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
memory.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about memory, 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
For a Memorial Window to Sir Walter Raleigh, Set up in St. Margaret's,
James Russell Lowell
“This brief four-line poem commemorates a stained-glass memorial window dedicated to Sir Walter Raleigh, located in St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, and funde…”
Open the poem
02
Memories
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“A speaker reflects on old friends he has lost touch with—not due to death, but because life simply pulled them in different directions. He likens these fading f…”
Open the poem
03
Memory
Christina Rossetti
“Rossetti's "Memory" is a two-part poem that delves into a grief so profound and enduring that the speaker no longer struggles against it — she has instead learn…”
Open the poem
The complete index
- 04
My Lost Youth
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Longfellow reflects on his hometown of Portland, Maine, recalling the sensations of his youth—the ships, the sea, the friends, and the dreams. The poem serves as a heartfelt glance…
- 05
On Burning Some Old Letters
James Russell Lowell
A man sets fire to a stack of old love letters, transforming the act into a personal ritual. He selects a fitting spot, draws fire from the sun, and observes as the pages curl and…
- 06
Piano
D. H. Lawrence
A grown man hears a woman singing and playing the piano, and the music takes him back to his childhood—sitting beneath the piano as his mother played on Sunday evenings. Despite hi…
- 07
Prelude
William Wordsworth
*The Prelude* is Wordsworth's autobiographical poem that explores the development of his mind and imagination from childhood to young adulthood. He reflects on the "spots of time"…
- 08
Sonnet 30
William Shakespeare
When the speaker sits in silence and lets old memories flow through him, he feels the heavy burden of everything he's lost—friends who have passed away, loves that faded, time that…
- 09
The Prelude
William Wordsworth
*The Prelude* is Wordsworth's autobiographical work in verse, exploring how nature influenced his thoughts and creativity from childhood into early adulthood. He spent much of his…
- 10
Remembrance
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A speaker reflects on the sudden disappearance of someone (or something—youth, joy, love) from their life, quicker than summer fades, quicker than night falls, quicker than happine…
- 11
Auld Lang Syne
Robert Burns · 1788
Two old friends lift their cups in unison, reminiscing about the joyful times of their youth—the hills they raced across, the streams they jumped into, and the years that have draw…
- 12
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
William Wordsworth · 1807
A speaker recalls a moment when he unexpectedly came across a vast field of daffodils next to a lake, and the scene was so joyful it seemed nearly surreal. Years later, whenever he…
- 13
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…
- 14
Gerontion
T. S. Eliot · 1920
An old man who has never truly lived—never fought, never felt, never believed—sits in a decaying house, pondering history, faith, and the gradual decline of his inner life. He obse…
- 15
Memories of the Pacific Coast
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Alfred Noyes paints a vivid picture of a sun-soaked coastal paradise along the Pacific, brimming with warmth, color, and tranquility. However, just as the speaker believes he has d…
- 16
The War Widow
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A war widow rides through a world filled with "Good News" — headlines, victories, celebrations — but none of it touches her because her heart is still consumed by the memory of her…
- 17
The Waste Land
T. S. Eliot · 1922
*The Waste Land* is a lengthy, fragmented poem that captures a world drained of spirit and energy in the wake of World War I. Eliot weaves together various voices, languages, and m…
- 18
To the Memory of Sir Cecil
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Alfred Noyes penned this poem in honor of a friend or admired figure, Sir Cecil, expressing his grief over his passing while also celebrating his life and values. The poem explores…
- 19
War Photographer
Carol Ann Duffy · 1985
- 20
The Emigrée
Carol Rumens · 1993
- 21
Poppies
Jane Weir · 2009
- 22
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…
- 23
A Jacobite's Exile
Algernon Charles Swinburne
A Jacobite soldier, exiled in France after the devastating loss at Culloden in 1746, longs for his home in Northumberland. He gazes at the French countryside, which he finds beauti…
- 24
Annabel Lee
Edgar Allan Poe
A man reflects on his childhood love for Annabel Lee, a girl who shared his life in a kingdom by the sea. He attributes her death to the envy of angels. Despite her absence, he bel…
- 25
Ave Atque Vale
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Written as a farewell elegy for the French poet Charles Baudelaire, "Ave Atque Vale" ("Hail and Farewell") expresses the deep sorrow of Swinburne for a fellow artist he admired but…
Read deeper