Famous Accusation Poems by Famous Poets

These are examples of famous Accusation poems written by some of the greatest and most-well-known modern and classical poets. PoetrySoup is a great educational poetry resource of famous accusation poems. These examples illustrate what a famous accusation poem looks like and its form, scheme, or style (where appropriate).

See also:

Confirmation

...d on his sweetheart each Saturday evening, 
As pretty a maiden as ever man faced, 
And there he confirmed the old man's accusation 
By letting the strength of his arm go to waist....Read more of this...
by Laurence Dunbar, Paul


Conversation with Jeanne

...the surf,
We swim far, to where the horizon is a tangle of banana bush,
With little windmills of palms.
And I am under accusation: That I am not up to my oeuvre,
That I do not demand enough from myself,
As I could have learned from Karl Jaspers,
That my scorn for the opinions of this age grows slack.

I roll on a wave and look at white clouds.

You are right, Jeanne, I don't know how to care about the salvation of my soul.
Some are called, others manage as well as they can.
...Read more of this...
by Milosz, Czeslaw

Jubilate Agno: Fragment B Part 3

...is of Almighty GOD alone. 

For there is no musick in flats and sharps which are not in God's natural key. 

For where Accusation takes the place of encouragement a man of Genius is driven to act the vices of a fool. 

For the Devil can set a house on fire, when the inhabitants find combustibles. 

For the old account of time is the true -- Decr 28th 1759-60 -- -- -- 

For Faith as a grain of mustard seed is to believe, as I do, that an Eternity is such in respect to the pow...Read more of this...
by Smart, Christopher

Momma Welfare Roll

...ngles,
Pudgy HANDS bunched on layered hips
Where bones idle under years of fatback
And lima beans.

Her jowls shiver in accusation
Of crimes cliched by Repetition. 
Her children, strangers
To childhood's TOYS, play
Best the games of darkened doorways,
Rooftop tag, and know the slick feel of
Other people's property.

Too fat to whore,
Too mad to work,
Searches her dreams for the
Lucky sign and walks bare-handed
Into a den of bereaucrats for her portion.

'They don't give me we...Read more of this...
by Angelou, Maya

Paradise Lost: Book 09

...ot brook; 
And, left to herself, if evil thence ensue, 
She first his weak indulgence will accuse. 
Thus they in mutual accusation spent 
The fruitless hours, but neither self-condemning; 
And of their vain contest appeared no end....Read more of this...
by Milton, John


Parnells Funeral

...did we play a part
Upon a painted stage when we devoured his heart.

Come, fix upon me that accusing eye.
I thirst for accusation. All that was sung.
All that was said in Ireland is a lie
Bred out of the c-ontagion of the throng,
Saving the rhyme rats hear before they die.
Leave nothing but the nothingS that belong
To this bare soul, let all men judge that can
Whether it be an animal or a man.

 II

The rest I pass, one sentence I unsay.
Had de Valera eaten parnell's heart
N...Read more of this...
by Yeats, William Butler

The Jacquerie A Fragment

...our main limbs of France!
Thou old red criminal, stand forth; I charge
-- But O, I am too utter sorrowful
To urge large accusation now.
Nathless,
My work to-day, is still more grievous. Hear!
The stains that war hath wrought upon the land
Show but as faint white flecks, if seen o' the side
Of those blood-covered images that stalk
Through yon cold chambers of the future, as
The prophet-mood, now stealing on my soul,
Reveals them, marching, marching, marching. See!
There go the...Read more of this...
by Lanier, Sidney

The Marriage Of Geraint

...him, and thought within herself, 
Was ever man so grandly made as he? 
Then, like a shadow, past the people's talk 
And accusation of uxoriousness 
Across her mind, and bowing over him, 
Low to her own heart piteously she said: 

'O noble breast and all-puissant arms, 
Am I the cause, I the poor cause that men 
Reproach you, saying all your force is gone? 
I AM the cause, because I dare not speak 
And tell him what I think and what they say. 
And yet I hate that he should lin...Read more of this...
by Tennyson, Alfred Lord

The Vision of Judgment

...n superfluous, since two honest, clean 
True testimonies are enough: we lose 
Our time, nay, our eternity, between 
The accusation and defence: if we 
Hear both, 'twill stretch our immortality.' 

LXIV 

Satan replied, 'To me the matter is 
Indifferent, in a personal point of view; 
I can have fifty better souls than this 
With far less trouble than we have gone through 
Already; and I merely argued his 
Late majesty of Britain's case with you 
Upon a point of form: you may d...Read more of this...
by Byron, George (Lord)

To Stella Who Collected and Transcribed His Poems

...these lines your anger fire,
Shall they in baser flames expire?
Whene'er they burn, if burn they must,
They'll prove my accusation just....Read more of this...
by Swift, Jonathan

Dont forget to view our wonderful member Accusation poems.

Get a Premium Membership
Get more exposure for your poetry and more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Reflection on the Important Things

Member Area

My Admin
Profile and Settings
Edit My Poems
Edit My Quotes
Edit My Short Stories
Edit My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder

Soup Social

Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us

Member Poems

Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread

Member Poets

Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest

Famous Poems

Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100

Famous Poets

Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War

Poetry Resources

Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter