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
loneliness.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about loneliness, 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
From the Raven
Edgar Allan Poe
“A grieving man sits alone at night, tormented by memories of his lost love, Lenore, when a raven swoops in and settles above his door. No matter what the man in…”
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02
Not Waving but Drowning
Stevie Smith
“A drowned man attempts to convey that he was never cheerfully waving — he was urgently signaling for help, and no one saw. The poem then expands on this idea: i…”
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03
Mr Flood's Party
Edwin Arlington Robinson
“An elderly man named Eben Flood makes his way to a hilltop outside his hometown, drinking alone and raising a glass to a world that has mostly forgotten him. Ro…”
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The complete index
- 04
Sympathy
Paul Laurence Dunbar · 1899
A caged bird sits amidst the beauty of the natural world it cannot touch, and Dunbar captures that feeling perfectly — the longing, the pain, and the fervent singing. The bird's so…
- 05
Home Burial
Robert Frost · 1914
A husband and wife stand on a staircase after losing their baby. What begins as a tense discussion about what she keeps looking at out the window escalates into a fierce argument a…
- 06
Portrait of a Lady
T. S. Eliot · 1915
A young man meets with an older woman three times throughout the seasons. Each time, she pours out intense, needy speeches about friendship, life, and the desire to feel understood…
- 07
Rhapsody on a Windy Night
T. S. Eliot · 1917
A man strolls through deserted city streets in the early hours of the night, and as the clock strikes from midnight to four, the street lamps seem to whisper to him, stirring fragm…
- 08
Namesakes
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A woman named Peggy Nutten watches as other sailors' boats come back home in the evening, but the boat that bears her name — and held her loved one — never returns. Each stanza dee…
- 09
Absence
James Russell Lowell
When someone you care about is gone, it can feel like a kind of death — and Lowell suggests it's even worse than that. The poem explores how absence saps the vibrancy from life, tr…
- 10
After Death
Christina Rossetti
A dead woman tells the story of the moment after she dies, observing the man she loved as he stands next to her body — and comes to the painful realization that he never really lov…
- 11
By Felix Arvers
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A man harbors a secret love for a woman who never knew he felt that way — he loved her quietly his entire life, without receiving anything back, not even her recognition. The poem…
- 12
Elegy
D. H. Lawrence
A grieving speaker talks to someone they've lost — a lover or a cherished person — and confesses that they are so drained by sorrow that they wish to fade into the sky and reunite…
- 13
ia'
Sappho
A brief, striking poem where Sappho addresses an unnamed woman, declaring that when she dies, no one will remember her since she has no love for poetry or the Muses. She will drift…
- 14
La Belle Dame Sans Merci
John Keats
A captivating and alluring woman draws a knight into an enchanted dream-world. When he awakens, he finds himself alone on a desolate, chilly hillside, completely lost and unsure of…
- 15
Monologue of a Mother
D. H. Lawrence
A mother watches her grown son drift away and feels like she has nothing left to hold onto — not her son, not her husband, not even herself. She reflects on a life spent waiting to…
- 16
Nightwatches
James Russell Lowell
A sleepless speaker lies awake in the early hours, burdened by grief and regret, watching the clock inch closer to dawn. He revisits each loss he has endured, feeling them accumula…
- 17
Ode VIII
Sappho
A young woman watches the evening star unite the world once more — flocks return to their pens, daughters find their mothers — and feels the painful contrast of her own loss: her v…
- 18
Prince Athanase
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Prince Athanase is an unfinished narrative poem about a young, talented, and profoundly sad prince who harbors a mysterious inner pain that those around him cannot comprehend or me…
- 19
Richard Cory
Edwin Arlington Robinson
Richard Cory tells the story of a wealthy and admired man who appears to possess everything—good looks, money, and charm—while the working-class people around him envy his seemingl…
- 20
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
A grizzled old sailor stops a stranger on his way to a wedding and insists he listens to a wild tale: once, the sailor killed a friendly albatross without cause, and the entire cre…
- 21
Stanzas Written in Dejection, Near Naples
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A profoundly unhappy Shelley sits by himself on a beach near Naples on a beautiful December afternoon, observing the sun, sea, and birds around him — yet feeling entirely disconnec…
- 22
That in His Lone Obscure Distress
Rupert Brooke
This collection features poems by Rupert Brooke, primarily written between 1905 and 1914, exploring themes of love, loss, loneliness, and the odd beauty found in fleeting moments.…
- 23
The Forlorn
James Russell Lowell
A destitute, outcast woman trudges through a harsh winter storm, too desperate and ashamed to ask for shelter. She stops outside a warm house, hears a song from her childhood, and…
- 24
The Raven
Edgar Allan Poe
A grieving man sits alone late at night, missing his deceased love Lenore, when a mysterious Raven flies into his room and only utters one word: "Nevermore." No matter what the man…
- 25
The Recall
James Russell Lowell
A speaker pleads with a loved one to come back — initially asking for their return before autumn ends, then even if winter has set in. Without this person, the speaker feels adrift…
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