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.

Sonnet 82

Explore Shakespeare’s Sonnet 82 with the full poem, summary, and in-depth analysis of its themes of truth, flattery, and artistic integrity.

Eldorado

Edgar Allan Poe’s “Eldorado” tells of a knight’s lifelong search for a mythical city, symbolizing humanity’s eternal quest for meaning.

Sonnet 73

In “Sonnet 73,” Shakespeare reflects on aging, mortality, and the strength of love in the face of time’s decay.

Sonnet 18

Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” immortalizes beauty through verse, transforming fleeting love into eternal art — “So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”

Sonnet 130

Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130” celebrates real love through wit and honesty, rejecting the false comparisons of idealized beauty.

The Phoenix and the Turtle

Shakespeare’s The Phoenix and the Turtle mourns the mystical union of two lovers — a profound elegy on love, truth, and spiritual unity.

Venus and Adonis

Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis retells the myth of the goddess’s doomed love for a mortal — a masterpiece of desire, beauty, and loss.

Michael

Wordsworth’s “Michael” tells the tragic story of a shepherd’s faith, family, and loss — a pastoral masterpiece on labor, love, and moral endurance.