Welcome home, fellow poetry lover! Are you searching for your daily shot of emotions? Look no further! We’ve scoured the depths of literary history to bring you the cream of the crop — the best lines from the most famous poems. From Shakespeare’s sonnets to Maya Angelou’s musings, these poetry lines will have you reaching for a notebook (or a tweet) to share your newfound wisdom with the world.
As a kid, I remember feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of poetry. I struggled to understand the hidden meanings and symbols, especially with some style choices in romantic poems, and often felt discouraged by my inability to fully grasp the beauty of verse. But now, as an adult who has lived through lessons and journeys, it’s not as hard to find meaning in poems. In fact, it’s easier to appreciate the nuances and subtleties of a poem once you have some life experience under your belt.
So take the time to appreciate the craft and skill that went into these poems, with their perfect blend of carefully chosen words and intense emotion. Notice the rhythm and rhyme, the imagery and metaphor, and the feelings they evoke. Each line is a window into the mind and heart of the poet and a reflection of the society and culture in which they lived. Some may resonate with you on a personal level, while others could challenge your beliefs or make you see the world in a new way. That’s the beauty of poetry — it can move, change, and connect us to something greater than ourselves.
Whether you’re a seasoned poetry aficionado or a newcomer to the world of verse, we hope you’ll find something that speaks to you and that you’ll come back to read the best poetry lines again and again for inspiration and solace. Happy reading!
#81
"Ulysses" — Alfred, Lord Tennyson
"We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
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#82
"'Hope' is the thing with feathers - (314)" — Emily Dickinson
"Hope is the thing with feathers,
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without words,
And never stops-at all."
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without words,
And never stops-at all."
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#83
"Enterprise" — Nissim Ezekiel
“Our deeds were neither great nor rare.
Home is where we have to gather grace.”
Home is where we have to gather grace.”
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#84
"Valentine" — Carol Ann Duffy
“Not a red rose or a satin heart.
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.”
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.”
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#85
"Mad Girl's Love Song" — Sylvia Plath
“I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.”
At least when spring comes they roar back again.”
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#86
"Life In A Love" — Robert Browning
“Escape me?
Never—
Beloved!
While I am I, and you are you…”
Never—
Beloved!
While I am I, and you are you…”
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#87
"A Psalm Of Life" — H. W. Longfellow
“Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,—act in the living Present!”
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,—act in the living Present!”
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#88
"Endymion" — John Keats
"A thing of beauty is a joy forever"
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#89
"Sonnet 116" — William Shakespeare
"Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom."
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#90
"Alive Together" — Lisel Mueller
"This poem is endless, the odds against us are endless, our chances of being alive together statistically nonexistent; still we have made it"
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#91
"Cascando" — Samuel Beckett
"The hours after you are gone are so leaden they will always start dragging too soon"
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#92
"To My Dear and Loving Husband" — Anne Bradstreet
"Then while we live, in love let's so persevere, That when we live no more, we may live ever."
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#93
"To Earthward" — Robert Frost
"Love at the lips was touch as sweet as I could bear; And once that seemed too much; I lived on air"
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#94
"Unending Love" – Rabindranath Tagore
"My spellbound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs, That you take as a gift, wear round your neck in your many forms, In life after life, in age after age, forever."
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#95
"You Are Jeff" — Richard Siken
"But he reaches over and he touches you, like a prayer for which no words exist, and you feel your heart taking root in your body, like you've discovered something you don't even have a name for"
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#96
"You, Therefore" — Reginald Shepherd
"Trees and seas have flown away, I call it loving you"
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#97
"I Love You" — Ella Wheeler Wilcox
"Clasp me close in your warm young arms, while the pale stars shine above, and we'll live our whole young lives away in the joys of a living love."
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#98
"Annabel Lee" — Edgar Allan Poe
"And we loved with a love that was more than love, I and my Annabel Lee."
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#99
"If You Were Coming in the Fall" — Emily Dickinson
"If certain, when this life was out, That yours and mine should be, I'd toss it yonder like a rind, And taste eternity."
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#100
"From Mother" — Nadine Aisha Jassat
"At home, by the kitchen table
I watch my mother’s hands spin the yarn
of meals and housework
of duty and obligation."
I watch my mother’s hands spin the yarn
of meals and housework
of duty and obligation."
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