Personification Poems

Published: July 2017

Examples Of Poems With Personification

Below are Examples of poems that showcase the literary device of personification, but first let's talk about Personification:

What Is Personification?

Personification is when you give human attributes (characteristics) to the object that is being personified. The objects are not human, and in many cases, they're not even living things.

Why Use Personification in Poetry?

  • Personification can be used to emphasize a point in your writing.
  • It can also be used to make a reader understand something you're trying to say.
  • Personification is a way to add more description to your poem by giving human characteristics to inanimate objects.

Examples of Personification in Poetry:

  • The breeze kissed my cheek.
  • When I got home from school my dog smiled at me.
  • The blanket wrapped its arms around me.
  • Rays of sunshine danced through the trees.
  • The chainsaw hummed a tune.

Poem Personification Template - Try It Yourself

This poem is a great representation of personification because it makes winter seem human.


Winter by Olivia Kooker

If winter were a person, she would be a girl with frosty hair.
Winter would wear snow pants, snow boots, gloves, a hat, and scarf.
Winter would smell like hot chocolate and peanut butter and Hershey Kiss cookies baking in the oven.
Winter would spend the day eating cookies and drinking hot cocoa by a lake.
Winter would spend the night by sitting in the snow waiting for morning so children could come out to play.

Download: Personification Poem Template (PDF)

Try writing your own personification poem by thinking of a season and describing it as though it's a person by using characteristics of the season to describe what it would wear, smell like, and spend time doing.

29 Examples Of Poems With Personification

  1. I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

    Famous Poem

    "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" is a lyric poem that expresses deep feelings about the beauty of nature. William Wordsworth was a well-known poet of the Romantic era, which began at the beginning of the 1800s. The focus during the Romantic era was on people's feelings and their connectedness to nature. That was a drastic shift from the emphasis on science and reason of the Enlightenment era, which came before. "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" is one of Wordsworth's most famous poems. It was inspired by a journal entry his sister wrote recounting when the two of them went for a walk along the bay and saw a large number of daffodils.

    in Famous Nature Poems

    I wandered lonely as a cloud
    That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
    When all at once I saw a crowd,
    A host, of golden daffodils;

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    Honestly! How lovely is this poem when read aloud. I can see the yellow heads of the daffodils doing their sprightly dance! And, when in the meditative state, I can feel them in my heart...

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  2. Snow-Flakes

    Famous Poem

    Snow-Flakes by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a beautiful description of the way snow falls from the sky and covers the landscape. The snowflakes are described as silent, soft, and slow, creating a sense of stillness and peace. The comparison between the way snowflakes take shape in the air and the way our thoughts take shape in our minds suggests a connection between the natural world and our inner world. The final stanza suggests that there is something deeply meaningful about the snowflakes and the way they reveal the secret of despair.

    in Famous Nature Poems

    Out of the bosom of the Air,
    Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
    Over the woodlands brown and bare,
    Over the harvest-fields forsaken,

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  4. The Brook

    Famous Poem

    The Industrial Revolution took place in Great Britain during the late 1700s and early 1800s. As cities grew, living conditions deteriorated for the poor and working class. Factories and mass production were beneficial for some but not everyone. This poem stands in contrast of new manufacturing processes of that time period by focusing on nature. The narrator in this poem, the brook, is personified. The brook shows persistence by continuing to flow, no matter what obstacles get in its way. The repeated lines, “For men may come and men may go, but I go on for ever,” showcase that. Famous poet Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) was named Poet Laureate in Great Britain and Ireland.

    in Famous Nature Poems

    I come from haunts of coot and hern,
    I make a sudden sally
    And sparkle out among the fern,
    To bicker down a valley.

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    I was read poetry to my mother born 1929 in faraway Colombo, Sri Lanka. She loved this poem, and I remember her animated voice bringing the words hidden in the babbling brook to life and the...

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  5. Mirror

    Famous Poem

    Sylvia Plath was an American author and poet who lived from 1932-1963. She was a driven person, and she graduated summa cum laude from Smith College in 1955. Despite her success, Plath struggled with depression, and committed suicide in 1963. This poem shows the struggle a woman has with her identity as she grows older and begins to lose her youthfulness. It also uses personification by giving human characteristics to the mirror.

    in Famous Sad Poems

    I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
    Whatever I see I swallow immediately
    Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
    I am not cruel, only truthful,

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    A mirror never lies. It shows what is what exactly. Just as Plath writes: "I am silver and exact". The truth of our mortality is what we keep on negating and the speaker too finds it hard to...

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  7. The Room Of My Life

    Famous Poem

    Anne Sexton is a famous poet known for writing about challenging topics, often expressing despair in her work. In the poem "Room of Life," she reveals the troubled life she led through vivid imagery, including objects that seem to take on a life of their own. Sexton sees each object in her room as a reflection of her own life, including the books, the typewriter, the phone, and even the windows. She feeds both the world outside and her own inner world, but she struggles to find meaning in her existence.

    in Famous Sad Poems

    Here,
    in the room of my life
    the objects keep changing.
    Ashtrays to cry into,

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  8. Because I Could Not Stop For Death

    Famous Poem

    A poem about death. Dickinson portrays death as her companion in the carriage. She passes her childhood - the school, to her grave. The poem makes heavy use of the literary device of personification, giving death human characteristics.

    in Famous Death Poems

    Because I could not stop for Death,
    He kindly stopped for me;
    The carriage held but just ourselves
    And Immortality.

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    Yeah, I agree we don't stop to think that death will come and take us away even when the ones he has taken are staring right at us. My grandma passed away when I was little. I sobbed for hours.

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  9. A Farewell

    Famous Poem

    Alfred Tennyson (1809 - 1892) was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom. In this beautiful poem, Alfred Lord Tennyson compares the short life span of Man to the seemingly eternal lifespan of nature. He expresses a longing to live on for eternity. However, nature lives on forever, while humans live for but a short time. The rivulet moves on to becomes a river and then it merges in to the sea where it stays for eternity. Interestingly, a great poet's work lives on even after their death.

    in Famous Death Poems

    Flow down, cold rivulet, to the sea,
    Thy tribute wave deliver:
    No more by thee my steps shall be,
    For ever and for ever.

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  10. To Autumn

    Famous Poem

    John Keats was a British Romantic Poem who only lived 25 short years, from 1795-1821. "To Autumn" is the final work in a group of poems that is referred to as Keats' 1819 Odes. He was inspired to write this poem after going on a walk on an autumn evening near Winchester. He wrote it on September 19, 1819, and it was published in 1820, a little more than a year before he succumbed to tuberculosis. The poem shows the progression through the autumn season, from fruitfulness, to labor, and ultimately to its decline. It also has a strong sense of imagery and uses personification.

    in Famous Nature Poems

    Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,  
    Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
    Conspiring with him how to load and bless  
    With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

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    It's an awesome poem!! I really love it!!!

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  11. Fog

    Famous Poem

    “Fog” was part of Carl Sandburg’s first poetry collection, Chicago Poems, published in 1916. Sandburg wrote simply and was known to use the “language of the people.” This poem was no different. He used simple imagery, personification and a metaphor to compare fog to the movement of a cat. Sandburg was inspired to write this poem when he saw the fog roll in to the Chicago harbor.

    in Famous Nature Poems

    The fog comes
    on little cat feet.

    It sits looking

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    My dear neighbor, Nellie, who is in her 80s, asked me, as I am an artist, to paint a picture for her to give to her husband for Christmas. She said he loves the poem "Here Comes the Fog" by...

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  12. Destined To Fly

    • By Ashley N. Hyder
    • Published by Family Friend Poems April 2015 with permission of the Author.

    This poem was written after I got clean from a 4-year heroin addiction. I based it off a letter addressed Dear Heroin that I wrote while incarcerated at 20-years-old for a drug offense. When I stumbled across the letter shortly after getting sober, it brought back so many negative and painful memories. However, it also made me feel so proud for the things I have accomplished and overcome...things that at one point seemed impossible. Recovery is possible, and it's up to you to grow your wings.

    in Change Poems

    I remember the day we met.
    Too young to see the danger.
    I didn't know the devil you were,
    That you'd fill me with so much anger.

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    Poem About Overcoming Addiction, Destined To Fly

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    I'm rather inspired to witness a "rotted, dead flower" regaining his or her smile and faith in life. Drugs are illegal here in China, and we all know the anguish caused by drug addiction and...

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  13. Sing To Me, Autumn

    Since I was a child, I've loved the season of autumn. I love its return each year with its vibrant magical colors, warm bright days, the change from the heat of summer into cool but crystal clear sparkling nights, and the aroma of the woods and spice in the atmosphere. It's like a familiar loved one or friend who's back for a visit. It's the same season each year, but it's always new and refreshing. We share our lives with the seasons. As we mature, we understand ourselves and all the world more intimately.

    in Fall Poems

    Sing to me, Autumn, with the rustle of your leaves.
    Breathe on me your spicy scents that flow within your breeze.

    Dance with me, Autumn, your waltz that bends the boughs of trees.

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    This poem beautifully provides us an opportunity to feel connected with nature. As human beings, we have been born in the lap of nature, have grown under the protection of nature, but we’ve...

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  14. The Life Of A Leaf

    • By Paul Holmes
    • Published by Family Friend Poems February 12, 2023 with permission of the Author.

    Leaves are everywhere. We see them everyday. People are the same. Notice the parallel...

    in Beauty of Nature Poems

    SPRING

    I slowly unfurl to the wide World
    Stretching up to the blue sky

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  15. A Miracle To Behold

    I wrote this one day while I was visiting the ocean.

    in Ocean Poems

    Seagulls soar above her surf,
    The sun reflects and gleams,
    While people come from miles around
    To stroll upon her beach.

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    Dear Elizabeth, Growing up in New Jersey, I have always had easy access to the ocean. I love the ocean but, I have always been interested in the beauty of the PACNW. I love to look at films...

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  16. The Summer's End

    The poem tries to describe the changes that occur as summer comes to an end and how I respond to it emotionally.

    in Summer Poems

    The familiar rhythm of the cricket's chirps
    Create the soundtrack for each day,
    Echoing Summer's end
    And that Autumn's on her way.

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    End of summer, yes, when my daughter goes outside and comes back in to ask, "How does the weather know it's back to school time?" when the chill in the morning air precedes the special crisp...

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  17. Winter

    • By Olivia Kooker
    • Published by Family Friend Poems August 2011 with permission of the Author.

    My name is Olivia Kooker. I am 10 years old and in 4th grade. I live in Pennsylvania. An interesting thing people should know about me is that I am adopted. I have a great life. I wrote this poem for my Mom for Christmas.

    in Nature Poems for Kids

    If winter were a person, she would be a girl with frosty hair.
    Winter would wear snow pants, snow boots, gloves, a hat, and scarf.
    Winter would smell like hot chocolate and peanut butter and Hershey Kiss cookies baking in the oven.
    Winter would spend the day eating cookies and drinking hot cocoa by a lake.

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    A beautiful, inspirational poem Olivia, most impressive for someone only ten years old. Loved it!!!

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  18. My Wooded World

    • By Sheila Visingardi
    • Published by Family Friend Poems July 2006 with permission of the Author.

    There's time for space and contemplation in the wooded world.
    The poem makes use of personification to make the woods seem alive. The branches, wind and animals are given human characteristics like walking, singing, talking.
    In loving memory of John H. Burns Sr. -my father

    in Beauty of Nature Poems

    Analysis of Form and Technique

    As a child, I would sit and ponder
    at the wooded areas, for their beauty relaxed me.
    The sway of the branches and whistling of the winds,
    as if they were calling my name.

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    I spend every waking moment that I can outside, walking with my dog in nature! We are fortunate to live surrounded by many trees. They make me feel safe and protected, and this poem shows me...

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  19. Hurricane Isabella

    • By Amy Aird
    • Published by Family Friend Poems March 2013 with permission of the Author.

    I was in the Air Force at the time, stationed at Langley AF Base. A large group of us were sent to Blacksmith, VA, an Army base, to stay clear of the impending hurricane. I am originally from the mid-west and have never been in that kind of weather, so I was a nervous wreck the whole time. During the storm that night, while others slept or watched movies on portable DVD players, I was so scared and the only thing that brought me comfort was to write about it. It took me 1 week to finish it.

    in Earth Poems

    Analysis of Form and Technique

    I can't sleep tonight, I can still hear her name.
    She came with warning but could not be tamed.
    We packed our things and stored them tight,
    And headed for shelter anticipating this night.

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  20. The Beginning

    • By Blackrose7
    • Published by Family Friend Poems January 2017 with permission of the Author.

    I had been struggling with depression for a couple of years. This is how I felt when I first noticed it.

    in Depression Poems by Teens

    He whispered to her one day, Depression did.
    She was just reading in her room when
    He creeped up and whispered in her ear,
    "No one loves you."

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    This is very well written. The message here can also be associated with any addiction. It's just how it works. You shut it out for ages, you struggle every day, then when you're not on your...

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  21. Who Am I?

    Famous Poem

    Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) writes this poem in the form of a free verse riddle. It follows no specific structure or rhyme scheme. When we find out the answer to the riddle, we see that this poem uses personification to describe it. Carl Sandburg’s interest in President Abraham Lincoln (“Honest Abe”) led him to write two multi-volume biographies. These biographies brought Sandburg the honor of the 1939 Pulitzer Prize in History.

    in Famous Poems

    My head knocks against the stars.
    My feet are on the hilltops.
    My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
    Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.

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  22. Solstice Queen

    Summer is such a beautiful season of the year, all of the lush green and beautiful vibrant colors but most of all the perfumed scents of all the flowers, bushes and trees, the beautiful creatures come out to greet Summer as well, or should I say Summer brings the creatures out of hiding and to life. The butterflies are particularly one sure sign of Summer, along with fireflies that sparkle in the evenings, the smells of nectar of fruit trees. Summer touches nearly every place with her beauty!

    in Summer Poems

    As she tip-toes cross the sea,
    she slips in so subtly.

    Sharing her charms upon the earth,

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    I have read three of this poet's pieces now and they are all wonderful! She personifies the seasons and brings them magically to life and both paints a picture and tells a story at once....

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