Famous Glastonbury Poems by Famous Poets

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

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Balin and Balan

...ship and sail and angels blowing on it: 
And one was rough with wattling, and the walls 
Of that low church he built at Glastonbury. 
This Balin graspt, but while in act to hurl, 
Through memory of that token on the shield 
Relaxed his hold: 'I will be gentle' he thought 
'And passing gentle' caught his hand away, 
Then fiercely to Sir Garlon 'Eyes have I 
That saw today the shadow of a spear, 
Shot from behind me, run along the ground; 
Eyes too that long have watched how La...Read more of this...
by Tennyson, Alfred Lord


King Arthurs Tomb

...s, have borne lance,
Or swung their swords in wrong cause or in right.

Nay, he knew nothing now, except that where
The Glastonbury gilded towers shine,
A lady dwelt, whose name was Guenevere;
This he knew also; that some fingers twine,

Not only in a man's hair, even his heart,
(Making him good or bad I mean,) but in his life,
Skies, earth, men's looks and deeds, all that has part,
Not being ourselves, in that half-sleep, half-strife,

(Strange sleep, strange strife,) that m...Read more of this...
by Morris, William

The Ballad of the White Horse

...he Great Army
That was made of iron men,
Whose lights of sacrilege and scorn
Ran around England red as morn,
Fires over Glastonbury Thorn--
Fires out on Ely Fen.

And as he went by White Horse Vale
He saw lie wan and wide
The old horse graven, God knows when,
By gods or beasts or what things then
Walked a new world instead of men
And scrawled on the hill-side.

And when he came to White Horse Down
The great White Horse was grey,
For it was ill scoured of the weed,
And lichen ...Read more of this...
by Chesterton, G K

The Holy Grail

...he day of darkness, when the dead 
Went wandering o'er Moriah--the good saint 
Arimathan Joseph, journeying brought 
To Glastonbury, where the winter thorn 
Blossoms at Christmas, mindful of our Lord. 
And there awhile it bode; and if a man 
Could touch or see it, he was healed at once, 
By faith, of all his ills. But then the times 
Grew to such evil that the holy cup 
Was caught away to Heaven, and disappeared.' 

To whom the monk: `From our old books I know 
That Joseph ca...Read more of this...
by Tennyson, Alfred Lord

The Rolling English Road

...oked road an English drunkard made,
Where you and I went down the lane with ale-mugs in our hands,
The night we went to Glastonbury by way of Goodwin Sands.

His sins they were forgiven him; or why do flowers run
Behind him; and the hedges all strengthening in the sun?
The wild thing went from left to right and knew not which was which,
But the wild rose was above him when they found him in the ditch.
God pardon us, nor harden us; we did not see so clear
The night we went to ...Read more of this...
by Chesterton, G K


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