Famous Disobey Poems by Famous Poets

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

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20. Stanzas on the same Occasion

...justly smart beneath His sin-avenging rod.


 Fain would I say, “Forgive my foul offence,”
 Fain promise never more to disobey;
 But, should my Author health again dispense,
 Again I might desert fair virtue’s way;
 Again in folly’s part might go astray;
 Again exalt the brute and sink the man;
 Then how should I for heavenly mercy pray
 Who act so counter heavenly mercy’s plan?
Who sin so oft have mourn’d, yet to temptation ran?


 O Thou, great Governor of all below!
 If I...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert


Artillery

...as knowing well, 
That from small fires comes oft no small mishap. 
When suddenly I heard one say, 
-Do as thou usest, disobey, 
Expell good motions from thy breast, 
Which have the face of fire, but end in rest-. 

I, who had heard of music in the spheres, 
But not of speech in stars, began to muse: 
But turning to my God, whose ministers 
The stars and all things are; if I refuse, 
Dread Lord, said I , so oft my good; 
Then I refuse not ev'n with blood 
To wash away my stu...Read more of this...
by Herbert, George

Did we disobey Him?

...Did we disobey Him?
Just one time!
Charged us to forget Him --
But we couldn't learn!

Were Himself -- such a Dunce --
What would we -- do?
Love the dull lad -- best --
Oh, wouldn't you?...Read more of this...
by Dickinson, Emily

Geraint And Enid

...l him all their villainy. 
My lord is weary with the fight before, 
And they will fall upon him unawares. 
I needs must disobey him for his good; 
How should I dare obey him to his harm? 
Needs must I speak, and though he kill me for it, 
I save a life dearer to me than mine.' 

And she abode his coming, and said to him 
With timid firmness, 'Have I leave to speak?' 
He said, 'Ye take it, speaking,' and she spoke. 

'There lurk three villains yonder in the wood, 
And each of ...Read more of this...
by Tennyson, Alfred Lord

Hymn to Demeter by Homer

...for the two parts should live with her mother and the other deathless gods. Thus he commanded. And the goddess did not disobey the message of Zeus; swiftly she rushed down from the peaks of Olympus and came to the plain of Rharus, rich, fertile corn-land once, but then in nowise fruitful, for it lay idle and utterly leafless, because the white grain was hidden by design of trim-ankled Demeter. But afterwards, as spring-time waxed, it was soon to be waving with long ears of c...Read more of this...
by Homer,


Idylls of the King: The Passing of Arthur (excerpt)

...ght have pleased the eyes of many men.
What good should follow this, if this were done?
What harm, undone? Deep harm to disobey,
Seeing obedience is the bond of rule.
Were it well to obey then, if a king demand
An act unprofitable, against himself?
The King is sick, and knows not what he does.
What record, or what relic of my lord
Should be to aftertime, but empty breath
And rumours of a doubt? But were this kept,
Stored in some treasure-house of mighty kings,
Some one might ...Read more of this...
by Tennyson, Alfred Lord

Morte DArthur

...ght have pleased the eyes of many men.
What good should follow this, if this were done?
What harm, undone? deep harm to disobey,
Seeing obedience is the bond of rule.
Were it well to obey then, if a king demand
An act unprofitable, against himself?
The King is sick, and knows not what he does.
What record, or what relic of my lord
Should be to aftertime, but empty breath
And rumours of a doubt? but were this kept,
Stored in some treasure-house of mighty kings,
Some one might ...Read more of this...
by Tennyson, Alfred Lord

Snow

...hat. You did the best you could
To keep him—though perhaps you didn’t quite
Conceal a wish to see him show the *****
To disobey you. Much his wife’ll thank you.”

“Fred, after all I said! You shan’t make out
That it was any way but what it was.
Did she let on by any word she said
She didn’t thank me?”

“When I told her ‘Gone,’
‘Well then,’ she said, and ‘Well then’—like a threat.
And then her voice came scraping slow: ‘Oh, you,
Why did you let him go’?”

“Asked why we let him...Read more of this...
by Frost, Robert

The Cremona Violin

...e strain will be a hideous one to-day.
Don't speak to me at all. It will be best
If I am quiet till I go." And lest
She disobey, he left her. On the stairs
She heard his mounting steps. What use were prayers!
He could not hear, he was not there, for she
Was married to a mummy, a machine.
Her hand closed on the locket bitterly.
Before her, on a chair, lay the shagreen
Case of his violin. She saw the clean
Sun flash the open clasp. The locket's edge
Cut at her fingers like a pu...Read more of this...
by Lowell, Amy

The Identification

...be any schoolboy's.
Dirty enough. Cigarettes?
Oh this can't be Stephen.
I dont allow him to smoke you see.
He wouldn't disobey me. Not his father.
But that's his penknife. Thats his alright.
And thats his key on the keyring 
Gran gave him just the other night.
Then this must be him.

I think I know what happened
... ... ... about the cigarettes
No doubt he was minding them
for one of the older boys.
Yes thats it.
Thats him.
Thats our Stephen....Read more of this...
by McGough, Roger

The Passing Of Arthur

...t have pleased the eyes of many men. 
What good should follow this, if this were done? 
What harm, undone? Deep harm to disobey, 
Seeing obedience is the bond of rule. 
Were it well to obey then, if a king demand 
An act unprofitable, against himself? 
The King is sick, and knows not what he does. 
What record, or what relic of my lord 
Should be to aftertime, but empty breath 
And rumours of a doubt? But were this kept, 
Stored in some treasure-house of mighty kings, 
Some o...Read more of this...
by Tennyson, Alfred Lord

To a Little Girl That Has Told a Lie

...l not need a lie; 
And when you wish a thing to do, 
That has been once forbidden you, 
Remember that, nor ever dare
To disobey­, for GOD is there. 

Why should you fear the truth to tell? 
Does falsehood ever do so well? 
Can you be satisfied to know,
There's something wrong to hide below? 
No! let your fault be what it may, 
To own it is the happy way.

So long as you your crime conceal,
You cannot light and gladsome feel: 
Your little heart will seem oppress'd,
As if a wei...Read more of this...
by Taylor, Ann

What lord is fit to rule but Truth? Not one

...What lord is fit to rule but «Truth»? Not one.
What beings disobey His rule? Not one.
All things that are, are such as He decrees;
And naught is there beside beneath the sun....Read more of this...
by Khayyam, Omar

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