Famous Dislike Poems by Famous Poets

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

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Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face

...Be glad your nose is on your face,
not pasted on some other place,
for if it were where it is not,
you might dislike your nose a lot.

Imagine if your precious nose
were sandwiched in between your toes,
that clearly would not be a treat,
for you'd be forced to smell your feet.

Your nose would be a source of dread
were it attached atop your head,
it soon would drive you to despair,
forever tickled by your hair.

Within your ear, your nose would be
an absolute catas...Read more of this...
by Prelutsky, Jack


Dream Song 17: Muttered Henry:-'Lord of matter thus

...you but the least
(tho' hard); fit for your ears.
Your servant, bored with horror, sat alone
with busy teeth while his dislike increased
unto himself, in tears.

And he:-”O promising despair,
in solitude-” -”End there.
Your avenues are dying: leave me: I dove
under the oaken arms of Brother Martin,
St Simeon the Lesser Theologian,
Bodhidharma, and Baal Shem Tov....Read more of this...
by Berryman, John

Dream Song 84: Op. posth. no. 7

...Plop, plop. The lobster toppled in the pot,
fulfilling, dislike man, his destiny,
glowing fire-red,
succulent, and on the whole becoming what
man wants. I crack my final claw singly,
wind up the grave, & to bed.

-”Sound good, Mr Bones. I wish I had me some.
(I spose you got a lessen up your slave.)
-”O no no no.
Sole I remember; where no lobster swine,-”
pots hot or cold is none. With you I grieve
lightly, and I...Read more of this...
by Berryman, John

Epistles to Several Persons: Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot

...e a Journal, or he'll turn Divine."

Bless me! a packet--"'Tis a stranger sues,
A virgin tragedy, an orphan muse."
If I dislike it, "Furies, death and rage!"
If I approve, "Commend it to the stage."
There (thank my stars) my whole commission ends,
The play'rs and I are, luckily, no friends.
Fir'd that the house reject him, "'Sdeath I'll print it,
And shame the fools--your int'rest, sir, with Lintot!"
"Lintot, dull rogue! will think your price too much."
"Not, sir, if you revi...Read more of this...
by Pope, Alexander

Little Ballads Of Timely Warning; II: On Malicious Cruelty To Harmless Creatures

...ast restraints:
He smashed the “Is nots” into “Ain’ts”
And kicked both mood and tense supine.

Infinitives were Brown’s dislike—
(Brown, as I said, had ten good toes)
And he would pinch and shake and strike
Infinitives, or, with a pike,
Prod them and then laugh at their woes.

At length this Brown more cruel grew—
(Ten toes, all good ones, then had Brown)
And to his woodshed door he drew
A young infinitive and threw
The poor, meek creature roughly down,

And while the poor th...Read more of this...
by Butler, Ellis Parker


Natures Touch

...In kindergarten classed
 Dislike they knew;
And as the years went past
 It grew and grew;
Until in maidenhood
 Each sought a mate,
Then venom in their mood
 Was almost hate.

The lure of love they learned
 And they were wed;
Yet when they met each turned
 Away a head;
Each went her waspish way
 With muted damns--
Until they met one day
 With baby prams.

Then lo! Away was swept
 The...Read more of this...
by Service, Robert William

Paradise Lost: Book 01

...est raised me to contend, 
And to the fierce contentions brought along 
Innumerable force of Spirits armed, 
That durst dislike his reign, and, me preferring, 
His utmost power with adverse power opposed 
In dubious battle on the plains of Heaven, 
And shook his throne. What though the field be lost? 
All is not lost--the unconquerable will, 
And study of revenge, immortal hate, 
And courage never to submit or yield: 
And what is else not to be overcome? 
That glory never sha...Read more of this...
by Milton, John

Paradise Lost: Book 08

...
My image, not imparted to the brute; 
Whose fellowship therefore unmeet for thee 
Good reason was thou freely shouldst dislike; 
And be so minded still: I, ere thou spakest, 
Knew it not good for Man to be alone; 
And no such company as then thou sawest 
Intended thee; for trial only brought, 
To see how thou couldest judge of fit and meet: 
What next I bring shall please thee, be assured, 
Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self, 
Thy wish exactly to thy heart's desire. ...Read more of this...
by Milton, John

Paradise Lost: Book 11

...
Allured them; thence from cups to civil broils. 
At length a reverend sire among them came, 
And of their doings great dislike declared, 
And testified against their ways; he oft 
Frequented their assemblies, whereso met, 
Triumphs or festivals; and to them preached 
Conversion and repentance, as to souls 
In prison, under judgements imminent: 
But all in vain: which when he saw, he ceased 
Contending, and removed his tents far off; 
Then, from the mountain hewing timber tal...Read more of this...
by Milton, John

Poetry

...I, too, dislike it: there are things that are important beyond all 
 this fiddle.
 Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one 
 discovers in
 it after all, a place for the genuine.
 Hands that can grasp, eyes
 that can dilate, hair that can rise
 if it must, these things are important not because a

high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them but...Read more of this...
by Moore, Marianne

Prothalamion

...ueen of love, 
With her heart-quelling son upon you smile, 
Whose smile, they say, hath virtue to remove 
All love's dislike, and friendship's faulty guile 
For ever to assoil. 100 
Let endless peace your steadfast hearts accord, 
And blessed plenty wait upon your board; 
And let your bed with pleasures chaste abound, 
That fruitful issue may to you afford 
Which may your foes confound, 105 
And make your joys redound 
Upon your bridal day, which is not long: 
Swe...Read more of this...
by Spenser, Edmund

Six Significant Landscapes

...er,
For I reach right up to the sun,
With my eye;
And I reach to the shore of the sea
With my ear.
Nevertheless, I dislike
The way ants crawl
In and out of my shadow.

IV
When my dream was near the moon,
The white folds of its gown
Filled with yellow light.
The soles of its feet
Grew red.
Its hair filled
With certain blue crystallizations
From stars,
Not far off.

V
Not all the knives of the lamp-posts,
Nor the chisels of the long streets,
Nor the malle...Read more of this...
by Stevens, Wallace

The Bed By The Window

...,
Unused unless by some guest in a twelvemonth, who hardly suspects
Its latter purpose. I often regard it,
With neither dislike nor desire; rather with both, so equalled
That they kill each other and a crystalline interest
Remains alone. We are safe to finish what we have to finish;
And then it will sound rather like music
When the patient daemon behind the screen of sea-rock and sky
Thumps with his staff, and calls thrice: "Come, Jeffers."...Read more of this...
by Jeffers, Robinson

The Breast

...alive when your fingers are.

I wear silk -- the cover to uncover --
because silk is what I want you to think of.
But I dislike the cloth. It is too stern.

So tell me anything but track me like a climber
for here is the eye, here is the jewel,
here is the excitement the nipple learns.

I am unbalanced -- but I am not mad with snow.
I am mad the way young girls are mad,
with an offering, an offering...

I burn the way money burns....Read more of this...
by Sexton, Anne

The Lyon And The Gnat

...ed, 
As Creatures of an abject Breed, 
Who durst not him molest. 

But in the Air a Sound he heard, 
That gave him some dislike; 
At which he shook his grisly Beard, 
Enough to make the Woods affeard, 
And stretch'd his Paw to strike. 

When on his lifted Nose there fell 
A Creature, slight of Wing, 
Who neither fear'd his Grin, nor Yell, 
Nor Strength, that in his Jaws did dwell, 
But gores him with her Sting. 

Transported with th' Affront and Pain, 
He terribly exclaims, 
...Read more of this...
by Finch, Anne Kingsmill

The Medal

...l, yet all eyes may see 
'Tis working, in the immediate power to be; 
For from pretended grievances they rise 
First to dislike and after to dispise; 
Then, Cyclop-like, in human flesh to deal, 
Chop up a minister at every meal; 
Perhaps not wholly to melt down the king, 
But clip his regal rights within the ring; 
From thence to asssume the power of peace and war 
And ease him by degrees of public care. 
Yet, to consult his dignity and fame, 
He should have leave to exercise...Read more of this...
by Dryden, John

The River-Merchants Wife: A Letter

...d about my seat, playing with
 blue plums. 
And we went on living in the village of 
 Chokan:
Two small people, without dislike or 
 suspicion. 

At fourteen I married My Lord you.
I never laughed, being bashful.
Lowering my head, I looked at the wall.
Called to, a thousand times, I never
 looked back.

At fifteen I stopped scowling, 
I desired my dust to be mingled with
 yours
Forever and forever and forever.
Why should I climb the lookout?

At sixteen you departed,
You went...Read more of this...
by Pound, Ezra

The Vanity of Human Wishes (excerpts)

...stagnant mind?
343 Must helpless man, in ignorance sedate,
344 Roll darkling down the torrent of his fate?
345 Must no dislike alarm, no wishes rise,
346 No cries attempt the mercies of the skies?
347 Enquirer, cease, petitions yet remain,
348 Which Heav'n may hear, nor deem religion vain.
349 Still raise for good the supplicating voice,
350 But leave to Heav'n the measure and the choice.
351 Safe in his pow'r, whose eyes discern afar
352 The secret ambush of a specious pray...Read more of this...
by Johnson, Samuel

Upon Love:by Way Of Question And Answer

...I bring ye love. QUES. What will love do?
ANS. Like, and dislike ye.
I bring ye love. QUES. What will love do?
ANS. Stroke ye, to strike ye.
I bring ye love. QUES. What will love do?
ANS. Love will be-fool ye.
I bring ye love. QUES. What will love do?
ANS. Heat ye, to cool ye.
I bring ye love. QUES. What will love do?
ANS. Love, gifts will send ye.
I bring ye love. QUES. What will love do?
ANS. Stock ye, to spend ...Read more of this...
by Herrick, Robert

Where Shall We Go?

...He stands to welcome and accuse her with 
A grey 'Hello'.

And sees, for one sly instant, in her eyes
His own aggrieved dislike
Wince back at him before
Her smile draws blinds. 'Sorry I'm late,' she says.
'Where shall we go?'...Read more of this...
by Scannell, Vernon

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