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
May.
Fifteen poems, ranked.
15 of the finest public-domain poems about may, 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
It Is Not Always May
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“A young woman is advised to savor her youth and the beauty of spring while she can, as both will eventually fade. Longfellow employs the image of an empty bird'…”
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02
May
James Russell Lowell
“In "May," James Russell Lowell observes an oriole constructing its nest high up in an elm tree, while the chaotic human world continues below. The bird represen…”
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03
May
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“In this short poem, May introduces herself to us, arriving like a queen at court. She highlights the birds, the bees, and the blooming hawthorn trees as her roy…”
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The complete index
- 04
In May
Archibald Lampman
A speaker burdened by grief steps outside on a May day and discovers that nature — the wind, the birds, the flowers, the little stream — completely fills his mind, granting him a r…
- 05
May 23, 1864
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Longfellow wrote this poem on the day of his friend Nathaniel Hawthorne's funeral, reflecting the surreal experience of navigating a beautiful spring day while feeling utterly empt…
- 06
The Chimney-Sweeps of Cheltenham
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Every spring in Cheltenham, chimney sweeps — many of whom are young boys who were once made to crawl up dark flues — don bright may-flower colors and dance through the streets. A m…
- 07
Dedham, May 21, 1877
James Russell Lowell
This poem is a two-part sonnet set in Dedham, a place that Lowell named during happier times. In the first sonnet, he reflects on the landscape that remains unchanged while feeling…
- 08
In Absence
James Russell Lowell
A speaker gets through a cold, bleak winter by clinging to the hope that their beloved will return in spring. Each month — March, April, May — serves to highlight the loved one's b…
- 09
From the Purgatorio of Dante, Canto 28, Lines 1-51
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Shelley translates the beginning of Canto 28 from Dante's *Purgatorio*, where the pilgrim enters a divine forest at the summit of Purgatory and encounters a mysterious, beautiful w…
- 10
May 28, 1857
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Written for his friend, the naturalist Louis Agassiz, on his fiftieth birthday, Longfellow envisions Nature as a nurturing old nurse who takes the young Agassiz in her arms and nur…
- 11
Dead Man's Morrice
Alfred Noyes · 1907
A mysterious fiddler at a tavern plays a tune that the speaker can’t seem to forget, and the poem expands from that haunting melody into reflections on love, death, and the anxiety…
- 12
The Maple
James Russell Lowell
A maple tree blooms softly in spring, but it reserves its brightest, fiery hues for autumn — and Lowell uses this to reflect on human life. Young people etch names into trees, unaw…
- 13
To the Dandelion
James Russell Lowell
A dandelion growing by the roadside inspires the poet to reflect on how everyday things can be more valuable than gold or exotic treasures. The flower reminds him of childhood memo…
- 14
Decoration Day
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"Decoration Day" serves as Longfellow's heartfelt tribute to fallen soldiers, reassuring them that they can finally rest in peace after their struggles. The living will honor their…
- 15
To Harriet
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Shelley writes to his wife Harriet, pleading with her not to take away her love and kindness during this time when he is clearly struggling emotionally. He expresses that her warmt…
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