A sense of an earnest will
A stranger came one night to Yussouf’s tent
“A temple to Friendship,” cried Laura, enchanted
At evening when the lamp is lit
At the muezzin’s call for prayer
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever
A wet sheet and a flowing sea
A wise old owl lived in an oak
A wonderful bird is the pelican
Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
Back of the beating hammer
Backward, turn backward, O time, in your flight
Beautiful faces are those that wear
Behind him lay the gray Azores
Believe me, if all those endearing young charms
Be strong!
Better trust all and be deceived
Bid me live, and I will live
Bowed by the weight of centuries he leans
Break, break, break
Breathes there the man with soul so dead
Bring me men to match my mountains
Build for yourself a strong box
By the rude bridge that arched the flood
Charm is the measure of attraction’s power
Come live with me and be my love
Could ye come back to me, Douglas, Douglas
Count each affliction, whether light or grave
Cupid and my Campaspe played
Death is only an old door
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Do you ask what the birds say?
Do you know that your soul is of my soul such a part
Drifting sands and a caravan, the desert’s endless space
Drink to me only with thine eyes
Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!
Fifteen men on the Dead Man’s Chest
First time he kissed me, he but only kiss’d
For auld lang syne, my dear
“Forget Thee?” If to dream by night and muse on thee by day
Frankie and Johnny were lovers, O lordy how they could love
From the desert I come to thee
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may
Give me a good digestion, Lord, and also something to digest
Give me one kiss
God, give us men! A time like this demands
God is love; his mercy brightens
God of our fathers, known of old
God send us a little home
Go, lovely rose
Good people all, of every sort
Half a league, half a league
Happiness is like a crystal
Happy the man, whose wish and care
Hats off!
Helen, thy beauty is to me
Here’s to the maid of bashful fifteen
Her eyes the glow-worm lend thee
Her heart is like her garden
He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not
Hold fast your dreams!
Home’s not merely four square walls
How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood
How doth the little busy bee
How do you like to go up in a swing
“How far is it to Bethlehem Town?”
How many times do I love thee, dear?
How sleep the brave, who sink to rest
I am dying, Egypt, dying
I am quite sure he thinks that I am God
I am tired of planning and toiling
I arise from dreams of thee
I bargained with Life for a penny
I believe if I should die
I cannot say, and I will not say
I did but look and love awhile
If a task is once begun
If I had known in the morning
If I have wounded any soul today
If I knew you and you knew me
If I should die, think only this of me
If I were hanged on the highest hill
If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft
If there were dreams to sell
If to your twilight land of dream
If you are tempted to reveal
If you but knew
If you can keep your head when all about you
If you cannot on the ocean
If you’re ever going to love me love me now, while I can know
If you sit down at set of sun
If you your lips would keep from slips
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me
I have a rendezvous with Death
I have had playmates, I have had companions
I have no name
I have to live with myself, and so
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
I’ll tell you how the sun rose
I love you
I must go down to the seas again
I need so much the quiet of your love
I never saw a Purple Cow
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
I praise the Frenchman, his remark was shrewd
I remember, I remember
I see his blood upon the rose
I shot an arrow into the air
I slept and dreamed that life was Beauty
Isn’t it strange
Is there, for honest poverty
I think that I shall never see
It looked extremely rocky for the Mudville nine that day
It seems to me I’d like to go
It was many and many a year ago
It was six men of Indostan
I walked a mile with Pleasure
I wanted the gold, and I sought it
I want free life and I want fresh air
I want to travel the common road
I want you when the shades of eve are falling
I would ask of you, my darling
Jenny kissed me when we met
Jesus, Lover of my soul
John Anderson, my jo, John
Ladies, to this advice give heed
Last night, ah, yesternight, betwixt her lips and mine
Last night my friend—he says he is my friend
Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom
Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
Let me do my work each day
Let me grow lovely, growing old
Let us be guests in one another’s house
Life did not bring me silken gowns
Life! I know not what thou art
Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Little drops of water
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Look off, dear Love, across the sallow sands
Look up and not down
Love is enough: though the world be a-waning
Love me little, love me long
Maid of Athens, ere we part
Make me too brave to lie or be unkind
Make new friends, but keep the old
Man’s life is laid in the loom of time
Many and sharp the numerous ills
Men long have fought for their flying flags
Methuselah ate what he found on his plate
’Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord
Miss you, miss you, miss you
Monday’s child is fair of face
My childhood’s home I see again
My eyes! how I love you
My fairest child, I have no song to give you
My hand is lonely for your clasping, dear
My heart leaps up when I behold
My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here
My love and I for kisses played
My mind lets go a thousand things
My mind to me a kingdom is
Nearer, my God, to thee
Never seek to tell thy love
No coward soul is mine
No funeral gloom, my dears, when I am gone
Nothing to do but work
Not understood. We move along asunder
Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white
O beautiful for spacious skies
O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done
Of all the girls that are so smart
O God, our help in ages past
Oh! a wonderful stream is the river of Time
Oh, come with me in my little canoe
Oh! did you ne’er hear of Kate Kearney?
Oh, Mary, go and call the cattle home
Oh, may I join the choir invisible
Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light
Oh, the comfort—the inexpressible comfort
Oh the North Countree is a hard countree
Oh, to be in England
Oh, to part now, and, parting now
Oh, young Lochinvar is come out of the West
O little town of Bethlehem!
O Love divine, that stooped to share
O my Luve’s like a red, red rose
Once in Persia reigned a king
Once I was happy, but now I’m forlorn
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary
One lesson, Nature, let me learn from thee
One sweetly solemn thought
One word is too often profaned
Onward, Christian soldiers
O say! what is that thing called light
O suns and skies and clouds of June
Out of me unworthy and unknown
Out of the night that covers me
Out where the handclasp’s a little stronger
Pale hands I loved beside the Shalimar
Remember me when I am gone away
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky
Rock of ages, cleft for me
Serene I fold my arms and wait
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
She dwelt among the untrodden ways
She walks in beauty like the night
She was a Phantom of delight
Sinks the sun below the desert
Slowly England’s sun was setting o’er the hilltops far away
Softly now the light of day
So here hath been dawning
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
Stars of the summer night!
Strong Son of God, immortal Love
Sunset and evening star
Sure, deck your limbs in pants
Sweet and low, sweet and low
Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean
Tell me not, in mournful numbers
Tell me not, sweet, I am unkind
The boy stood on the burning deck
The breaking waves dashed high
The curfew tolls the knell of parting day
The day is cold, and dark, and dreary
The day is done, and the darkness
The fountains mingle with the river
The gingham dog and the calico cat
The greatest battle that ever was fought
The harp that once through Tara’s halls
The little cares that fretted me
The little toy dog is covered with dust
The Lord God planted a garden
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want
The mistletoe hung in the castle hall
The mountain and the squirrel
The night has a thousand eyes
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea
The rain is raining all around
There are hermit souls that live withdrawn
There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
There is a destiny that makes us brothers
There is a plan far greater than the plan you know
There is no chance, no destiny, no fate
There is no death! The stars go down
There is no unbelief
There is so much good in the worst of us
There’s a breathless hush in the Close tonight
There’s a path that leads to Nowhere
There’s a quaint little place they call Lullaby Town
There was a little girl, she had a little curl
The roses red upon my neighbor’s vine
These are the gifts I ask
The sun was shining on the sea
The sweetest lives are those to duty wed
The want of you is like no other thing
They are slaves who fear to speak
They do me wrong who say I come no more
The year’s at the spring
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream
This I would like to be—braver and bolder
Though prejudice perhaps my mind befogs
Thou, too, sail on, O ship of State!
Three fishers went sailing out into the west
Through this toilsome world, alas!
’Tis the human touch in this world that counts
’Tis the last rose of summer
To be, or not to be: that is the question
Today, dear Heart, but just today
Today the journey is ended
To him who in the love of Nature holds
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
To one who has been long in city pent
To touch the cup with eager lips and taste, not drain it
Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again
’Twas a balmy summer evening, and a goodly crowd
’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Two caterpillars crawling on a leaf
Two shall be born, the whole wide world apart
Unanswered yet the prayer your lips have pleaded
Under the wide and starry sky
Up from the meadows rich with corn
Vital spark of heav’nly flame!
Vulgar of manner, overfed
Wake! for the Sun who scattered into flight
Was this the face that launched a thousand ships
We are the music-makers
We have lived and loved together
Werther had a love for Charlotte
We search the world for truth. We cull
What constitutes a State?
What is the meaning of the song
What shall I do with all the days and hours
When a felon’s not engaged in his employment
When all the world is young, lad
Whenas in silks my Julia goes
When fishes flew and forests walked
When I am dead, my dearest
When I am old— and O, how soon
When I consider how my light is spent
When I was a beggarly boy
When I was sick and lay a-bed
When love with unconfined wings
When on my day of life the night is falling
When some sorrow, like a mighty river
When wilt Thou save the people?
Who has known heights and depths shall not again
Who has seen the wind?
Who hath a book
Who is Sylvia? what is she
Who loves a garden
Who walks with Beauty has no need of fear
Why so pale and wan, fond lover?
Within this ample volume lies
Woodman, spare that tree!
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Ye banks and braes o’ bonnie Doon
You entered my life in a casual way
You have taken back the promise
You loved me for a little
You never can tell when you send a word
* * *
[December 2010] Scanned, proofed and typeset by KyColonel.
Four poems —
“The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert Service,
“What’s The Use” and “Fleas” by
Ogden Nash, and
“The Pelican” by Dixon Merritt,
were added in the “Humor and Satire” section.
BEST LOVED POEMS Page 27