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
Nature.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about nature, 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
Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold
William Shakespeare · 1609
“Shakespeare's speaker tells the one he loves: look at me and you'll notice I'm aging and running out of time. He uses three images — autumn, twilight, and a dyi…”
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02
Song: To Celia ("Drink to me only with thine eyes")
Ben Jonson · 1616
“A man tells the woman he loves that just a look from her or a kiss on his cup means more to him than any wine could. He sends her a wreath of roses, wishing tha…”
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03
The Sun Rising
John Donne · 1633
“A man wakes up beside the woman he loves and feels irritated by the sunlight streaming through the curtains, disrupting their moment. He insists that love is so…”
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The complete index
- 04
Ode on Solitude
Alexander Pope · 1726
A man who lives a simple life on his own land, surrounded by enough food, warmth, and tranquility, is the happiest man alive. Pope honors a life devoid of ambition and public commo…
- 05
To a Mouse
Robert Burns · 1785
A Scottish farmer unintentionally destroys a mouse's nest while ploughing a field. Instead of simply moving on, he takes a moment to apologise to the mouse and reflect on their sha…
- 06
The Schoolboy
William Blake · 1789
A young boy cherishes summer mornings filled with birdsong and freedom, but heading to school snatches that joy away. Blake uses the boy's perspective to argue that pushing childre…
- 07
A Red, Red Rose
Robert Burns · 1794
A speaker shares with the person he loves that his feelings are as vibrant and lovely as a blooming rose and as sweet as a well-played melody. He vows that his love will endure bey…
- 08
The Human Abstract
William Blake · 1794
Blake suggests that virtues such as Pity and Mercy arise solely because humans inflict suffering — they aren’t indicators of goodness but evidence that something has gone awry. He…
- 09
The Eolian Harp
Samuel Taylor Coleridge · 1796
A man sits outside his cottage with his wife, Sara, enjoying the soothing sounds of an Aeolian harp—a stringed instrument played by the wind. As he takes in the beauty of the eveni…
- 10
She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways
William Wordsworth · 1800
This short poem tells the story of a woman named Lucy, who lived a quiet, unremarkable life in a secluded area of England. She was loved by few—only the speaker truly cared for her…
- 11
Strange fits of passion have I known
William Wordsworth · 1800
A man rides his horse toward Lucy's cottage on a moonlit evening, observing the moon descend as he approaches. Just as it vanishes behind her roof, an unsettling fear seizes him: w…
- 12
Dejection: An Ode
Samuel Taylor Coleridge · 1802
Coleridge sits alone on a stormy night, feeling utterly numb. He notices the beauty in nature but struggles to feel it. He attributes this to a loss of inner joy, which he thinks i…
- 13
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
William Wordsworth · 1807
A poet takes a solitary walk and unexpectedly discovers a vast field of daffodils by a lake. The sight brings him such joy that he stops in his tracks. He doesn't grasp the signifi…
- 14
The Destruction of Sennacherib
George Gordon Byron · 1815
A vast Assyrian army advances on Jerusalem, appearing invincible. Yet, by morning, every soldier lies dead without a single sword being drawn. God's angel carries out the silent, i…
- 15
Darkness
George Gordon Byron · 1816
Byron envisions a world where the sun extinguishes, leading to a slow demise — every fire flickers out, every person succumbs to starvation, and ultimately, the last two survivors…
- 16
Mont Blanc
Percy Bysshe Shelley · 1817
Shelley stands before the towering, icy Mont Blanc, pondering one of the most profound questions of existence: is there a hidden power governing the universe, or does the human min…
- 17
Thanatopsis
William Cullen Bryant · 1817
Thanatopsis — Greek for "a view of death" — is Bryant's reflection on death and our feelings about it. He suggests that nature offers a reassuring message: every person who has eve…
- 18
Love's Philosophy
Percy Bysshe Shelley · 1819
Shelley observes the natural world — rivers meeting the ocean, winds intertwining, mountains reaching for the sky — and sees it as proof that everything in existence is meant to co…
- 19
Sonnet to Science
Edgar Allan Poe · 1829
Poe's speaker confronts Science, blaming it for destroying the magic of the world—removing myths, gods, and daydreams in favor of cold, hard facts. He questions how any poet could…
- 20
The Kraken
Alfred, Lord Tennyson · 1830
A massive sea creature known as the Kraken lies undisturbed at the ocean's depths, surrounded by bizarre creatures thriving in the darkness. It has rested there for millions of yea…
- 21
The Rhodora
Ralph Waldo Emerson · 1839
A man comes across a wild flowering shrub known as the Rhodora, blooming all by itself in the woods, with no one else around to appreciate it. This sight prompts him to ponder why…
- 22
Break, Break, Break
Alfred, Lord Tennyson · 1842
A grieving speaker stands by the sea, watching the waves crash against the rocks, feeling overwhelmed by a loss he can't articulate. He observes joyful children playing and sailors…
- 23
Meeting at Night
Robert Browning · 1845
A speaker embarks on a stealthy journey at night, traveling by boat and on foot to find their beloved. The poem unfolds in a swift current of movement — rowing in, traversing field…
- 24
Shall earth no more inspire thee
Emily Brontë · 1846
Nature is reaching out to a restless, dreaming poet, encouraging her to step away from her thoughts and reconnect with the tangible world of wind, sun, and mountains. The poem conv…
- 25
Sonnet 29 — 'I think of thee'
Elizabeth Barrett Browning · 1850
This sonnet is a love poem in which Browning expresses to her beloved that her thoughts of him are hindering her ability to truly connect with him. Her thoughts entwine around him…
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