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
Success.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about success, 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
To a Successful Man
Alfred Noyes · 1922
“A successful man lies dying (or dead), and the ghosts of his past confront him with a hard truth: everything he pursued — money, fame, status — cost him the sim…”
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02
A Psalm of Life
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“A Psalm of Life is Longfellow's invitation to stop dwelling on death and begin living with intention. He reminds us that life isn’t just a dream to drift throug…”
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03
Aurora Leigh
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
“*Aurora Leigh* is a lengthy poem in nine volumes that tells the story of a young woman determined to pursue her dream of becoming a great poet, even when the ma…”
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The complete index
- 04
Excelsior
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A young man makes his way through a perilous Alpine mountain pass at night, disregarding all warnings and offers of comfort, propelled by a single word — "Excelsior," which means "…
- 05
Lo, Victress on the Peaks
Walt Whitman
This poem captures Whitman's shout of triumph at the close of the American Civil War, directed toward Liberty herself. He envisions Liberty standing proudly on a mountaintop, havin…
- 06
Still I Rise
Maya Angelou
Still I Rise is Maya Angelou's bold assertion that no amount of hatred, cruelty, or oppression can hold her — or, by extension, Black Americans — back. She layers vivid imagery of…
- 07
The Man Who Discovered the Use of a Chair
Alfred Noyes · 1922
A man is eager for fame and recognition, but no one seems to notice him—until he throws a chair at the Lord Mayor during an upscale dinner. The chair misses and crashes through a w…
- 08
Victory
Alfred Noyes · 1922
"Victory," written after a memorial service in New York at the end of World War One, is Alfred Noyes's reflection on the true meaning of winning a war in the wake of so much loss.…
- 09
A National Song of Denmark
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This poem serves as a powerful war anthem that honors three legendary Danish naval heroes: King Christian IV, Admiral Nils Juel, and Peter Wessel Tordenskjold, each of whom defeate…
- 10
Big Wind
Theodore Roethke
A greenhouse endures a fierce storm overnight, while the workers caring for it struggle to keep the plants alive by pumping water and steam throughout the night. By morning, the st…
- 11
Columbus
James Russell Lowell
This poem immerses us in Columbus's thoughts just before his monumental voyage — a man who feels completely isolated, ridiculed by skeptics, yet propelled by an unwavering vision t…
- 12
Dara
James Russell Lowell
A shepherd named Dara rises from tending his flocks in the Persian hills to governing an entire province, all because he remains true to himself. When envious rivals accuse him of…
- 13
Hiawatha and Mudjekeewis
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Hiawatha, now a young man equipped with magical gear, heads west to face Mudjekeewis, the Wind-King and his father, who abandoned and hurt his mother. They engage in an epic battle…
- 14
Hiawatha and the Pearl-Feather
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Hiawatha embarks on a perilous journey to confront the wicked magician Megissogwon, who is responsible for the death of his grandmother Nokomis's father and has unleashed sickness…
- 15
Horace to Melpomene
Eugene Field
This poem is Eugene Field's loose translation and adaptation of Horace's well-known "Ode to Melpomene" (Odes III.30). In it, the ancient Roman poet declares that his poetry will en…
- 16
Horatius
Thomas Babington Macaulay
Horatius is an inspiring narrative poem that recounts the tale of Horatius Cocles, who bravely defends a bridge over the Tiber River nearly on his own while his city faces an assau…
- 17
J. Johnson, Ll.b
Homer
This isn't a poem; it's a preface by J. Johnson, a clergyman and relative of the poet William Cowper. In it, Johnson shares how he assisted Cowper in getting his revised translatio…
- 18
Lady Wentworth
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A young girl named Martha Hilton, who often goes barefoot and is teased for her tattered clothes in the streets of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, confidently declares that she will one…
- 19
Lays of Ancient Rome
Thomas Babington Macaulay
*Lays of Ancient Rome* is a set of four ballads by Thomas Babington Macaulay, each recounting a heroic tale from early Roman history through the voice of a Roman bard. The best-kno…
- 20
On a Bust of General Grant
James Russell Lowell
This poem pays homage to Ulysses S. Grant, inspired by a sculptural bust of the general. Lowell highlights Grant's strength, silence, and straightforward toughness as the traits th…
- 21
_On first looking into Chapman's Homer._
John Keats
Keats conveys the sensation of reading literature as an adventure through uncharted territories — that is, until he encountered George Chapman's translation of Homer, which opened…
- 22
On His Own Works
Horace
Horace asserts that his poetry is a lasting monument, more enduring than any physical structure — even pyramids — and that it will sustain his memory long after he's gone. He refle…
- 23
Richard Cory
Edwin Arlington Robinson
Richard Cory tells the story of a wealthy and admired man who appears to possess everything—good looks, money, and charm—while the working-class people around him envy his seemingl…
- 24
Scanderbeg
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This poem narrates the tale of George Castriot, better known as Skanderbeg, a 15th-century Albanian warrior who turns a devastating military defeat into an opportunity. After his O…
- 25
The Armada
Algernon Charles Swinburne
```json { "text": "Written to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Spanish Armada's defeat in 1588, this poem is Swinburne's powerful tribute to England's naval strength and na…
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