Famous Filigree Poems by Famous Poets

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

See also:

Beowulf (Modern English)

...dful of glory, the kinsman of Hygelac.
Then the angry warrior tossed aside that blade 
of winding rings, fraught with filigree, 
so that it lay on the ground, stern and steel-edged.
He trusted in his own strength, the power of his hand-grip.
So must a man when he thinks to go forth
from battle, gaining enduring fame—
he must never worry about his own life.
Then he grabbed her by the shoulder—mourning not the melee—
the chief of the War-Geats and Grendel’s mother.
Th...Read more of this...
by Anonymous,


Fog

...r
corolla, as Georgia
O'Keefe might have seen it,
of foghorns; the nodding
campanula of bell buoys;
the ticking, linear
filigree of bird voices....Read more of this...
by Clampitt, Amy

Passer-By These Are Words

...t rubbed-out names.
 It flits between two sprays of leaves,
Carrying the sound of branches that are real
 To those that filigree the still unseen.

Then know an even fainter sound, and let it be
 The endless murmuring of all our shades.
Their whisper rises from beneath the stones
 To fuse into a single heat with that blind
 Light you are as yet, who can still gaze.

 May your listening be good! Silence
Is a threshold where a twig breaks in your hand,
 Imperceptibly, as you at...Read more of this...
by Bonnefoy, Yves

Silver Filigree

...The icicles wreathing 
On trees in festoon 
Swing, swayed to our breathing: 
They're made of the moon.

She's a pale, waxen taper; 
And these seem to drip 
Transparent as paper 
From the flame of her tip.

Molten, smoking a little, 
Into crystal they pass; 
Falling, freezing, to brittle 
And delicate glass.

Each a sharp-pointed flower, 
Each a brief stala...Read more of this...
by Wylie, Elinor

The Bride

...ve looks like a girl to-night, 
But she is old. 
The plaits that lie along her pillow 
Are not gold, 
But threaded with filigree silver, 
And uncanny cold. 

She looks like a young maiden, since her brow 
Is smooth and fair, 
Her cheeks are very smooth, her eyes are closed. 
She sleeps a rare 
Still winsome sleep, so still, and so composed. 

Nay, but she sleeps like a bride, and dreams her dreams 
Of perfect things. 
She lies at last, the darling, in the shape of her dream, ...Read more of this...
by Lawrence, D. H.


The Concert

...f a bloodless wound
Healed at length by the sword!

You and I have nothing to do with music.
We may not make of music a filigree frame,
Within which you and I,
Tenderly glad we came,
Sit smiling, hand in hand.

Come now, be content.
I will come back to you, I swear I will;
And you will know me still.
I shall be only a little taller
Than when I went....Read more of this...
by St. Vincent Millay, Edna

The Cremona Violin

...ng the pavement, hardly knowing
Toward what destination she was going.
She fetched up opposite a jeweller's shop,
Where filigreed tiaras shone like crowns,
And necklaces of emeralds seemed to drop
And then float up again with lightness. Browns
Of striped agates struck her like cold frowns
Amid the gaiety of topaz seals,
Carved though they were with heads, and arms, and wheels.
A row of pencils knobbed with quartz or sard
Delighted her. And rings of every size
Turned smartly r...Read more of this...
by Lowell, Amy

The Fairy Goldsmith

...Both dusky and fair 
In its light and shade.

Here's lacquer laid thin, 
Like a scarlet skin 
On an ivory fruit; 
And a filigree frost 
Of frail notes lost 
From a fairy lute.

Here's a turquoise chain 
Of sun-shower rain 
To wear if you wish; 
And glittering green 
With aquamarine, 
A silvery fish.

Here are pearls all strung 
On a thread among 
Pretty pink shells; 
And bubbles blown 
From the opal stone 
Which ring like bells.

Touch them and take them, 
But do not break th...Read more of this...
by Wylie, Elinor

The Fruit Shop

...t,
How the old woman keeps them I cannot say,
But they're finer than any grown this way."
Jeanne Tourmont drew back the filigree ring
Of her striped silk purse, tipped it upside down
And shook it, two coins fell with a ding
Of striking silver, beneath her gown
One rolled, the other lay, a thing
Sparked white and sharply glistening,
In a drop of sunlight between two shades.
She jerked the purse, took its empty ends
And crumpled them toward the centre braids.
The whole collapse...Read more of this...
by Lowell, Amy

The Gardens

...

Gently and very slowly swayed.
The wind a wordless rhapsody
Sings—and the shimm'ring air doth braid
An aureole of filigree
Round every disk with emerald laid.


Even the shade is but a flight
Toward flickering radiances, that slip
From space to space; and now the light
Sleeps, with calmed rays, upon the lip
Of lilac-blossoms golden-white....Read more of this...
by Verhaeren, Emile

The Guardian Angel Of The Private Life

...distract, that nothing but the possible be let to filter
through,
the possible and then the finely filamented hope, the filigree,
without the distractions of wonder -- 
oh tiny golden spore just filtering-in to touch the good idea,
which taking-form begins to twist,
coursing for bottom-footing, palpating for edge-hold, limit,
now finally about to
rise, about to go into the other room -- and yet
not having done so yet, not yet -- the
intake -- before the credo, before the plan...Read more of this...
by Graham, Jorie

The Laboratory

...asures,
What a wild crowd of invisible pleasures!
To carry pure death in an earring, a casket,
A signet, a fan-mount, a filigree-basket!

VI

Soon, at the King's, a mere lozenge to give,
And Pauline should have just thirty minutes to live!
But to light a pastille, and Elise, with her head,
And her breast, and her arms, and her hands, should drop dead!

VII

Quick—is it finished? The colour's too grim!
Why not soft like the phial's, enticing and dim?
Let it brighten her drink,...Read more of this...
by Browning, Robert

The Shadow

...ended
Screwing the little rubies in,
Setting the wheels to lock and spin,
Curling the infinitesimal springs,
Fixing the filigree hands. Chippings
Of precious stones lay strewn about.
The table before him was a rout
Of splashes and sparks of coloured light.
There was yellow gold in sheets, and quite
A heap of emeralds, and steel.
Here was a gem, there was a wheel.
And glasses lay like limpid lakes
Shining and still, and there were flakes
Of silver, and shavings of pearl,
And l...Read more of this...
by Lowell, Amy

To A Snowflake

...What heart could have thought you? -- 
Past our devisal 
(O filigree petal!) 
Fashioned so purely, 
Fragilely, surely, 
From what Paradisal 
Imagineless metal, 
Too costly for cost? 
Who hammered you, wrought you, 
From argentine vapor? -- 
"God was my shaper. 
Passing surmisal, 
He hammered, He wrought me, 
From curled silver vapor, 
To lust of His mind -- 
Thou could'st not have thought me! 
So purely, so palely, 
...Read more of this...
by Thompson, Francis

Dont forget to view our wonderful member Filigree poems.

Get a Premium Membership
Get more exposure for your poetry and more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Reflection on the Important Things

Member Area

My Admin
Profile and Settings
Edit My Poems
Edit My Quotes
Edit My Short Stories
Edit My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder

Soup Social

Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us

Member Poems

Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread

Member Poets

Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest

Famous Poems

Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100

Famous Poets

Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War

Poetry Resources

Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter
Hide Ad