Poems

Explore a growing archive of the world’s greatest poems, from the classical to the modern age. Each poem is presented in its original text, paired with thoughtful analysis and historical context. Whether you’re rediscovering the familiar or reading a timeless voice for the first time, these works reveal how poetry captures what endures in language — feeling, memory, and the shape of thought.

An Essay on Criticism

Explore Alexander Pope’s Essay on Criticism with a detailed analysis of taste, judgment, literary rules, and the art of evaluating poetry.

Eloisa to Abelard

Explore Alexander Pope’s Eloisa to Abelard with a detailed analysis of forbidden love, memory, and spiritual conflict.

With Rue My Heart Is Laden

Read A. E. Housman’s With Rue My Heart Is Laden with the full poem and an in-depth analysis of youth, loss, and the ache of remembrance.

Loveliest of Trees

Explore A. E. Housman’s Loveliest of Trees with its full poem and an in-depth analysis of beauty, time, and life’s fleeting seasons.

The Lady of Shalott

The complete 1842 text of The Lady of Shalott with a detailed analysis of its themes, symbolism, and legacy.

A Red, Red Rose

Explore Robert Burns’s A Red, Red Rose, a timeless love poem blending folk charm and lyrical beauty in an ode to enduring affection.

In Flanders Fields

Explore John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields,” the 1915 World War I poem that inspired the red poppy as a lasting symbol of remembrance.

The Flea

John Donne’s “The Flea” turns a biting insect into a daring metaphor for love and seduction, blending wit, irony, and metaphysical depth.

To His Coy Mistress

Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress” transforms seduction into philosophy, urging lovers to seize life before time and death prevail.

The Ballad of the Oysterman

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.’s “The Ballad of the Oysterman” tells a haunting tale of love, jealousy, and loss along a moonlit river.