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
Magic.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about magic, 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
Kilmeny
Alfred Noyes · 1907
“A British naval drifter named Kilmeny heads out to sea at dusk, undertakes a secret and lethal task during World War One, and returns with her skipper dead but…”
Open the poem
02
Pursuit
H. D. · 1916
“A speaker traces the path left by a fleeing figure through the forest — crushed hyacinths, broken roots, a dragged limb — assembling the chase like a detective…”
Open the poem
03
In Just
E. E. Cummings · 1920
“A child's perspective on early spring, where a muddy world comes alive and a mysterious balloon man lures neighborhood kids away from their games with his whist…”
Open the poem
The complete index
- 04
Circe
H. D. · 1921
Circe, the formidable sorceress of Greek mythology, acknowledges that her magic is ultimately worthless since she cannot bring back the one man she loves — Odysseus. She can change…
- 05
Leda
H. D. · 1921
H.D.'s "Leda" reimagines the Greek myth where Zeus takes the form of a swan to connect with the mortal Leda, but it sheds the violence, replacing it with rich, sensory beauty. The…
- 06
Phaedra
H. D. · 1921
Phaedra, the famed queen of Crete, appeals to the gods of her homeland to regain the power she once wielded over love and desire—a power now hindered by rival magic. She senses her…
- 07
Simaetha
H. D. · 1921
A woman named Simaetha carries out a ritual spell, dyeing wool and burning herbs in an attempt to win back — or perhaps punish — a man who has hurt her. She fluctuates between deep…
- 08
Riddles of Merlin
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A traveler frequently encounters the wizard Merlin, who responds to every common observation with a profound, hidden truth: the sound of the sea actually represents the grass growi…
- 09
The Humming Birds
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Alfred Noyes observes hummingbirds honing in on a single flowering tree from thousands of miles away, using that image to illustrate how poets operate: just as hummingbirds are att…
- 10
Acon
H. D. · 1924
A speaker rushes to gather healing herbs and invokes the spirits of the woods and sea to provide gifts and medicines for a woman named Hyella, who is seriously ill. The poem reads…
- 11
A Ballad
James Russell Lowell
A king inquires with his three daughters about the gifts they desire from a grand fair. The two older daughters request jewels and luxurious clothing, while the youngest expresses…
- 12
A Bridal Song
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A Bridal Song is a brief, joyful blessing for a newlywed couple on their wedding night. Shelley invokes the night sky, fairies, and angels to guard the bride while darkness softly…
- 13
A Child's Christmas in Wales
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas's *A Child's Christmas in Wales* is a beautifully written memoir that captures the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of an adult reflecting on the snowy holidays of…
- 14
A Chippewa Legend
James Russell Lowell
A dying Chippewa chief asks his two older children to take care of their little brother Sheemah, but one by one, they leave him to return to their tribe. Sheemah endures a harsh wi…
- 15
A Dithyrambic, or Drinking Song
Horace
This poem is Horace's passionate and exhilarating homage to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and ecstasy. The speaker shares a moment of divine inspiration, vividly recounting Bacchu…
- 16
Aladdin
James Russell Lowell
A poor boy, armed only with his imagination, creates magnificent dream-worlds in his mind, and that inner richness feels more than sufficient. Years later, he finds himself wealthy…
- 17
A Sledge-Ride on the Ice
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A king named Ring dismisses a stranger's warning and speeds his sledge across a frozen lake, only for the enigmatic stranger to catch up and carve runes into the ice — including th…
- 18
A Winter-Evening Hymn to My Fire
James Russell Lowell
Lowell crafts a whimsical ode to his fireplace fire on a chilly winter evening, personifying the flame as a celestial being deserving of reverence. He draws from Greek, Roman, and…
- 19
Azrael
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A visiting Indian prince notices the Angel of Death standing outside King Solomon's palace and pleads with Solomon to use his famed control over the wind to carry him to safety. So…
- 20
Bishop Sigurd at Salten Fiord
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This poem narrates the tale of King Olaf, a Norse Christian ruler, and his bishop Sigurd, as they navigate a stormy fjord to face Raud the Strong, a pagan Viking chieftain. At the…
- 21
Blessing the Cornfields
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This poem comes from Longfellow's epic *The Song of Hiawatha* and narrates the tale of the Ojibwe hero Hiawatha and his wife Minnehaha as they safeguard and tend to their cornfield…
- 22
By Johan Ludwig Uhland
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A young lord calls for his family's legendary lucky glass to be displayed at a wild feast, only to drunkenly smash it. The moment it shatters, enemies rush into the hall, kill him,…
- 23
Canidia's Answer
Horace
A witch named Canidia gives an angry, triumphant speech to a man who ridiculed her dark rituals and exposed her secrets to the people of Rome. She informs him that no amount of ple…
- 24
Child and Mother
Eugene Field
A young child invites his mother to join him in a magical dreamland, where they can forget the small struggles of everyday life. In this dream world, the child takes on the role of…
- 25
Christabel
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Christabel is a young noblewoman who sneaks out at night to pray for her distant lover. During her nighttime escapades, she brings home a mysterious stranger named Geraldine, who p…
Read deeper