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Famous Amends Poems by Famous Poets

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

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by Wilmot, John
...ler in justice would be wiser found.
You see how far man's wisdom here extends.
Look next if human nature makes amends;
Whose principles are most generous and just,
- And to whose morals you would sooner trust:

Be judge yourself, I'll bring it to the test,
Which is the basest creature, man or beast
Birds feed on birds, beasts on each other prey,
But savage man alone does man betray:
Pressed by necessity; they kill for food,
Man undoes man, to do himself no good.
...Read more of this...



by Browning, Robert
...
To this ambiguous Syrian--he may lose, 
Or steal, or give it thee with equal good. 
Jerusalem's repose shall make amends 
For time this letter wastes, thy time and mine; 
Till when, once more thy pardon and farewell! 

The very God! think, Abib; dost thou think? 
So, the All-Great, were the All-Loving too-- 
So, through the thunder comes a human voice 
Saying, "O heart I made, a heart beats here! 
Face, my hands fashioned, see it in myself! 
Thou hast no power nor mayst...Read more of this...

by Moore, Thomas
...And doth not a meeting like this make amends 
For all the long years I've been wandering away -- 
To see thus around me my youth's early friends, 
As smiling and kind as in that happy day? 
Though haply o'er some of your brows, as o'er mine, 
The snow -- fall of time may be stealing -- what then? 
Like Alps in the sunset, thus lighted by wine, 
We'll wear the gay tinge of youth's roses again.Read more of this...

by Carman, Bliss
...b,
A weary mortal seeking rest found room
For quiet burial,
Leaving among his friends
A book of lyrics.
Such untold amends
A traveller might make
In a strange country, bidden to partake
Before he farther wends;

Who slyly should bestow
The foreign reed-flute they had seen him blow
And finger cunningly,
On one of the dark children standing by,
Then lift his cloak and go.

The years pass. And the child
Thoughtful beyond his fellows, grave and mild,
Treasures the rou...Read more of this...

by Browning, Robert
...count fair price what comes into their net? 
He's Judas to a tittle, that man is! 
Just such a face! Why, sir, you make amends. 
Lord, I'm not angry! Bid your hang-dogs go 
Drink out this quarter-florin to the health 
Of the munificent House that harbours me 
(And many more beside, lads! more beside!) 
And all's come square again. I'd like his face-- 
His, elbowing on his comrade in the door 
With the pike and lantern,--for the slave that holds 
John Baptist's head a-...Read more of this...



by Tennyson, Alfred Lord
...tle ghost 
Here on the threshold of our enterprise. 
Let love be blamed for it, not she, nor I: 
Well, we will make amends.' 

With all good cheer 
He spake and laughed, then entered with his twain 
Camelot, a city of shadowy palaces 
And stately, rich in emblem and the work 
Of ancient kings who did their days in stone; 
Which Merlin's hand, the Mage at Arthur's court, 
Knowing all arts, had touched, and everywhere 
At Arthur's ordinance, tipt with lessening peak 
An...Read more of this...

by Smart, Christopher
...those creatures. 

For a Toad hath by means of his eye the most beautiful prospects of any other animal to make him amends for his distance from his Creator in Glory. 

For FAT is the fruit of benevolence, therefore it was the Lord's in the Mosaic sacrifices. 

For the very particular laws of Moses are the determinations of CASES that fell under his cognizance. 

For the Devil can make the shadow thicker by candlelight by reason of his pow'r over malignant fir...Read more of this...

by Smart, Christopher
...r> 

Let Lidgate, house of Lidgate rejoice with The Flammant a curious large bird on the coast of Cuba. God make us amends for the restoration of the Havannah. 

Let Cunningham, house of Cunningham rejoice with The Bohemian Jay. I pray for Peace between the K. of Prussia and Empress Queen. 

Let Thornhill, house of Thornhill rejoice with The Albicore a Sea Bird. God be gracious to Hogarth his wife. Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus at Adgecomb....Read more of this...

by Kipling, Rudyard
...sidled back to power
 By the favour and contrivance of their kind?

Even while they soothe us, while they promise large amends,
 Even while they make a show of fear, 
Do they call upon their debtors, and take counsel with their
 friends,
 To conform and re-establish each career?

Their lives cannot repay us--their death could not undo--
 The shame that they have laid upon our race. 
But the slothfulness that wasted and the arrogance that slew,
 Shell we leave it unabated ...Read more of this...

by Browning, Robert
...e stands the Master. Study, my friends,
What a man's work comes to! So he plans it,
Performs it, perfects it, makes amends
For the toiling and moiling, and then, _sic transit!_
Happier the thrifty blind-folk labour,
With upturned eye while the hand is busy,
Not sidling a glance at the coin of their neighbour!
'Tis looking downward that makes one dizzy.

XI.

``If you knew their work you would deal your dole.''
May I take upon me to instruct you?
When Greek Art...Read more of this...

by Carman, Bliss
...t God is love indeed, 
Who dares make Love his god before all men? 

Shall we not, therefore, friends, 
Resolve to make amends 
To that glad inspiration of the heart; 
To grudge not, to cast out 
Selfishness, malice, doubt, 
Anger and fear; and for the better part, 

To love so much, so well, 
The spirit cannot tell 
The range and sweep of her own boundary! 
There is no period 
Between the soul and God; 
Love is the tide, God the eternal sea.… 

To-day we walk by love; 
T...Read more of this...

by Milton, John
...en in her eye, 
In every gesture dignity and love. 
I, overjoyed, could not forbear aloud. 
This turn hath made amends; thou hast fulfilled 
Thy words, Creator bounteous and benign, 
Giver of all things fair! but fairest this 
Of all thy gifts! nor enviest. I now see 
Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, myself 
Before me: Woman is her name;of Man 
Extracted: for this cause he shall forego 
Father and mother, and to his wife adhere; 
And they shall be one flesh, on...Read more of this...

by Milton, John
...have in view, calling to mind with heed 
Part of our sentence, that thy seed shall bruise 
The Serpent's head; piteous amends! unless 
Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand foe, 
Satan; who, in the serpent, hath contrived 
Against us this deceit: To crush his head 
Would be revenge indeed! which will be lost 
By death brought on ourselves, or childless days 
Resolved, as thou proposest; so our foe 
Shal 'scape his punishment ordained, and we 
Instead shall double ours upon ...Read more of this...

by Lowell, Amy
...> Poor 
Boy! Yes, they must still be friends.
She owed him that to keep the balance straight. It 
was such poor amends
Which she could make for rousing hopes to gall
Him with their unfulfilment. Tragical
It was, and she must leave him desolate.

XLI
Hard silence he had forced upon his lips For 
long and long, and would have done so still
Had not she -- here she pressed her finger tips Against her 
heavy eyes. Then with forced will
She wrote that he might c...Read more of this...

by Eliot, T S (Thomas Stearns)
...journey’s end.

I shall sit here, serving tea to friends...”

I take my hat: how can I make a cowardly amends
For what she has said to me?
You will see me any morning in the park
Reading the comics and the sporting page.
Particularly I remark
An English countess goes upon the stage.
A Greek was murdered at a Polish dance,
Another bank defaulter has confessed.
I keep my countenance,
I remain self-possessed
Except when a street piano, mechanical and...Read more of this...

by Milton, John
...re I a Prisoner chain'd, scarce freely draw
The air imprison'd also, close and damp,
Unwholsom draught: but here I feel amends,
The breath of Heav'n fresh-blowing, pure and sweet, 
With day-spring born; here leave me to respire.
This day a solemn Feast the people hold
To Dagon thir Sea-Idol, and forbid
Laborious works, unwillingly this rest
Thir Superstition yields me; hence with leave
Retiring from the popular noise, I seek
This unfrequented place to find some ease,
Ease...Read more of this...

by Wilmot, John
...r, in Justice, wou'd be wiser found. 
You see how far Mans wisedom here extends, 
Look next, if humane Nature makes amends; 
Whose Principles, most gen'rous are, and just, 
And to whose Moralls, you wou'd sooner trust. 
Be judge your self, I'le bring it to the test, 
Which is the basest Creature Man, or Beast? 
Birds, feed on Birds, Beasts, on each other prey, 
But Savage Man alone, does Man, betray: 
Prest by necessity, they Kill for Food, 
Man, undoes Man, to do him...Read more of this...

by Service, Robert William
...-leap-year I've heard them say--
When Hard-Luck came to Hunker Creek and took a hillside lay.
And lo! as if to make amends for all the futile past,
Late in the year he struck it rich, the real pay-streak at last.
The riffles of his sluicing-box were choked with speckled earth,
And night and day he worked that lay for all that he was worth.
And when in chill December's gloom his lucky lease expired,
He found that he had made a stake as big as he desired.

One d...Read more of this...

by Bridges, Robert Seymour
...trition for my fault
Can blot that day, nor work me recompence,
Tho' I might worthily thy worth exalt,
Making thee long amends for short offence. 
For surely nowhere, love, if not in thee
Are grace and truth and beauty to be found;
And all my praise of these can only be
A praise of thee, howe'er by thee disown'd:
While still thou must be mine tho' far removed,
And I for one offence no more beloved. 

13
Now since to me altho' by thee refused
The world is left, I shall...Read more of this...

by Tennyson, Alfred Lord
...hadow of mistrust can cross 
Between us. Grant me pardon for my thoughts: 
And for my strange petition I will make 
Amends hereafter by some gaudy-day, 
When your fair child shall wear your costly gift 
Beside your own warm hearth, with, on her knees, 
Who knows? another gift of the high God, 
Which, maybe, shall have learned to lisp you thanks.' 

He spoke: the mother smiled, but half in tears, 
Then brought a mantle down and wrapt her in it, 
And claspt and kissed h...Read more of this...

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Book: Reflection on the Important Things