Sonnet Poems

Sonnet Poems

Sonnet Examples

A sonnet is a poem that has 14 lines and follows a specific rhyme scheme. It comes from the Italian word that means “little song.” There are various types of sonnets, and each one is formatted a little differently, following various rhyme schemes. The three main types are the Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnet, the English (or Shakespearean) sonnet, and the Spenserian sonnet. They are named after the poets who made them famous. These forms have been around since the sixteenth century.

Visit our Poetic Forms page for More about Sonnets

13 Different Types of Sonnets

1 - 13 of 13

  1. 1. How Do I Love Thee?

    Famous Poem


    How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
    I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
    My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
    For the ends of being and ideal grace.

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    • Stories 6
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    • Favorited 99
    • Votes 2003
    • Rating 4.41
    • Poem of the Week
    • Poem of the Day
    Featured Shared Story

    On August 25, 2017, the love of my life and I had been chatting while he shaved. I walked away, and I was gone 12 minutes. Sometime in those stupid 12 minutes he dropped to his knees and died...

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  3. 2. Stay Or Go?

    • By GA Thompson
    • Published by Family Friend Poems March 2016 with permission of the Author.

    The days go by, then a month, then a year,
    and still through the days I see not a change.
    No matter what happens, you still aren't here,
    and how you just disappeared is what's strange.

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    • Stories 6
    • Shares 9622
    • Favorited 55
    • Votes 1119
    • Rating 4.43
    • Poem of the Day
    Featured Shared Story

    I love this poem, and like you, I had to grow up at a young age. A sick parent, being bullied and just life in general. To me this poem expresses the inner struggles with myself; knowing that...

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  5. 3. In The Shadow Of Your Warm Love

    • By Paul Holmes
    • Published by Family Friend Poems June 2019 with permission of the Author.

    In the shadow of your warm love
    I feel so safe and secure,
    And your soft, caring hands
    Urge me on to bravely endure.

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 10424
    • Favorited 37
    • Votes 651
    • Rating 4.50
    • Poem of the Day
  6. 4. Acquainted With The Night

    Famous Poem

    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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    • Stories 2
    • Shares 4320
    • Favorited 35
    • Votes 378
    • Rating 4.25
    • Poem of the Day
    Featured Shared Story

    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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  7. 5. There's No Obscurity

    • By Astrid Sardinas
    • Published by Family Friend Poems May 2009 with permission of the Author.

    As I gaze into his liquid gold eyes,
    Poetry radiates from his warm soul
    His lips brush mine and I soar through the skies
    Passion seizes me; I loose my control

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 1883
    • Favorited 17
    • Votes 338
    • Rating 4.11
  8. 6. Candy Corn

    • By Jan R
    • Published by Family Friend Poems December 2014 with permission of the Author.

    Analysis of Form and Technique

    Against the black void, looms the lunar sphere.
    Hungry ghosts haunt, satisfied by fright.
    Oh my! The children's faces blanch in fear.
    And thus the small summit embodies white.

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 3102
    • Favorited 15
    • Votes 116
    • Rating 4.01
  9. 7. Autumn Storm By Firelight

    A flash of lightning streaks across the sky.
    We huddle close beneath the trembling eaves
    As thunder roars a nightmare lullaby
    And strips the trees outside of summer leaves.

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    • Stories 2
    • Shares 3564
    • Favorited 13
    • Votes 209
    • Rating 4.16
    Featured Shared Story

    Hi! English teacher here... I have it included in class lessons! I love the imagery of the poem, and it's a sonnet my students can understand!

  10. 8. My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun

    Famous Poem

    My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
    Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
    If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
    If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

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    • Stories 1
    • Shares 1934
    • Favorited 12
    • Votes 265
    • Rating 4.03
    Featured Shared Story

    How absolutely lovely! The way the poem 'shows' more than tells is magnificent; this is an art unto itself!

  11. 9. When I Have Fears

    Famous Poem

    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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    • Stories 1
    • Shares 1600
    • Favorited 5
    • Votes 95
    • Rating 4.25
    Featured Shared Story

    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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  12. 10. I, Being Born A Woman And Distressed

    Famous Poem

    I, being born a woman and distressed
    By all the needs and notions of my kind,
    Am urged by your propinquity to find
    Your person fair, and feel a certain zest

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 45
    • Favorited 3
    • Votes 10
    • Rating 4.10
  13. 11. I Wish I Could Remember That First Day

    Famous Poem

    I wish I could remember that first day,
    First hour, first moment of your meeting me,
    If bright or dim the season, it might be
    Summer or winter for aught I can say;

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 249
    • Favorited 2
    • Votes 19
    • Rating 4.32
  14. 12. Halloween Sonnet

    • By Paul Cleere
    • Published by Family Friend Poems December 2014 with permission of the Author.

    When leaves start turning orange and golden-brown,
    Kids start to dress in costumes so dandy.
    For one day a year, all throughout the town
    It's time for kids to amass some candy.

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 2776
    • Favorited 2
    • Votes 124
    • Rating 3.96
  15. 13. He Almost

    I ask, why did you want to damage me?
    My aching heart felt it all with blunt force.
    So sad how you acted out savagely.
    What's even worse is you had no remorse.

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 54
    • Favorited 1
    • Votes 12
    • Rating 4.83

1 - 13 of 13

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