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Famous Appal Poems by Famous Poets

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

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by Seeger, Alan
...r flag may float, 
Who answer an insult with a note, 
Whose way is the easy way in all, 
And, seeing that polished arms appal 
Their marrow of milk-fed pacifist, 
Would tell you menace does not exist? 
Are these, in the world's great parliament, 
The men you would choose to represent 
Your honor, your manhood, and your pride, 
And the virtues your fathers dignified? 
Oh, bury them deeper than the sea 
In universal obloquy; 
Forget the ground where they lie, or write 
For epit...Read more of this...



by Dickinson, Emily
...A Secret told --
Ceases to be a Secret -- then --
A Secret -- kept --
That -- can appal but One --

Better of it -- continual be afraid --
Than it --
And Whom you told it to -- beside --...Read more of this...

by McGonagall, William Topaz
...
Whilst from the pirates' ship small shot loudly did clatter. 

But the pirates' small shot or slugs didn't Maynard appal,
He told his men to take their cutlasses and be ready upon his call;
And to conceal themselves every man below,
While he would remain at the helm and face the foe. 

Then Black Beard cried, "They're all knocked on the head,"
When he saw no hand upon deck he thought they were dead;
Then Black Beard boarded Maynard'a sloop without dismay,
But Maynard...Read more of this...

by Melville, Herman
...er down the primal wall,
But up and up each linking troop
In stretching festoons crawl - 
Nor fire a shot. Such men appal
The foe, though brave. He, from the brink,
Looks far along the breadth of slope,
And sees two miles of dark dots creep,
And knows they mean the cope.

He sees them creep. Yet here and there
Half hid 'mid leafless groves they go;
As men who ply through traceries high
Of turreted marbles show - 
So dwindle these to eyes below.
But frontin...Read more of this...

by Hardy, Thomas
...ve can not make smart 
Again this year his heart 
 Who no heart hath. 

 Black is night's cope; 
But death will not appal 
One who, past doubtings all, 
 Waits in unhope. 
De Profundis 

II 

"Considerabam ad dexteram, et videbam; et non erat qui cognosceret me 

When the clouds' swoln bosoms echo back the shouts of the many and 
strong 
That things are all as they best may be, save a few to be right ere 
long, 
And my eyes have not the vision in them to discern what ...Read more of this...



by Tennyson, Alfred Lord
...l? tell me all ye know. 
You cannot scare me; nor rough face, or voice, 
Brute bulk of limb, or boundless savagery 
Appal me from the quest.' 

'Nay, Prince,' she cried, 
'God wot, I never looked upon the face, 
Seeing he never rides abroad by day; 
But watched him have I like a phantom pass 
Chilling the night: nor have I heard the voice. 
Always he made his mouthpiece of a page 
Who came and went, and still reported him 
As closing in himself the strength of ten...Read more of this...

by Spenser, Edmund
...virginals, tell her, I can hear no mirth.
Asked why? say: waking love suffereth no sleep:
Say that raging love doth appal the weak stomach:
Say, that lamenting love marreth the musical.
Tell her, that her pleasures were wont to lull me asleep:
Tell her, that her beauty was wont to feed mine eyes:
Tell her, that her sweet tongue was wont to make me mirth.
Now do I nightly waste, wanting my kindly rest:
Now do I daily starve, wanting my lively food:
Now do I always ...Read more of this...

by Hardy, Thomas
...
But love cannot make smart
Again this year his heart
Who no heart hath.

Black is night's cope;
But death will not appal
One, who past doubtings all,
Waits in unhope....Read more of this...

by Trumbull, John
...f geese.


And now the town was summon'd, greeting,
To grand parading of Town-meeting;
A show, that strangers might appal,
As Rome's grave senate did the Gaul.
High o'er the rout, on pulpit stairs,
Mid den of thieves in house of prayers,
(That house, which loth a rule to break
Serv'd heaven, but one day in the week,
Open the rest for all supplies
Of news, and politics, and lies 
Stood forth the Constable; and bore
His staff, like Merc'ry's wand of yore,
Waved potent r...Read more of this...

by Service, Robert William
...ke you and you,
 Sweet souls who scan this line,
And by dim altar worship too
 A Deity Divine!

Alas! Mid passions that appal
 I ask with bitter woe
Is God responsible for all
 Our horror here below?
He made the hero and the saint,
 But did He also make
The cannibal in battle paint,
 The shark and rattlesnake?

If I believe in God I should
 Believe in Satan too;
The one the source of all our good,
 The other of our rue . . .
Oh could I second childhood gain!
 For ...Read more of this...

by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...m Saltbush Bill while this man hangs about." 
But an answer came by the next week's mail, with news that might well appal: 
"The man you sent with a note is not a fighting man at all! 
He has shaved his beard, and has cut his hair, but I spotted him at a look; 
He is Tom Devine, who has worked for years for Saltbush Bill as cook. 
Bill coached him up in the fighting yard, and taught him the tale by rote, 
And they shammed to fight, and they got your grass, and divided...Read more of this...

by Browning, Robert
...see thus far and no farther? when doors great and small,
``Nine-and-ninety flew ope at our touch, should the hundredth appal?
``In the least things have faith, yet distrust in the greatest of all?
``Do I find love so full in my nature, God's ultimate gift,
``That I doubt his own love can compete with it? Here, the parts shift?
``Here, the creature surpass the Creator,---the end, what Began?
``Would I fain in my impotent yearning do all for this man,
``And dare doubt he alone...Read more of this...

by McGonagall, William Topaz
...ismay. 

And when hurrying onward, not to be late at the festival,
He heard the howl of a wolf, which did his heart appal,
And the howl was answered, and as the howl came near
Poor Old Dick, fiddle in hand, began to shake with fear. 

And as the wolves gathered in packs from far and near,
Old Dick in the crackling bushes did them hear,
And they ran along to keep pace with him,
Then poor Dick began to see the danger he was in. 

And every few minutes a wolf would r...Read more of this...

by Bronte, Anne
...indling blaze
Would strike my raptured vision there, -- 

A shape these human nerves would thrill,
A majesty that might appal,
Did not thy earthly likeness, still,
Gleam softly, gladly, through it all. 

False hope! vain prayer! it might not be
That thou shouldst visit earth again.
I called on Heaven --­ I called on thee,
And watched, and waited --­ all in vain. 

Had I one shining tress of thine,
How it would bless these longing eyes!
Or if thy pictured form were...Read more of this...

by McGonagall, William Topaz
...he ordered his men to attack them from behind the palace wall,
Then he opened fire at thirty yards, which did the enemy appal. 

And thus assailed in front, flank and rear,
The French soon began to shake with fear;
Then the 58th charged them with the bayonet, with courage unshaken,
And all the enemy that entered the palace ruins were killed or taken. 

Then the French Invincibles, stimulated by liquor and the promise of gold,
Stole silently along the valley with tact ...Read more of this...

by McGonagall, William Topaz
...A sad tale of the sea I will relate, which will your hearts appal
Concerning the burning of the steamship "City of Montreal,"
Which had on board two hundred and forty-nine souls in all,
But, alas! a fearful catastrophe did them befall. 

The steamer left New York on the 6th August with a general cargo,
Bound for Queenstown and Liverpool also;
And all went well until Wednesday evening the 10th,
When in an instant ...Read more of this...

by McGonagall, William Topaz
...to the jolly-boat and lifeboat jumped fifteen men in all,
And immediately the steamer foundered, which did their hearts appal,
As the good ship sank beneath the briny wave,
But they thanked God fervently that did them save. 

Oh! it was a miracle how any of them were saved,
But it was by the aid of God, and how the crew behaved;
Because God helps those that help themselves,
And those that don't try to do so are silly elves. 

So the two boats cruised about for some ti...Read more of this...

by McGonagall, William Topaz
...is called the Pavement,
While the Blessed Saviour stood calm and content. 

The presence of His enemies did not Him appal,
When Pilate asked of Him, before them all,
Whence art Thou, dost say from on High?
But Jesus, the Lamb of God, made no reply. 

Then saith Pilate unto Him, Speakest Thou not unto me,
Remember, I have the power to crucify Thee;
But Jesus answered, Thou hast no power at all against me,
Except from above it were given to thee. 

Then Pilate to th...Read more of this...

by McGonagall, William Topaz
...n. 

The British force amounted to about 2000 strong in all,
But although their numbers were but few it didn't them appal;
They were commanded by General Burrows, a man of courage bold,
But, alas! the British army was defeated be it told. 

The 66th Berkshire Regiment stood as firm as a wall,
Determined to conquer or die whatever would befall,
But in the face of overwhelming odds, and covered to the last,
The broken and disordered Sepoys were flying fast 

Before the ...Read more of this...

by Butler, Ellis Parker
...taid—
And some day when your sword is sheathed
 And all our banners furled,
A crop of novels will spring up
 That shall appal the world.”...Read more of this...

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