Famous Causeless Poems by Famous Poets

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

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242. The Poet's Progress

...n ten Monroes,
He hacks to teach, they mangle to expose:
By blockhead’s daring into madness stung,
His heart by wanton, causeless malice wrung,
His well-won ways-than life itself more dear—
By miscreants torn who ne’er one sprig must wear;
Foil’d, bleeding, tortur’d in th’ unequal strife,
The hapless Poet flounces on through life,
Till, fled each hope that once his bosom fired,
And fled each Muse that glorious once inspir’d,
Low-sunk in squalid, unprotected age,
Dead even res...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert


351. Second Epistle to Robert Graham Esq. of Fintry

...the paths of fame:
Bloody dissectors, worse than ten Monroes;
He hacks to teach, they mangle to expose:


 His heart by causeless wanton malice wrung,
By blockheads’ daring into madness stung;
His well-won bays, than life itself more dear,
By miscreants torn, who ne’er one sprig must wear;
Foil’d, bleeding, tortur’d in th’ unequal strife,
The hapless Poet flounders on thro’ life:
Till, fled each hope that once his bosom fir’d,
And fled each muse that glorious once inspir’d,
L...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert

On Mr. Miltons Paradise Lost

...ence presume the whole Creations day
To change in Scenes, and show it in a Play.
Pardon me, Mighty Poet, nor despise
My causeless, yet not impious, surmise.
But I am now convinc'd, and none will dare
Within thy Labours to pretend a Share.
Thou hast not miss'd one thought that could be fit,
And all that was improper dost omit:
So that no room is here for Writers left,
But to detect their Ignorance or Theft.
That Majesty which through thy Work doth Reign
Draws the Devout, deter...Read more of this...
by Marvell, Andrew

Self Communion

...back on these departed years,
And, say, what meets thy sight?' 

'I see, far back, a helpless child,
Feeble and full of causeless fears,
Simple and easily beguiled
To credit all it hears.
More timid than the wild wood-dove,
Yet trusting to another's care,
And finding in protecting love
Its only refuge from despair, -­
Its only balm for every woe,
The only bliss its soul can know; -­
Still hiding in its breast.
A tender heart too prone to weep,
A love so earnest, strong, and d...Read more of this...
by Bronte, Anne

Song Of Fellowship

...iberty it gives,

And brother's love so fair.
Thus heart and heart through life

With mutual love are fill'd;
And by no causeless strife

Our union e'er is chill'd.

Our hopes a God has crown'd

With life-discernment free,
And all we view around,

Renews our ecstasy.
Ne'er by caprice oppress'd,

Our bliss is ne'er destroy'd;
More freely throbs our breast,

By fancies ne'er alloy'd.

Where'er our foot we set,

The more life's path extends,
And brighter, brighter yet

Our gaze ...Read more of this...
by von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang


The First Night Of Fall And Falling Rain

...more than
Merely a cold and vivid memory.
Staring, empty, and without thought
Beyond the rising mists of the emotion of causeless
 sadness,
How suddenly all consciousness leaped in spontaneous
 gladness,
Knowing without thinking how the falling rain (outside, all
 over)
In slow sustained consistent vibration all over outside 
Tapping window, streaking roof,
 running down runnel and drain
Waking a sense, once more, of all that lived outside of us, 
Beyond emotion, for beyond t...Read more of this...
by Schwartz, Delmore

The House Of Dust: Part 04: 03: Palimpsest: A Deceitful Portrait

...y seized
Has turned to darkness, and darkness rides my heart.

If you could solve this darkness you would have me.
This causeless melancholy that comes with rain,
Or on such days as this when large wet snowflakes
Drop heavily, with rain . . . whence rises this?
Well, so-and-so, this morning when I saw him,
Seemed much preoccupied, and would not smile;
And you, I saw too much; and you, too little;
And the word I chose for you, the golden word,
The word that should have struck ...Read more of this...
by Aiken, Conrad

The Lady of the Lake

...ower,
     Was stranger to respect and power.
     But then, thy Chieftain's robber life!—
     Winning mean prey by causeless strife,
     Wrenching from ruined Lowland swain
     His herds and harvest reared in vain,—
     Methinks a soul like thine should scorn
     The spoils from such foul foray borne.'
     VII.

     The Gael beheld him grim the while,
     And answered with disdainful smile:
     'Saxon, from yonder mountain high,
     I marked thee send ...Read more of this...
by Scott, Sir Walter

The Song of the Cities

...f the North,
 Sleepless and veiled am I!


 QUEBEC AND MONTREAL

Peace is our portion. Yet a whisper rose,
 Foolish and causeless, half in jest, half hate.
Now wake we and remember mighty blows,
 And, fearing no man, wait!


 VICTORIA

From East to West the circling word has passed,
 Till West is East beside our land-locked blue;
From East to West the tested chain holds fast,
 The well-forged link rings true!


 CAPE TOWN

Hail! Snatched and bartered oft from hand to hand,
 I...Read more of this...
by Kipling, Rudyard

The Vanity of Human Wishes (excerpts)

...how,
66 The robes of pleasure and the veils of woe:
67 All aid the farce, and all thy mirth maintain,
68 Whose joys are causeless, or whose griefs are vain.

69 Such was the scorn that fill'd the sage's mind,
70 Renew'd at ev'ry glance on humankind;
71 How just that scorn ere yet thy voice declare,
72 Search every state, and canvas ev'ry pray'r.

73 Unnumber'd suppliants crowd Preferment's gate,
74 Athirst for wealth, and burning to be great;
75 Delusive Fortune hears th' inc...Read more of this...
by Johnson, Samuel

Thou Blind Mans Mark

...mark, thou fool's self chosen snare, 
Fond fancy's scum, and dregs of scatter'd thought, 
Band of all evils, cradle of causeless care, 
Thou web of will,whose end is never wrought. 

Desire, desire I have too dearly bought, 
With price of mangled mind thy worthless ware, 
Too long, too long asleep thou hast me brought, 
Who should my mind to higher things prepare. 

But yet in vain thou hast my ruin sought, 
In vain thou madest me to vain things aspire, 
In vain thou kindles...Read more of this...
by Sidney, Sir Philip

Thoughts On The Works Of Providence

...rigin divine,
"The cause whence heav'n and earth began to be,
"And is not man immortaliz'd by me?
"Reason let this most causeless strife subside."
Thus Love pronounc'd, and Reason thus reply'd.
"Thy birth, coelestial queen! 'tis mine to own,
"In thee resplendent is the Godhead shown;
"Thy words persuade, my soul enraptur'd feels
"Resistless beauty which thy smile reveals."
Ardent she spoke, and, kindling at her charms,
She clasp'd the blooming goddess in her arms.
Infinite Lo...Read more of this...
by Wheatley, Phillis

Venus and Adonis

...ay the field.

Thus stands she in a trembling ecstasy;
Till, cheering up her senses all dismay'd,
She tells them 'tis a causeless fantasy,
And childish error, that they are afraid;
Bids them leave quaking, bids them fear no more:--
And with that word she spied the hunted boar;

Whose frothy mouth, bepainted all with red,
Like milk and blood being mingled both together,
A second fear through all her sinews spread,
Which madly hurries her she knows not whither:
This way she run...Read more of this...
by Shakespeare, William

What Needeth These Threatning Words

...e threnning words and wasted wind?
All this cannot make me restore my prey.
To rob your good, iwis, is not my mind,
Nor causeless your fair hand did I display. 
Let love be judge or else whom next we meet 
That may both hear what you and I can say: 
She took from me an heart, and I a glove from her.
Let us see now if th'one be worth th'other....Read more of this...
by Wyatt, Sir Thomas

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