Examples Of Narrative Poems

Published: July 2017

Narrative Poems - Poems That Tell A Story

Narrative poems are stories in poem form. Narrative poems are one of the oldest forms of poetry and indeed all literature. 

Narrative poetry was used in ancient times as a means of passing down important stories. Many people did not how to read and write and captivating stories told rhythmically, with repetition and rhymes were a way to ensure that stories important to the culture were remembered and passed down through the generations.

This collection contains narrative poems by famous and modern poets. 

52 Narrative Poems - Poems That Tell A Story

  1. The Three Little Pigs

    Famous Poem

    This poem was published in Revolting Rhymes, a collection of six Roald Dahl poems published in 1982. Each poem is a parody of a traditional folk tale. He provides a re-interpretation and surprise ending instead of the traditional happily-ever-after ending. In this poem with gory twists, Roald Dahl combines the characters in the Three Little Pigs story with Little Red Riding Hood.

    in Famous Funny Poems

    The animal I really dig,
    Above all others is the pig.
    Pigs are noble. Pigs are clever,
    Pigs are courteous. However,

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    This is an unanticipated and unexpected poem. Though the title sounds childish, it is a complete transformation of the story Three Little Pigs! Roald Dahl has a creative mind which I...

    Read complete story

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (11)

  2. Cinderella

    Famous Poem

    This poem was published in Revolting Rhymes, a collection of six Roald Dahl poems published in 1982. Each poem is a parody of a traditional folk tale. He provides a re-interpretation and surprise ending instead of the traditional happily-ever-after ending. This poem shows a different side of the Cinderella story that everyone knows. It has some gory twists and turns.

    in Famous Funny Poems

    I guess you think you know this story.
    You don't. The real one's much more gory.
    The phoney one, the one you know,
    Was cooked up years and years ago,

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    Yes, Roald Dahl has a whole book of revolting rhymes like this one. You should read it. Hilarious.

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (4)

  3. Advertisement

  4. Annabel Lee

    Famous Poem

    Annabel Lee was the last poem written by Poe. Like many of Poe's poems, this one is about lost love. It was published in 1849 shortly after his death. The subject mourns the death of his young love, Annabel Lee, and blames the angels for killing her out of jealousy for their love. He has since then slept by her grave, unable to accept her death.
    Edgar Allan Poe once said that the death of a beautiful woman is "the most poetical topic in the world". In this poem, the subject's lover, Annabel Lee was killed. The subject of the poem affirms that the love between him and Annabel Lee is so strong that even death can't separate them.

    in Famous Narrative Poems

    It was many and many a year ago,
    In a kingdom by the sea,
    That a maiden there lived whom you may know
    By the name of Annabel Lee;

    More...
    Annabel Lee By Edgar Allan Poe

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    I have always enjoyed reading the poem of Anabelle Lee. One day my grandson came home and told me he had to memorize and recite it for a 7th grade competition. I was delighted to help him. In...

    Read complete story

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (4)

  5. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas

    Famous Poem

    Clement Clarke Moore wrote this poem in 1822 for his own children. It is also referenced with the title, "A Visit from St. Nicholas". The poem is the origin for many of the modern notions of Santa Claus, his plump and cheerful white-bearded look, the names of his reindeer, and even the tradition that he brings toys to children.

    in Famous Holiday Poems

    'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
    Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
    The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
    In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    I remember hearing this poem as a little youngster. I would also read this to my daughter and nephews each year right before Christmas! It is a wonderful poem to share with your family!...

    Read complete story

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (4)

  6. Advertisement

  7. The Pig

    Famous Poem

    In this poem, Roald Dahl shares about a pig that contemplates his purpose in life. When he realizes he is going to end up on someone’s dinner plate, he takes matters into his own hands. Roald Dahl’s poems and stories are known for dark humor and unexpected endings.

    in Famous Funny Poems

    In England once there lived a big
    And wonderfully clever pig.
    To everybody it was plain
    That Piggy had a massive brain.

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    I like this poem because it is contrary to what is normal, as the pig tries to eat the farmer instead of the other way around and it shows the power of humans over all other living things....

    Read complete story

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (3)

  8. Little Red Riding Hood And The Wolf

    Famous Poem

    This poem was published in Revolting Rhymes, a collection of six Roald Dahl poems published in 1982. Each poem is a parody of a traditional folk tale. He provides a re-interpretation and surprise ending instead of the traditional happily-ever-after ending. Read to find out the gory twist in this Little Red Riding Hood story.

    in Famous Funny Poems

    As soon as Wolf began to feel
    That he would like a decent meal,
    He went and knocked on Grandma's door.
    When Grandma opened it, she saw

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    I love a good laugh - great fun. A good choice to be poem of the day in this festive season. Ann

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (3)

  9. The Spider And The Fly

    Famous Poem

    "The Spider and the Fly" is a poem by Mary Howitt (1799-1888), published in 1828. The story tells of a cunning Spider who ensnares a Fly through the use of seduction and flattery. The poem teaches children to be wary against those who use flattery and charm to disguise their true evil intentions. The gruesome ending in this cautionary tale is used to reinforce the important life lesson being taught.

    in Famous Children Poems

    "Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly;
    "'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you may spy.
    The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
    And I have many curious things to show when you are there."

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    This is a beautiful poem, very beautiful! It can as well be a warning to school girls who are prone to dating those men out there. Symbolically, the spider in the poem is a male and the fly...

    Read complete story

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (6)

  10. The Widow-Maker

    Famous Poem

    Published in "Tote-road and Trail" Ballads of the Lumberjack in·1917, "The Widow-Maker" by Douglas Malloch uses vivid imagery in this narrative poem to captivate the reader. We witness the loose limb of a pine tree, tumbling and zigzagging, while the red stain upon the snow reveals a tragic fate. The poem engages us with its use of repetition, as the words echo in our minds, reflecting the characters' conversations and their gradual forgetting. As time passes, the poem shifts its focus to the widow, capturing her palpable emotions through the beat of her heart and the jolt of each step upon the stair. The poem masterfully blends rhyme and rhythm, taking us on an emotional journey where themes of love, regret, and forgiveness come alive.

    in Famous Narrative Poems

    A loose limb hangs upon a pine three log-lengths from the ground,
    A norway tumbles with a whine and shakes the woods around.
    The loose limb plunges from its place and zigzags down below;
    And Jack is lying on his face—there's red upon the snow.

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    No Stories yet, You can be the first!

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (0)

  11. Richard Cory

    Famous Poem

    A narrative poem, "Richard Cory" was first published in 1897, as part of The Children of the Night. It is one of Robinson's most popular and published poems. The poem describes a person who is wealthy, well-educated, mannerly, and admired by the people in his town. Despite all this, he takes his own life.

    in Famous Sad Poems

    Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
    We people on the pavement looked at him:
    He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
    Clean favored, and imperially slim.

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    I read this poem as one of the mandatory literary pieces while in High School. Even at that tender age something about the absurdity of life struck me and it continued to haunt me. I tried to...

    Read complete story

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (5)

  12. The Raven

    Famous Poem

    One of the most famous poems ever written, "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe is a delightfully spooky, dark poem. What makes this poem so remarkable? There is a certain romance in darkness and melancholy. There is something mysterious about that which is hidden and unknown. Dark poems seek to romanticize sadness and depression. There is much room for creativity in this genre.

    in Famous Narrative Poems

    Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
    Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
    While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
    As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    No Stories yet, You can be the first!

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (0)

  13. The Ballad Of The Harp Weaver

    Famous Poem

    Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet who lived from 1892-1950. This poem is about maternal love and self-sacrifice. Edna St. Vincent Millay's own mother was very sacrificial. She divorced her husband and worked as a nurse to support her children. Even though they were poor, Edna's mother was an incredible support and encouragement. She made sure her children had access to a variety of reading materials and music. This poem won Edna St. Vincent Millay the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1923. At the time, she was only the third woman to receive this honor.

    in Famous Narrative Poems

    "Son," said my mother,
    When I was knee-high,
    "you've need of clothes to cover you,
    and not a rag have I.

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    The poem is a short, sweet, and precise journey of a great son-mother relationship. It takes one through the sacred and holy shares of time given by a mother in dedication to her child. The...

    Read complete story

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (3)

  14. The Charge Of The Light Brigade

    Famous Poem

    "Which guns?" they asked. Captain Nolan replied with a sweeping wave of his hand. Moments later the Light Brigade began to move. Six hundred men strong, they rode down the narrow valley in what has become a lesson taught to this very day in military academies worldwide about the importance of clear communication. The objective had been to hinder the retreat of the naval guns to the south of the battlefield. Instead, the Brigade was directed to a Russian position, which was a clear death trap. But though the orders were clearly suicidal, the men obeyed regardless and paid a heavy price. Almost half the Brigade was wiped out, and though little was accomplished strategically, the charge went down as one of the most glorious battles in British military history. News arrived in England, and while reading an account of the battle in the Times, Tennyson jotted down what has become perhaps his most famous poem.

    in Famous Narrative Poems

    Half a league, half a league,
    Half a league onward,
    All in the valley of Death
    Rode the six hundred.

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    No Stories yet, You can be the first!

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (0)

  15. Us Two

    Famous Poem

    In this poem, A.A. Milne (1882-1956), the creator of Winnie the Pooh, shows that having a friend by your side provides strength and courage. It also removes the fear we experience when we are alone. This is a narrative poem that tells a story.

    in Famous Friendship Poems

    Wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
    There's always Pooh and Me.
    Whatever I do, he wants to do,
    "Where are you going today?" says Pooh:

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    Well my name is Rahma and my best friend is called Innocent. We have been friends for 10 years now since I was in primary school. He was good at math, and I was great in English. Our...

    Read complete story

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (1)

  16. We Are Seven

    Famous Poem

    In this poem, Williams Wordsworth (1770-1850) addresses big questions about life and death. The speaker in the poem is talking with a little girl about her family. Two of the children in her family have died, but she continues to tell the man that she has seven members in her family. The man, however, tries to convince her that her family consists of only five now. She will not change her mind - for her brother and sister will always be a part of her family. This poem is written in the form of a ballad, which is generally narrative and follows the ABAB rhyme scheme.

    in Famous Death Poems

    ———A simple Child,
    That lightly draws its breath,
    And feels its life in every limb,
    What should it know of death?

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    I read this poem many, many years ago in a children's poem book. When my youngest brother passed...I was broken. At his funeral, someone said, "There are only 5 of you now." I thought of this...

    Read complete story

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (3)

  17. Out Out

    Famous Poem

    Out, Out by Robert Frost is a narrative poem published in a collection of poems titled Mountain Interval in 1916 when millions of young men were losing their lives on the battlefields of World War I. On an American farm a hungry young boy is cutting wood with a buzz saw. Frost uses personification with the saw and an artist's imagery to narrate as the boy loses his hand and then his life in terrible yet mundane detail.

    in Famous Narrative Poems

    The buzz-saw snarled and rattled in the yard
    And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,
    Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.
    And from there those that lifted eyes could count

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    No Stories yet, You can be the first!

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (0)

  18. The Cremation Of Sam McGee

    Famous Poem

    Service was inspired to write this dark and spooky narrative poem by the stories he heard from the people of the Yukon. The poem was published in his book, Songs of a Sourdough in 1907. "The Cremation of Sam McGee" has turned out to be one of Service's most famous poems.

    in Famous Narrative Poems

    There are strange things done in the midnight sun
    By the men who moil for gold;
    The Arctic trails have their secret tales
    That would make your blood run cold;

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    I love this poem! I have been looking for something for my project, and this poem just spoke to me. It has plenty of events, emotions and feeling for me to be able to fashion a short story...

    Read complete story

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (4)

  19. The Spell Of The Yukon

    Famous Poem

    In 1904 while working for a Canadian bank, Robert Service was transferred to Whitehorse, a small town in the Yukon, a northern Canadian Province bordering Alaska known for its extreme cold. During the Yukon Gold Rush of 1896-1899 the town had served as a campground for some of the more than 100,000 prospectors who flooded the Yukon searching for gold. Service took part in the town's social life including reciting poetry. Eventually he started composing his own poems, many of which were narrative poems about the great gold rush. "The Spell Of The Yukon" was published in Service's first book of poetry, "Songs of a Sourdough" in 1907.

    in Famous Narrative Poems

    I wanted the gold, and I sought it;
    I scrabbled and mucked like a slave.
    Was it famine or scurvy—I fought it;
    I hurled my youth into a grave.

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    I am officially in love with this poet. He can tell a great story but still make it a rhyming poem with perfect rhyme. I am hooked!!

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (1)

  20. A Boy Named Sue

    Famous Poem

    "A Boy Named Sue" is a poem by Shel Silverstein that has been made popular by Johnny Cash. Cash was at the height of his popularity when he recorded the song live at California's San Quentin State Prison at a concert on February 24, 1969. The concert was filmed by Granada Television for later television broadcast. The audio of the concert was later released on Cash's At San Quentin album. Cash also performed the song (with comical variations on the original performance) in December 1969 at Madison Square Garden.

    in Famous Funny Poems

    Well, my daddy left home when I was three,
    and he didn't leave much to Ma and me,
    just this old guitar and a bottle of booze.
    Now I don't blame him because he run and hid,

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    Johnny Cash was the right person to sing these lyrics. He made an interesting song from an awesome poem. Very entertaining. Love it! Jac. Judy A. Campbell

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (1)

  21. The Listeners

    • By Walter De La Mare

    Famous Poem

    Walter de la Mare (1873-1956), an English poet and short story writer, enjoyed writing ghost stories. “The Listeners” has a mysterious and eerie feel to it. It was published in 1912 in the poet’s second collection of poetry. A traveler knocks on the door of a house, but no one comes to the door. However, he can sense phantoms inside who listen to him. There is a sense of loneliness depicted in this poem.

    in Famous Narrative Poems

    ‘Is there anybody there?’ said the Traveller,
    Knocking on the moonlit door;
    And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
    Of the forest’s ferny floor:

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    No Stories yet, You can be the first!

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (0)

  22. Paul Bunyan

    Famous Poem

    This version of the poem is from Shel Silverstein's book of poems for children, "Where the Sidewalk Ends" published in 1974.
    A slightly different version of "Paul" is sung by Bobby Bare in his 1973 album, "Lullabys, Legends and Lies".
    He begins with an introduction, "You know, American folklore is filled with legendary characters like... Billy The Kid, Johnny Appleseed, Pecos Bill... and probably the greatest one of all has got to be Paul Bunyan, 'cause he was the meanest and the biggest and dirtiest, tobacco chewin'est, and the funkiest and the best woodchopper of all of 'em".
    Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack of huge size and strength in American folk tales. Usually included in these Tall Tales is his companion, Babe the Blue Ox, a giant creature of extraordinary strength.

    in Famous Narrative Poems

    He rode through the woods on a big blue ox,
    He had fists as hard as choppin' blocks,
    Five hundred pounds and nine feet tall...that's Paul.

    More...

    Go To Complete Poem

    Featured Shared Story

    This poem is easily identifiable as a classic, and it contains facts and emotions we all share throughout life at some time or other. Great reading and a great share. Well worth real...

    Read complete story

    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (2)

Advertisement

Advertisement

1 - 20 of 52

Back to Top