Famous Hold Back Poems by Famous Poets

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

See also:

Beowulf (Modern English)

...before,
the wealthy homestead of the Wægmundings,
every folk-inheritance that his father had owned,
and he could not hold back any longer—
the hand seized his shield, the yellow linden-wood,
drawing out his olden sword. Among men
it was Eanmund’s heirloom, the son of Ohthere.
Weohstan had become the killer in conflict
of that friendless exile, with the blade of the sword,
and he carried back to his kinsman,
the brown-flecked helmet, the ringed byrnie,
the gigantic ...Read more of this...
by Anonymous,


Dream Song 34: My mother has your shotgun. One man wide

...as of
schist but small there (some).

Why should I tell a truth? when in the crack
of the dooming & emptying news I did hold back-”
in the taxi too, sick-”
silent-”it's so I broke down here, in his mind
whose sire as mine one same way-”I refuse,
hoping the guy go home....Read more of this...
by Berryman, John

Duino Elegies: The First Elegy

...awed
because it serenely disdains to annihilate us.
Each single angel is terrifying.
And so I force myself, swallow and hold back
the surging call of my dark sobbing.
Oh, to whom can we turn for help?
Not angels, not humans;
and even the knowing animals are aware that we feel
little secure and at home in our interpreted world.
There remains perhaps some tree on a hillside
daily for us to see; yesterday's street remains for us
stayed, moved in with us and showed no signs of le...Read more of this...
by Rilke, Rainer Maria

Paula Becker to Clara Westhoff

...d since then
trying to create according to our plan
that we'd bring, against all odds, our full power
to every subject. Hold back nothing
because we were women. Clara, our strength still lies
in the things we used to talk about:
how life and death take one another's hands,
the struggle for truth, our old pledge against guilt.
And now I feel dawn and the coming day.
I love waking in my studio, seeing my pictures
come alive in the light. Sometimes I feel
it is myself that kicks...Read more of this...
by Rich, Adrienne

The Forsaken

...n,
Holy Mother, but you had a son, you know there are times when a 
woman
must give all. There is some call to give and hold back 
nothing.
I swear I obeyed God then, and this child who lives in me is the 
sign.
What am I saying? He is dead, my beautiful, strong man! I 
shall never
feel him caress me again. This is the only baby I shall 
have.
Oh, Holy Virgin, protect my baby! My little, helpless 
baby!

He will look like his father, and he will be as fast a runner and 
as go...Read more of this...
by Lowell, Amy


The Guardian Angel Of The Private Life

...t into its spatial-form at last,
into its archival many-headed, many-legged colony . . .
Oh look at you.
What is it you hold back? What piece of time is it the list
won't cover? You down there, in the theater of
operations -- you, throat of the world -- so diacritical -- 
(are we all waiting for the phone to ring?) -- 
(what will you say? are you home? are you expected soon?) -- 
oh wanderer back from break, all your attention focused
 -- as if the thinking were an oar, this ...Read more of this...
by Graham, Jorie

The Harvest

...he question! -
Something tremendous
Moves to the answer.

Hunger and poverty
Heaped like the ocean
Welters and mutters,
Hold back the sickles!

Millions of children
Born to their mothers' womb,
Starved at the nipple, cry,--
Ours is the harvest!
Millions of women 
Learned in the tragical
Secrets of poverty,
Sweated and beaten, cry,--
Hold back the sickles!

Millions of men
With a vestige of manhood,
Wild-eyed and gaunt-throated,
Shout with a leonine
Accent of anger,
Leaves us ...Read more of this...
by Scott, Duncan Campbell

The Land

...d: "'Tain't my business to advise,
But ye might ha' known 'twould happen from the way the valley
 lies.
 Where ye can't hold back the water you must try and save the
 sile.
 Hev it jest as you've a mind to, but, if I was you, I'd spile!"

 They spiled along the water-course with trunks of willow-trees,
 And planks of elms behind 'em and immortal oaken knees.
 And when the spates of Autumn whirl the gravel-beds away
 You can see their faithful fragments, iron-hard in iron clay...Read more of this...
by Kipling, Rudyard

To Juan at the Winter Solstice

...s?
She in her left hand bears a leafy quince;
When, with her right hand she crooks a finger, smiling,
How many the King hold back?
Royally then he barters life for love.

Or of the undying snake from chaos hatched,
Whose coils contain the ocean,
Into whose chops with naked sword he springs,
Then in black water, tangled by the reeds,
Battles three days and nights,
To be spewed up beside her scalloped shore?

Much snow if falling, winds roar hollowly,
The owl hoots from the eld...Read more of this...
by Graves, Robert

Dont forget to view our wonderful member Hold Back 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
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter