Famous Poems - Page 2

21 - 27 of 27 Poems

  1. 21. The Old Mill

    • By J. R. Eastwood

    Famous Poem

    The Old Mill's by J. R. Eastwood captures the essence of a century-long journey through the life of a mill, using poignant imagery and repetition to convey the constancy of nature's rhythms amidst the passage of time. Through the mill's enduring presence, the poem reminds us of the unchanging beauty of the world, the cycle of generations, and the eternal embrace of love and faith.

    One hundred years the mill has stood:
    One hundred years the dashing flood
    Has turned the wheel with roaring sound,
    Through foaming waters, round and round.

    One hundred years: and overhead
    The same broad roof of blue is spread;
    And in the meadows, bright and green,
    The miller's children still are seen.

    And thus the world is still the same:
    The sunset clouds are turned to flame;
    And while we live, and when we die,
    The lark still carols in the sky.

    And others rise to fill our place;
    We sleep, and others run the race:
    And earth beneath and skies above
    Are still the same; and God is love.

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  3. 22. The Sin Of Omission

    • By Margaret E. Sangster

    Famous Poem

    "The Sin of Omission" by Margaret E. Sangster is a poignant reflection on the regrets that stem from missed opportunities for kindness and compassion. Through the use of evocative language and emotional imagery, the poem emphasizes the significance of actions not taken. With a consistent rhyme scheme and rhythmic flow, Sangster effectively conveys the weight of these omitted gestures, encouraging readers to consider the impact of their choices on both themselves and others.

    It isn't the thing you do, dear,
        It's the thing you leave undone
    That gives you a bit of a heartache
        At the setting of the sun.
    The tender word forgotten;
        The letter you did not write;
    The flowers you did not send, dear,
        Are your haunting ghosts at night.

    The stone you might have lifted
        Out of a brother's way;
    The bit of hearthstone counsel
        You were hurried too much to say;
    The loving touch of the hand, dear,
        The gentle, winning tone
    Which you had no time nor thought for
        With troubles enough of your own.

    Those little acts of kindness
        So easily out of mind,
    Those chances to be angels
        Which we poor mortals find—
    They come in night and silence,
        Each sad, reproachful wraith,
    When hope is faint and flagging
        And a chill has fallen on faith.

    For life is all too short, dear,
        And sorrow is all too great,
    To suffer our slow compassion
        That tarries until too late;
    And it isn't the thing you do, dear,
        It's the thing you leave undone
    Which gives you a bit of a heartache
        At the setting of the sun.

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  5. 23. The Bridge

    Famous Poem

    Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Bridge" weaves a vivid scene using poetic techniques. The poem paints a picture of standing on a bridge at midnight as clocks chime. It employs vivid imagery, such as the moon rising over the city and its reflection in the water, creating a serene and almost mystical atmosphere. It also uses metaphor, with the moon resembling a "golden goblet," and symbolism, as the bridge becomes a symbol of life's journey. The poem explores themes of longing, change, and the passage of time, evoking a sense of nostalgia and the enduring nature of human experience.

    I stood on the bridge at midnight,
        As the clocks were striking the hour,
    And the moon rose o'er the city,
        Behind the dark church tower.

    I saw her bright reflection
        In the waters under me,
    Like a golden goblet falling
        And sinking into the sea.

    And far in the hazy distance
        Of that lovely night in June,
    The blaze of the flaming furnace
        Gleamed redder than the moon.

    Among the long, black rafters
        The wavering shadows lay,
    And the current that came from the ocean
        Seemed to lift and bear them away;

    As, sweeping and eddying through them,
        Rose the belated tide,
    And, streaming into the moonlight,
        The seaweed floated wide.

    And like those waters rushing
        Among the wooden piers,
    A flood of thoughts came o'er me
        That filled my eyes with tears

    How often, oh, how often,
        In the days that had gone by,
    I had stood on that bridge at midnight
        And gazed on that wave and sky!

    How often, oh, how often,
        I had wished that the ebbing tide
    Would bear me away on its bosom
        O'er the ocean wild and wide.

    For my heart was hot and restless,
        And my life was full of care,
    And the burden laid upon me
        Seemed greater than I could bear.

    But now it has fallen from me,
        It is buried in the sea;
    And only the sorrow of others
        Throws its shadow over me.

    Yet, whenever I cross the river
        On its bridge with wooden piers,
    Like the odor of brine from the ocean
        Comes the thought of other years.

    And I think how many thousands
        Of care-encumbered men,
    Each bearing his burden of sorrow,
        Have crossed the bridge since then.

    I see the long procession
        Still passing to and fro,
    The young heart hot and restless,
        And the old, subdued and slow!

    And forever and forever,
        As long as the river flows,
    As long as the heart has passions,
        As long as life has woes;

    The moon and its broken reflection
        And its shadows shall appear
    As the symbol of love in heaven,
        And its wavering image here.

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  6. 24. The Star-Spangled Banner

    • By Francis Scott Key

    Famous Poem

    "The Star-Spangled Banner," the US National Anthem, was composed by Francis Scott Key, who was deeply moved by the sight of the American flag soaring victoriously over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. Key quickly penned the initial verse on a letter's back, capturing his emotions. He meticulously crafted four verses that embody American resilience and pride, using rhetorical questions and vivid imagery to engage readers emotionally and visually. Repetition, like "O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave," creates a rhythmic unity, while symbolism, such as the "star-spangled banner," signifies the enduring American spirit. The poem's progression mirrors the nation's journey, and exclamation marks intensify its urgency. Through these techniques, Key's anthem becomes a powerful expression of history, unity, and values.

    O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
    What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
    Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
    O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
    And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
    Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
    O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
    O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

    On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
    Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
    What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
    As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
    Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
    In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,
    ’Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave
    O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

    And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
    That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
    A home and a Country should leave us no more?
    Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
    No refuge could save the hireling and slave
    From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
    And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
    O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

    O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
    Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!
    Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land
    Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
    Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
    And this be our motto - “In God is our trust,”
    And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
    O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

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  7. 25. The Poet

    • By Raymond Garfield Dandridge

    Famous Poem

    Raymond Garfield Dandridge (1883–1930) was an American poet from Cincinnati, Ohio. Despite being affected by partial paralysis in 1911, which left him bedridden for the remainder of his life, he taught himself to write with his left hand. Influenced by Paul Laurence Dunbar, he often wrote in African-American dialect. In "The Poet," we glimpse the struggles of a poet who must juggle his creative dreams with manual labor to survive. Despite meager pay and criticism from editors, he perseveres, aware that his true worth may only be recognized after his time. This poem sheds light on the challenges faced by poets and the harsh realities they confront while pursuing writing poetry.

    The poet sits and dreams and dreams;
    He scans his verse; he probes his themes.

    Then turns to stretch or stir about,
    Lest, like his thoughts, his strength give out.

    Then off to bed, for he must rise
    And cord some wood, or tamp some ties,

    Or break a field of fertile soil,
    Or do some other manual toil.

    He dare not live by wage of pen,
    Most poorly paid of poor paid men,

    With shoes o'er-run, and thread bare clothes,
    And editors among the foes

    Who mock his song, deny him bread,
    Then sing his praise when he is dead.

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  8. 26. On Good And Evil

    Famous Poem

    And one of the elders of the city said, Speak to us of Good and Evil.
    And he answered:

    Of the good in you I can speak, but not of the evil.
    For what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger and thirst?
    Verily when good is hungry it seeks food even in dark caves, and when it thirsts it drinks even of dead waters.

    You are good when you are one with yourself.
    Yet when you are not one with yourself you are not evil.
    For a divided house is not a den of thieves; it is only a divided house.
    And a ship without rudder may wander aimlessly among perilous isles yet sink not to the bottom.

    You are good when you strive to give of yourself.
    Yet you are not evil when you seek gain for yourself.
    For when you strive for gain you are but a root that clings to the earth and sucks at her breast.
    Surely the fruit cannot say to the root, “Be like me, ripe and full and ever giving of your abundance.”
    For to the fruit giving is a need, as receiving is a need to the root.

    You are good when you are fully awake in your speech,
    Yet you are not evil when you sleep while your tongue staggers without purpose.
    And even stumbling speech may strengthen a weak tongue.

    You are good when you walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps.
    Yet you are not evil when you go thither limping.
    Even those who limp go not backward. But you who are strong and swift, see that you do not limp before the lame, deeming it kindness.

    You are good in countless ways, and you are not evil when you are not good,
    You are only loitering and sluggard.
    Pity that the stags cannot teach swiftness to the turtles.

    In your longing for your giant self lies your goodness: and that longing is in all of you.
    But in some of you that longing is a torrent rushing with might to the sea, carrying the secrets of the hillsides and the songs of the forest.
    And in others it is a flat stream that loses itself in angles and bends and lingers before it reaches the shore.
    But let not him who longs much say to him who longs little, “Wherefore are you slow and halting?”
    For the truly good ask not the naked, “Where is your garment?” nor the houseless, “What has befallen your house?”

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  9. 27. Ozymandias

    Famous Poem

    "Ozymandias" is a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley that explores the theme of the transience of power and the inevitable decline of all human empires. The poem describes a traveler who encounters the ruins of a statue in the desert, which once depicted a mighty ruler named Ozymandias (believed to be a reference to the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II). However, the statue is now broken and deteriorated, with only the legs and a shattered visage remaining. Despite the ruler's boastful inscription declaring his greatness and power, the passage of time has rendered him and his empire insignificant and forgotten. Through this narrative, Shelley conveys the idea that no matter how powerful or imposing a leader may seem in their own time, they are ultimately subject to the ravages of time and will be forgotten by future generations.

    I met a traveller from an antique land
    Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
    Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
    Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
    And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
    Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
    Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
    The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed;
    And on the pedestal these words appear:
    'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
    Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
    Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
    Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
    The lone and level sands stretch far away;"

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21 - 27 of 27 Poems

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