Here are some of the most inspiring poems ever written. Poetry has the power to touch our hearts and souls in ways that nothing else can, and these seven short examples showcase just how transformative and uplifting poetry can be.
“Still I Rise”
BY MAYA ANGELOU
You may write me down in history
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With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” is a powerful and inspiring poem about resilience and strength in the face of adversity. The poem celebrates the narrator’s ability to overcome obstacles and rise above the negativity of others. The poem’s rhythmic structure and repetition create a sense of momentum and determination.
“The Road Not Taken”
BY ROBERT FROST
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” is a classic and inspiring poem about making choices and taking risks. The poem encourages readers to forge their own path in life and not be afraid to take the road less traveled. The poem’s simple language and accessible imagery make it a beloved favorite among readers of all ages.
“Invictus”
BY WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus” is a powerful and inspiring poem about personal strength and determination. The poem celebrates the narrator’s ability to control their own destiny, despite the challenges and hardships they may face. The poem’s bold and confident language creates a sense of empowerment and motivation.
“If–”
BY RUDYARD KIPLING
If you can keep your head when all about you
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Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
Rudyard Kipling’s “If–” is a joyful and uplifting poem that celebrates the perseverance of a person, empathy, humbleness–and many other virtues. The poem is in conversation with Kipling’s son. He is attempting to impart the wisdom of his life onto another. Even though the poem is directed to one specific person, it is inspiring to all who read it.
“The Peace of Wild Things”
BY WENDELL BERRY
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water,
and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things” is a beautiful and inspiring poem that celebrates the healing power of nature. The poem encourages readers to find solace and peace in the natural world, and to take comfort in the beauty and tranquility of the earth. The poem’s gentle and contemplative language creates a sense of calm and serenity.
“Hope is the Thing with Feathers”
BY EMILY DICKINSON
Hope is the thing with feathers
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That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
Emily Dickinson’s “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” is a simple and beautiful poem that celebrates the power of hope and resilience. The poem encourages readers to find strength and comfort in the idea that hope is always with us, even in the darkest of times. The poem’s metaphorical language and musical imagery create a sense of lightness and optimism.
“Do not go gentle into that good night”
BY DYLAN THOMAS
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas is a powerful and emotional villanelle that encourages readers to resist death and fight for life until the very end. The poem is structured around the idea of different types of men, including wise men, good men, wild men, and grave men, all fighting to hold onto their lives and not let them slip away. The poem’s central message is that we should never give up hope or accept our own mortality without a fight. Instead, we should rage against the dying of the light and do everything in our power to live our lives to the fullest.
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