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
sorrow.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about sorrow, 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
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.…”
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02
A Dirge
Percy Bysshe Shelley
“A Dirge is a brief, eight-line lament where Shelley invokes natural forces — like the wind, storm, bare trees, caves, and the sea — to express a sorrow so profo…”
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03
After Great Pain a Formal Feeling Comes
Emily Dickinson
“After a devastating emotional blow, the mind and body become numb and mechanical — going through the motions of life without truly feeling anything. Dickinson c…”
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The complete index
- 04
After the Burial
James Russell Lowell
A father has just buried his young daughter and is resisting a well-meaning friend's attempts at offering religious comfort. He expresses that faith is helpful when life is steady,…
- 05
A Lament
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A Lament is a brief, poignant poem where Shelley expresses his sorrow over the joy and energy he used to experience in the world. He reflects on a time when life seemed vibrant and…
- 06
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…
- 07
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…
- 08
Ballad of Birmingham
Dudley Randall
A mother doesn't allow her child to participate in a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama, believing the church is a safer option — only for a bomb to destroy that church in…
- 09
Dulce et Decorum Est
Wilfred Owen
Written by a British soldier during World War One, this poem depicts a gas attack on the Western Front and the haunting image of a dying comrade. Owen draws from this experience to…
- 10
From the Greek of Moschus
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This poem is Shelley's take on a Greek lament by the ancient poet Moschus, who mourns the death of Bion, a well-known pastoral poet. Nature itself — the woods, streams, and flowers…
- 11
From the Raven
Edgar Allan Poe
A grieving man sits alone at night, tormented by memories of his lost love, Lenore, when a raven swoops in and settles above his door. No matter what the man inquires — will his so…
- 12
In Time of Mourning
Algernon Charles Swinburne
This short poem captures Swinburne's grief after losing a dear one—someone whose kindness and warmth impacted everyone nearby. He recognizes our deep desire to bring back the decea…
- 13
Ode on Melancholy
John Keats
Keats advises against seeking numbness or death in times of sadness — instead, embrace the most beautiful and vibrant aspects of your surroundings, as that's where melancholy truly…
- 14
Prom the Greek of Bion
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This is Shelley's translation of a lament from ancient Greece by the poet Bion, expressing sorrow over the death of Adonis — the handsome young man cherished by Venus (Aphrodite).…
- 15
Rachel
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This powerful, concise poem expresses the sorrow of Rachel, the biblical mother mourning her slain children following King Herod's order for the Massacre of the Innocents. In just…
- 16
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…
- 17
Sorrow
D. H. Lawrence
A speaker catches a whiff of cigarette smoke curling into the air, and it hits him with a wave of sorrow for his deceased mother. The smoke brings back memories of carrying her whi…
- 18
Sorrow
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A young speaker reflects on a time when life was joyful and brimming with promise, then describes how profound sorrow has sapped that energy. The poem follows a journey from innoce…
- 19
Tears Idle Tears
Lord Alfred Tennyson
A speaker finds themselves unexpectedly gripped by a deep, mysterious sadness—tears springing up from nowhere without a clear reason. The poem attempts to capture this feeling, lik…
- 20
The Cross of Snow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Longfellow wrote this sonnet reflecting on the portrait of his wife Fanny, who tragically died in a fire in 1861. He conveys his grief as a constant cross of snow—a mark on a mount…
- 21
The Dirge
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A young woman named Ginevra has died—possibly around her wedding day—and the poem expresses sorrow for her while nature continues its course without concern. Spring comes, the sun…
- 22
—the Drowned Lover
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A young woman hurries through a stormy night to meet her lover, Henry, at a lake, only to discover that he has already drowned. The poem follows her hopeful journey, then delivers…
- 23
The Nymph Complaining for the Death of Her Fawn
Andrew Marvell
A young woman, referred to as the "nymph," grieves the loss of her cherished pet fawn, which was killed by reckless soldiers. The fawn was her dearest friend, and the poem captures…
- 24
The Raven
Edgar Allan Poe
A grieving man sits alone late at night, missing his deceased love Lenore, when a mysterious Raven flies into his room and only utters one word: "Nevermore." No matter what the man…
- 25
The Wreck of the Hesperus
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A sea captain dismisses a sailor's warning about an approaching storm and heads straight into a hurricane with his young daughter aboard. The storm claims his life, leaving his dau…
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