Poems List
Explore poems from our collection
What the Birds Said
What the Birds Said
The birds against the April wind
Flew northward, singing as they flew;
They sang, "The land we leave behind
Has swords for corn…
What The Voice Said
What The Voice Said
MADDENED by Earth's wrong and evil,
'Lord!' I cried in sudden ire,
'From Thy right hand, clothed with thunder,
Shake the bolted…
Voice Of New England
Voice Of New England
UP the hillside, down the glen,
Rouse the sleeping citizen;
Summon out the might of men!
Like a lion growling low,
Like …
We May Not Climb the Heavenly Steeps
We May Not Climb the Heavenly Steeps
We may not climb the heavenly steeps
To bring the Lord Christ down;
In vain we search the lowest deeps
For Him…
Valuation
Valuation
THE old Squire said, as he stood by his gate,
And his neighbor, the Deacon, went by,
'In spite of my bank stock and real estate,
Yo…
Trust
Trust
The same old baffling questions! O my friend,
I cannot answer them. In vain I send
My soul into the dark, where never burn
The lamps of…
To William H. Seward
To William H. Seward
STATESMAN, I thank thee! and, if yet dissent
Mingles, reluctant, with my large content,
I cannot censure what was nobly meant.
Toussaint L’Ouverture
Toussaint L’Ouverture
'T WAS night. The tranquil moonlight smile
With which Heaven dreams of Earth, shed down
Its beauty on the Indian isle, —
On b…
To The Reformers Of England
To The Reformers Of England
GOD bless ye, brothers! in the fight
Ye 're waging now, ye cannot fail,
For better is your sense of right
Than king-cra…
To The Memory Of Charles B. Storrs
To The Memory Of Charles B. Storrs
Thou hast fallen in thine armor,
Thou martyr of the Lord
With thy last breath crying 'Onward!'
And thy hand upon…
To Pennsylvania
To Pennsylvania
O STATE prayer-founded! never hung
Such choice upon a people's tongue,
Such power to bless or ban,
As that which makes thy whisper …
To Ronge
To Ronge
Strike home, strong-hearted man! Down to the root
Of old oppression sink the Saxon steel.
Thy work is to hew down. In God's name then
Put …
To My Friend OnThe Death Of His Sister
To My Friend OnThe Death Of His Sister
Thine is a grief, the depth of which another
May never know;
Yet, o'er the waters, O my stricken brother!
To…
To My Sister,
To My Sister,
WITH A COPY OF 'THE SUPERNATURALISM OF NEW ENGLAND.'
Dear Sister! while the wise and sage
Turn coldly from my playful page,
And…
To James T. Fields
To James T. Fields
ON A BLANK LEAF OF 'POEMS PRINTED, NOT PUBLISHED.'
Well thought! who would not rather hear
The songs to Love and Friendship sung…
To Lydia Maria Child
To Lydia Maria Child
ON READING HER POEM IN 'THE STANDARD.'
The sweet spring day is glad with music,
But through it sounds a sadder strain;
T…
To Fredrika Bremer
To Fredrika Bremer
Seeress of the misty Norland,
Daughter of the Vikings bold,
Welcome to the sunny Vineland,
Which thy fathers sought of old!
To George B. Cheever
To George B. Cheever
So spake Esaias: so, in words of flame,
Tekoa's prophet-herdsman smote with blame
The traffickers in men, and put to shame,
Al…
To Charles Sumner
To Charles Sumner
If I have seemed more prompt to censure wrong
Than praise the right; if seldom to thine ear
My voice hath mingled with the exultant che…
To Englishmen
To Englishmen
You flung your taunt across the wave;
We bore it as became us,
Well knowing that the fettered slave
Left friendly lips no option save…
To A Southern Statesman
To A Southern Statesman
IS this thy voice whose treble notes of fear
Wail in the wind? And dost thou shake to hear,
Actæon-like, the bay of thine own hou…
To A Cape Ann Schooner
To A Cape Ann Schooner
Luck to the craft that bears this name of mine,
Good fortune follow with her golden spoon
The glazed hat and tarry pantaloon;
Thy Will Be Done
Thy Will Be Done
WE see not, know not; all our way
Is night, — with Thee alone is day:
From out the torrent's troubled drift,
Above the storm our p…
To E. C. S.
To E. C. S.
Poet and friend of poets, if thy glass
Detects no flower in winter's tuft of grass,
Let this slight token of the debt I owe
Outlive for…