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
Justice.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about justice, 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
England in 1819
Percy Bysshe Shelley · 1819
“Shelley examines Britain in 1819, detailing everything he believes is wrong — from a senile king and corrupt princes to starving citizens, harsh laws, and an em…”
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02
Compensations
Alfred Noyes · 1922
“Alfred Noyes's "Compensations" explores the subtle, often unnoticed ways that justice, mercy, and goodness manifest in the world — not with dramatic displays, b…”
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03
Five Criticisms
Alfred Noyes · 1922
“Alfred Noyes delivers five pointed critiques of the literary and political trends of his time: the cynical love-triangle novel, the obsession with novelty over…”
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The complete index
- 04
Peace in a Palace
Alfred Noyes · 1922
The Empress of Germany dreams of drowning children reaching out to her, mistaking her for their mother. As the dream unfolds, it becomes evident that she's haunted by the passenger…
- 05
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…
- 06
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…
- 07
What Grandfather Said
Alfred Noyes · 1922
An older man pens a pointed letter to a young artist who professes to care about ordinary folks but actually looks down on them. The grandfather's message is straightforward: if yo…
- 08
A Ballad
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Shelley outfits the Devil in elegant attire and sends him on a journey through early 19th-century Britain, where he discovers that priests, kings, lawyers, bishops, and statesmen a…
- 09
Acadia and the Acadians
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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…
- 10
A Chamber in the Vatican
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This is the opening scene of Shelley's verse drama *The Cenci* (1819), set in Renaissance Rome. Giacomo Cenci tells Cardinal Camillo about his cruel father, who has left him broke…
- 11
A Contrast
James Russell Lowell
A speaker admits that for years they overlooked God's love because it came in the form of the poor, the outcast, and the enslaved — individuals they were too proud to acknowledge.…
- 12
Addressed to Haydon
John Keats
Keats composes a sonnet that honors the painter Benjamin Robert Haydon, suggesting that real appreciation for outstanding artists isn't just for the wealthy or well-known — it's fo…
- 13
A Dialogue
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Two personified villains, Vice and Falsehood, boast to one another about the pain they’ve inflicted on humanity — through war, tyranny, false religion, and famine. In the end, they…
- 14
Against Avarice and Luxury
Horace
Horace examines the relentless chase for wealth and luxury and concludes: it all means nothing, as death is impartial to both the poor and the rich. He juxtaposes his own simple, s…
- 15
Against the Luxury of the Romans
Horace
Horace surveys the vast mansions and perfectly kept gardens of the affluent Romans and remarks: this isn’t who we were. He lifts up the old Roman heroes—Romulus, Cato—as evidence t…
- 16
A Hall of the Prison
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This is the final scene from Shelley's verse drama *The Cenci*, set in a prison where Beatrice Cenci and her family await execution for killing their abusive father. Beatrice shift…
- 17
A Misconception
James Russell Lowell
A Misconception is a clever four-line joke targeting a corrupt official referred to simply as "B." He has misunderstood Alexander Pope's well-known advice to "do good by stealth,"…
- 18
An Apartment in the Castle
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This intense moment from Shelley's verse play *The Cenci* depicts Beatrice Cenci as she plots to kill her abusive father, Count Cenci. Just before the act, two hired assassins hesi…
- 19
An Apartment in the Cenci Palace
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This is the opening scene of Shelley's verse drama *The Cenci*, where we meet Count Cenci, a ruthless Roman nobleman who has just bribed the Pope to hide a murder. Cardinal Camillo…
- 20
And Charlotte Corday
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A teenage Shelley envisions a stormy midnight scene where he almost succumbs to despair over the pain inflicted by tyrants. Suddenly, he finds himself in a heavenly realm where he…
- 21
An Epistle to George William Curtis
James Russell Lowell
Lowell writes a lengthy verse letter to his friend George William Curtis, commending Curtis's character and civic bravery. He then reflects on his own inner turmoil: while he cheri…
- 22
A New National Anthem
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A New National Anthem is Shelley’s bold reimagining of "God Save the King," where he replaces the monarch with Liberty as the genuine queen deserving of our praise. He argues that…
- 23
An Horatian Ode upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland
Andrew Marvell
Marvell's ode observes Oliver Cromwell’s transformation from a quiet private individual to the most powerful figure in England, as he crushes the Irish, executes a king, and poses…
- 24
An Interview with Miles Standish
James Russell Lowell
A narrator sits alone by a dying fire when the ghost of Miles Standish, the tough Pilgrim soldier from Plymouth Colony, pays a visit. Standish expresses his frustration with those…
- 25
An Ode, Written October, 1819,
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Shelley is crafting a battle cry for the Spanish people, calling them to stand against tyranny and fight for their freedom. He emphasizes that their suffering and the loss of their…
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