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
Time.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about time, 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 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds
William Shakespeare · 1609
“Sonnet 116 presents Shakespeare's belief that true love remains constant, regardless of life's challenges. If love diminishes in tough times or as people age, t…”
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02
Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
William Shakespeare · 1609
“Shakespeare wonders if he should compare his beloved to a summer's day but ultimately concludes that he shouldn’t, since summer has its imperfections and eventu…”
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03
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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The complete index
- 04
A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
John Donne · 1633
John Donne is bidding farewell to his wife before embarking on a lengthy journey, urging her to hold back her tears and avoid making a fuss. He believes their love is profound and…
- 05
The Good-Morrow
John Donne · 1633
Two people wake up side by side, and the speaker wonders: what were we even up to before we fell in love? Everything that came before this moment feels like a dream or childhood, e…
- 06
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 strong it surpasses…
- 07
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…
- 08
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…
- 09
So We'll Go No More a Roving
George Gordon Byron · 1830
A speaker shares that while love and the night remain beautiful, he and his companion are finished with their late-night adventures. His body and heart are exhausted and need to re…
- 10
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…
- 11
Concord Hymn
Ralph Waldo Emerson · 1837
Written to be sung at the dedication of a battle monument in Concord, Massachusetts, this poem honors the colonial farmers who fired the first shots of the American Revolution in 1…
- 12
Crossing Brooklyn Ferry
Walt Whitman · 1856
Whitman stands on a ferry crossing the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and he feels a deep connection to everyone who has ever made this crossing — both those who came b…
- 13
Tithonus
Alfred, Lord Tennyson · 1860
Tithonus is a character from Greek mythology who requested immortality from the goddess of dawn, Aurora (Eos), but neglected to ask for eternal youth. As a result, he ages endlessl…
- 14
Growing Old
Matthew Arnold · 1867
Growing old, Arnold says, isn’t the dignified, wise, golden-sunset experience we pictured in our youth. Instead, it feels like a slow numbness — being stuck in the moment, disconne…
- 15
I like to see it lap the Miles
Emily Dickinson · 1891
Dickinson depicts a steam train without ever directly mentioning it, employing the metaphor of a massive, strong horse to illustrate the locomotive's journey through the landscape.…
- 16
Adam's Curse
W. B. Yeats · 1903
Three people gather at the end of summer — the speaker, a woman he loves, and her friend. Their conversation shifts from the challenges of writing poetry to the effort involved in…
- 17
If—
Rudyard Kipling · 1910
Kipling's "If—" offers a father's guidance to his son on living a fulfilling life—a sort of checklist outlining the traits that define true strength and decency. The poem emphasize…
- 18
In a Station of the Metro
Ezra Pound · 1913
Two lines and fourteen words, and Ezra Pound captures the strange beauty of human faces flashing by in a Paris subway. He likens those faces to flower petals clinging to a dark, ra…
- 19
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…
- 20
The Wood-Pile
Robert Frost · 1914
A man walks alone into a frozen swamp and comes across an old woodpile, left behind by the one who once cut and stacked it. The poem poses a quiet yet unsettling question: what kin…
- 21
Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
T. S. Eliot · 1915
A middle-aged man named Prufrock roams a city, trying to gather the courage to say something significant to someone — but he never quite gets there. The entire poem unfolds as his…
- 22
Portrait of a Lady
T. S. Eliot · 1915
A young man meets with an older woman three times throughout the seasons. Each time, she pours out intense, needy speeches about friendship, life, and the desire to feel understood…
- 23
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
T. S. Eliot · 1915
Prufrock is a middle-aged man trapped in a cycle of self-doubt, unable to express himself or take meaningful action at an elegant social event. Throughout the poem, he wrestles wit…
- 24
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost · 1915
A traveler finds himself at a fork in the woods, faced with the challenge of choosing one path, aware that he can't return to try the other. He reassures himself that the road he p…
- 25
Evening
H. D. · 1916
As evening approaches, the light gradually fades from the garden, and two plants — hepaticas and cornel trees — slip into darkness one after another. H. D. observes the precise mom…
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