Famous Sad Poems - Page 2

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  1. 21. I Measure Every Grief I Meet

    In this poem, the speaker compares her grief to the grief of those around her. She talks about the different types of grief and tries to make this emotion tangible. Emily Dickinson’s poems have consistent components, and this poem follows many of them: dashes, capitals in the middle of lines, and four-line stanzas.

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    I measure every Grief I meet
    With narrow, probing, eyes –
    I wonder if It weighs like Mine –
    Or has an Easier size.

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    Penny, you are so right to be honest and tell it like it is for you because that's how I feel as well. It's ok not to be ok. My daughter died on May 23, 2019, of a drug overdose. She had...

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  3. 22. A Hero

    Robert William Service was a British-Canadian author who lived from 1874-1958. He spent much of his early career years as a banker, but his dream was to be a cowboy. This poem shows the dark side of a person, someone who wishes to kill another, and in the end decides it's better to kill himself.

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    Three times I had the lust to kill,
    To clutch a throat so young and fair,
    And squeeze with all my might until
    No breath of being lingered there.

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    Very well written but a very disturbing situation. Powerful and powerfully sad.

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  5. 23. The New Moon

    In Sara Teasdale's "The New Moon," the poet reflects on a day of hardship and struggle. Through the use of vivid imagery and personification, the poem portrays the day as a force that has physically and emotionally wounded her. However, amidst the bleakness, the poet discovers a glimmer of hope in the form of a delicate new moon. This celestial presence, described as a "maiden moon," brings beauty and inspiration, challenging bitterness and despair. Teasdale's skillful use of contrast and the moon's symbolism creates a sense of resilience and the power of finding solace in moments of darkness.

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    Day, you have bruised and beaten me,
    As rain beats down the bright, proud sea,
    Beaten my body, bruised my soul,
    Left me nothing lovely or whole—

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  6. 24. The Rainy Day

    "The Rainy Day" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a melancholic poem about the feelings of sadness. The poem uses imagery and metaphor to depict the bleakness of a rainy day. The wind and rain symbolize the constant struggles and difficulties in life, and the fallen leaves represent lost hopes and dreams. The poet tries to find comfort in the idea that everyone experiences hardships in life, but the sadness still lingers. The rhyme scheme used in the poem is ABAAB. The message is that life can be dark and difficult, but one must keep hope and find the sunshine behind the clouds.

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    The day is cold, and dark, and dreary
    It rains, and the wind is never weary;
    The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
    But at every gust the dead leaves fall,

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  7. 25. London

    In the streets of London, William Blake paints a portrait of a city burdened with suffering and oppression. From the marked faces of weakness and woe to the cries of anguish and the shackles of the mind, he captures the harsh realities of a society where even the most vulnerable, like chimney sweepers and soldiers, bear the weight of their circumstances. Amidst the curses of harlots and the tears of infants, Blake reveals the dark underbelly that plagues the institution of marriage. Through his poignant words, he offers a glimpse into the complex tapestry of London's existence.

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    I wander thro' each charter'd street,
    Near where the charter'd Thames does flow.
    And mark in every face I meet
    Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

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  8. 26. The Flower That Smiles To-day

    The poem "The Flower That Smiles Today" talks about how happiness and good times don't last forever. It compares happiness to a flower that blooms one day but withers away the next. The poet reflects on how things we hope will stay often end up leaving us disappointed when they disappear. The poem mentions how fragile things like being good, having friends, and feeling love can be. Even though they may seem strong, they can easily lead to sadness and despair. Despite this, the poem suggests that we can survive these ups and downs. It tells us to enjoy happy moments while they last, but also reminds us that sadness is a part of life too.

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    The flower that smiles to-day
    To-morrow dies;
    All that we wish to stay
    Tempts and then flies.

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  9. 27. Windows

    You’ve probably heard the saying, “The grass is greener on the other side.” This poem captures that sentiment. Often, we look longingly at what others have while looking down on what is ours. The irony is that others see such beauty in what we have.

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    I looked through others' windows
    On an enchanted earth,
    But out of my own window-
    Solitude and dearth.

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  10. 28. One Art

    Possibly her most famous poem, Elizabeth Bishop's,"One Art" is a villanelle, a 6 stanza poem that consists of five tercets (3 line stanzas), and one concluding quatrain (4 line stanza). For more about this challenging poetry form see How To Write a Villanelle.
    This poem is about loss and starts off light with a touch of humor, but loss is certainly not a humorous topic and as the stanzas go on the losses mount. Losing our most precious possessions, our friends and loved ones is a most difficult burden. Bishop lost both her parents as a child. Her father died when she was an infant and her mother was committed to an Insane Asylum when she was five. She never saw her mother again and grew up in the homes of various relatives.

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    The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
    so many things seem filled with the intent
    to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

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  11. 29. Circus In Three Rings

    Sylvia Plath was an American poet who lived from 1932-1963. Sylvia’s dad died during her childhood, and her husband left her for another woman. She experienced heartbreak and depression that ultimately led to her commit suicide at the age of 30. Her poetry was raw and honest, which can be seen in the chaos she captures in this poem. First published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1955, the hurricane mentioned in the poem could be compared to the personal struggles that swirled inside of her.

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    In the circus tent of a hurricane
    designed by a drunken god
    my extravagant heart blows up again
    in a rampage of champagne-colored rain

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  12. 30. An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

    William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was an Irish poet. This poem was written in 1918, near the end of World War I, and published the following year. In it, the speaker is coming to terms with the reality that he could die in the war. The speaker shares that the war will not make life better or worse. William Butler Yeats was highly involved in Ireland's politics, but the speaker of this poem did not fight in the war for political reasons. Instead, it was an “impulse of delight.” This poem does not have any stanza breaks, but it does follow the ABAB rhyme scheme.

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    I know that I shall meet my fate
    Somewhere among the clouds above;
    Those that I fight I do not hate,
    Those that I guard I do not love;

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  13. 31. Mirror

    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.

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    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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  14. 32. Bluebird

    Charles Bukowski's poem "Bluebird" explores the poet's internal struggle to suppress his vulnerable emotions. There is a bluebird residing in his heart, yearning to be set free, yet the speaker's toughness and fear of exposing his true self prevent it from escaping. He resorts to numbing the bird's presence with whiskey, smoke, and distractions from the outside world. The poem reveals a complex relationship between the speaker and the bluebird, with moments of tenderness and acknowledgment. Their secret bond brings solace, evoking powerful emotions that resonate deeply, leaving readers to contemplate their own capacity for vulnerability.

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    there's a bluebird in my heart that
    wants to get out
    but I'm too tough for him,
    I say, stay in there, I'm not going

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  15. 33. When I Have Fears

    In this poem, John Keats (1795-1821) shares the fear of dying before accomplishing all he set out to do or finding the love he desires. We all have different things we want to achieve in life, and we don’t know how much time we will have to do them. Keats and his parents all died at a young age. Even though John Keats died at the age of 25, he had an incredible poetry career.

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    When I have fears that I may cease to be
    Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain,
    Before high-pilèd books, in charactery,
    Hold like rich garners the full ripened grain;

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    My brief thoughts on what I believe makes this poem a Classic. We all want to make and leave a mark in life. We all have anxiety. I want to fear not life or death but take the chance called...

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  16. 34. Acquainted With The Night

    “Acquainted With The Night” was published in 1928. It has themes of sadness and isolation. The narrator avoids contact with people and tries to escape his despair. The narrator doesn’t want to let anyone in, which continues his cycle of loneliness. Robert Frost himself was familiar with despair. At the time of writing this poem, he had already lost two children. Two more of his six children would pass away before him in later years. This poem includes symbols such as night (depression) and the moon (hope). It’s written as a “terza rima,” which is a poem made up of tercets (three-line stanzas). Within those stanzas, the ending word of the second line sets up the rhyme of the first and third lines of the next stanza.

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    I have been one acquainted with the night.
    I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.
    I have outwalked the furthest city light.

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    Each word of the poem is uttering its deep pain in the darkness of night. Highly weighted poem like any other poem of him. Only the one who has gone through this sea of sorrow can understand...

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  17. 35. On Another's Sorrow

    This poem was published in Songs of Innocence in 1789. The innocence suggested within the poem is that sympathy alone can comfort and heal.

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    Can I see another's woe,
    And not be in sorrow too?
    Can I see another's grief,
    And not seek for kind relief?

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    A soulful poem. Sometimes or many times for some people it's the "going through" the sorrows that make life worth living. A hard way to learn a life lesson, but it often turns out better than...

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  18. 36. Fire And Ice

    A poem about the end of days, when the world will end by either fire or ice. "Fire and Ice" is one of Robert Frost's most popular poems. It was first published in 1920 in Harper's Magazine.

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    Some say the world will end in fire,
    Some say in ice.
    From what I've tasted of desire
    I hold with those who favor fire.

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    Robert Frost is a poet of great repute. It is not within our jurisdiction to comment on such a literary giant. However, in view of your invitation, I would say that he might have been in...

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  19. 37. The Room Of My Life

    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.

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

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  20. 38. Does It Matter?

    Siegfried Sassoon's "Does it Matter?" uses a biting tone to expose the societal disconnect from the realities of war. Through a series of rhetorical questions about the impact of severe injuries, the poem presents a sarcastic view of how society might respond. Dismissive suggestions of "kindness" and "splendid work" for the wounded highlight the lack of true understanding for the physical and mental scars soldiers carry. The poem challenges readers to confront the true cost of war and question if society truly values the sacrifices made by veterans.

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    Does it matter?—losing your leg? . . .
    For people will always be kind,
    And you need not show that you mind
    When the others come in after hunting

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    This poem is very thought provoking.
    The poet (deceased) was a critical thinker.

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  21. 39. After Auschwitz

    Anne Sexton's poem "After Auschwitz" is a powerful emotional response to the Holocaust and slaughter of 6 million innocent Jewish men, women and children.. The speaker expresses anger towards the atrocities committed and questions why death doesn't seem to take those who deserve it. She condemns the men responsible for the Holocaust and suggests that all humanity must now bear guilt. For the depravity that the Nazis exhibited, demonstrated that all of us are capable of the same and that is a burden humanity must forever bear.

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    Anger,
    as black as a hook,
    overtakes me.
    Each day,

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  22. 40. I Sit Beside The Fire And Think

    The poem is from the perspective of an older person reflects on the past summers and autumns, while acknowledging the inevitability of winter and the unknown future. The poem uses repetition, to create a reflective and contemplative mood. The vivid imagery of nature serves to evoke a sense of nostalgia and emphasize the fleeting nature of life. Overall, the poem is about the passage of time and the transience of human existence.

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    I sit beside the fire and think
    of all that I have seen
    of meadow-flowers and butterflies
    in summers that have been;

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