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
Sacrifice.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about sacrifice, 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
Drummer Hodge
Thomas Hardy · 1899
“A young English drummer boy named "Hodge," a common name for a country worker, dies during the Boer War and is laid to rest in the South African veld, far from…”
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02
The Phantom Fleet
Alfred Noyes · 1902
“A man falls asleep in a cottage adorned with naval paintings and awakens in a dream where the spirits of Britain's most legendary admirals — Nelson, Drake, Rale…”
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03
The Highwayman
Alfred Noyes · 1906
“A highwayman rides to meet his secret love, Bess, the landlord's daughter. However, a jealous soldier informs the redcoats, who set a trap using Bess. She fires…”
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The complete index
- 04
Fishers of Men
Alfred Noyes · 1907
Alfred Noyes reflects on the well-known Gospel moment when Jesus invites his disciples to become "fishers of men" and poses a challenging question: after two millennia of conflict…
- 05
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 her mission fulfille…
- 06
Rose Pogonias
Robert Frost · 1913
Two people wander into a small, sunlit meadow full of wild orchids, feeling so awestruck by the beauty that it feels almost sacred. They gather some flowers and whisper a quiet pra…
- 07
Cities
H. D. · 1916
H. D. envisions the modern city as a purposeful experiment: a divine city-builder, struck by the overwhelming perfection of ancient beauty, stripped everything down and began anew…
- 08
Loss
H. D. · 1916
A survivor looks on as the person they cherish most is taken by the sea during what seems like a battle or catastrophe, and rather than just sorrow, they experience an odd relief —…
- 09
Orchard
H. D. · 1916
A speaker is so struck by the beauty of a harvest-season orchard that she collapses to the ground and pleads with a god to intervene — the beauty feels nearly unbearable. She then…
- 10
Sea Gods
H. D. · 1916
A speaker and her companions challenge those who claim the sea gods are broken and powerless, instead presenting armfuls of violets as a heartfelt invitation for their return. The…
- 11
The Contest
H. D. · 1916
H.D.'s "The Contest" presents an intense, almost legendary conflict — probably between two opposing forces, characters, or wills — where beauty and power clash, and neither side em…
- 12
The Shrine
H. D. · 1916
H. D.'s "The Shrine" explores a sacred yet perilous place—probably the sea—that both captivates and devastates those who approach, much like a god indifferent to their fate. The sp…
- 13
The Wind Sleepers
H. D. · 1916
A restless group of spirits, swept along by the wind, calls on the living to construct an altar and offer songs to help them find peace. Forced from their natural home by the sea a…
- 14
Disabled
Wilfred Owen · 1917
A young soldier sits in a wheelchair, waiting for someone to help him to bed, while he reflects on the life he had before the war took his legs and his future. Owen contrasts the s…
- 15
On the Western Front
Alfred Noyes · 1918
Written in 1916, at the peak of World War One, "On the Western Front" by Alfred Noyes reflects on the soldiers laid to rest in the battlefields of France. The poem shifts between t…
- 16
Hugh Selwyn Mauberley
Ezra Pound · 1920
Hugh Selwyn Mauberley marks Ezra Pound's farewell to his early career and offers a sharp critique of modern Western culture. A poet who feels out of sync with his time struggles to…
- 17
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…
- 18
Demeter
H. D. · 1921
Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest, shares her feelings about being revered as a grand, heavy statue adorned with gold, while her daughter Persephone is the one who captures…
- 19
Hymen
H. D. · 1921
H.D.'s "Hymen" is a ceremonial poem-sequence that enacts a Greek-style wedding ritual, featuring processions of children, maidens, matrons, and Love himself. Each group carries flo…
- 20
The Islands
H. D. · 1921
H. D. repeatedly wonders what the stunning Greek islands signify for her if the person she loves—or the reader she is speaking to—looks away. By the end, the islands and Greece sym…
- 21
An Open Boat
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A woman in a lifeboat tossed by stormy waves clings to the hope that her lover is still alive, wrapping her hair around him to keep him warm as the other survivors plead with her t…
- 22
Cap'n Storm-Along
Alfred Noyes · 1922
This is an energetic sea shanty-style poem celebrating a legendary British naval commander, "Cap'n Storm-along," who guides a ragtag fleet of fishing and patrol boats against Germa…
- 23
Ghosts of the New World
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Alfred Noyes strongly contests the notion that America is too new and modern to have ghosts. He guides the reader through centuries of American history—explorers, witch trials, rev…
- 24
Princeton
Alfred Noyes · 1922
Written as a tribute to Princeton, New Jersey — the location of a significant Revolutionary War battle — this poem envisions the ghost of George Washington strolling through the no…
- 25
The Bell
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A temple bell keeps going out of tune no matter how often it’s recast with gold, silver, wine, and blood — until a mother throws her baby into the molten metal, and the bell finall…
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