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
July.
11 poems, ranked.
11 of the finest public-domain poems about july, 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
July
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“July is a brief dramatic monologue where the month of July speaks for itself, detailing the intense heat and strength it brings to the land. Longfellow gives Ju…”
Open the poem
02
For the Fourth of July, 1876
James Russell Lowell
“Lowell wrote this poem to celebrate America's 100th birthday, portraying the nation as a strong yet nurturing mother figure that protects her children and provi…”
Open the poem
03
The Day Lady Died
Frank O'Hara
“Frank O'Hara's poem captures a typical Friday afternoon in New York City — buying cigarettes, cashing a check, picking up books — until a newspaper headline hal…”
Open the poem
The complete index
- 04
July 21, 1865
James Russell Lowell
Written on July 21, 1865, this poem is James Russell Lowell's ode delivered at Harvard's commencement, honoring the university's graduates who died fighting in the Civil War. Lowel…
- 05
The Commemoration Ode
James Russell Lowell
Written during a single sleepless night in July 1865, Lowell's Commemoration Ode pays tribute to the Harvard men who lost their lives in the Civil War. In its most famous section,…
- 06
Letter to Maria Gisborne
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Shelley is staying alone in his friends the Gisbornes' house in Leghorn (Livorno), Italy, and writes them a long, friendly verse letter while they visit London. He describes the wo…
- 07
Lines Written in the Vale of Chamouni
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A young Shelley stands in the Alps, gazing up at Mont Blanc and the Arve valley, wrestling with the meaning behind the mountain's overwhelming silence and power. He wonders if natu…
- 08
He had been advised by a physician to live as much as possible in
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This passage — penned by Mary Shelley as a biographical note about her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley — details his peaceful, restorative summer of 1815 near Windsor Forest and lists…
- 09
Ode Recited at the Harvard Commemoration
James Russell Lowell
Lowell begins his ode by acknowledging that poetry seems inadequate to truly honor the soldiers who lost their lives in the Civil War — men whose bravery surpassed anything words c…
- 10
Poem Read at Cambridge on the Hundredth Anniversary of Washington's
James Russell Lowell
This poem was penned by James Russell Lowell to mark the 100th anniversary of George Washington assuming command of the Continental Army in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lowell suggest…
Read deeper