of a serpent-woman transformed into a beautiful human who falls in love with a young man named Lycius in ancient Corinth. Their…
- 21
Sonnet to Science
Edgar Allan Poe · 1829
Poe's speaker confronts Science, blaming it for destroying the magic of the world—removing myths, gods, and daydreams in favor of cold, hard facts. He questions how any poet could…
- 22
Porphyria's Lover
Robert Browning · 1836
A man waits alone in a stormy cottage for Porphyria, the woman he loves but who hesitates to fully commit to him. When she finally arrives and expresses her tender affection, he re…
- 23
The Rhodora
Ralph Waldo Emerson · 1839
A man comes across a wild flowering shrub known as the Rhodora, blooming all by itself in the woods, with no one else around to appreciate it. This sight prompts him to ponder why…
- 24
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 his wife's death be…
- 25
Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister
Robert Browning · 1842
A monk in a Spanish monastery is filled with an almost absurd hatred for his fellow brother, Lawrence, who appears to be nothing but kind and devout. Throughout the poem, the speak…
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