Famous Ingenuity Poems by Famous Poets

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

See also:

Elegy XVIII: Loves Progress

...and then one thing in her.
I, when I value gold, may think upon
The ductileness, the application,
The wholsomeness, the ingenuity,
From rust, from soil, from fire ever free;
But if I love it, 'tis because 'tis made
By our new nature (Use) the soul of trade.
All these in women we might think upon
(If women had them) and yet love but one.
Can men more injure women than to say
They love them for that by which they're not they?
Makes virtue woman? Must I cool my blood
Till I both...Read more of this...
by Donne, John


Marriage

...s;
how bright it shows --
"of circular traditions and impostures,
committing many spoils,"
requiring all one's criminal ingenuity
to avoid!
Psychology which explains everything
explains nothing
and we are still in doubt.
Eve: beautiful woman --
I have seen her
when she was so handsome
she gave me a start,
able to write simultaneously
in three languages --
English, German and French
and talk in the meantime;
equally positive in demanding a commotion
and in stipulating quiet:
"...Read more of this...
by Moore, Marianne

Phantasmagoria CANTO IV ( Hys Nouryture )

...ay 
I'm sure you couldn't do it, e- 
ven if you practised night and day, 
Unless you have a turn that way, 
And natural ingenuity. 

"Shakspeare I think it is who treats 
Of Ghosts, in days of old, 
Who 'gibbered in the Roman streets,' 
Dressed, if you recollect, in sheets - 
They must have found it cold. 

"I've often spent ten pounds on stuff, 
In dressing as a Double; 
But, though it answers as a puff, 
It never has effect enough 
To make it worth the trouble. 

"Long bill...Read more of this...
by Carroll, Lewis

Phoenix Lyrics

...ck
And now that nature has become a ticking and hidden
 bomb how we must mock
Newton, Democritus, the Deity
The heart's ingenuity and the mind's infinite
 uncontrollable
 insatiable curiosity.

III

Purple black cloud at sunset: it is late August
and the light begins to look cold, and as we look,
listen and look, we hear the first drums of autumn....Read more of this...
by Schwartz, Delmore

Squash in Blossom

...s, dumb.
But let me be the fiber-disciplined tree

Whose leaf (with something to say in wind) is small, 
Reduced to the ingenuity of a green splinter
Sharp to defy or fraternize with winter,
Or if not that, prepared in fall to fall....Read more of this...
by Francis, Robert


Tar and Feathers

..., 
Went in on the nod, and to do it he 
Crawled in through a crack 
In the tent at the back, 
For the boy had no slight ingenuity. 

And says he with a grin, 
"That's the way to get in; 
But I reckon I'd better be quiet or 
They'll spiflicate me," 
And he chuckled, for he 
Had the loan of the circus proprietor. 

But the showman astute 
On that wily galoot 
Soon dropped -- you'll be thinking he leathered him -- 
Not he; with a grim 
Sort of humourous whim, 
He took him and ta...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton

Tasker Norcross

...e fires and forks 
Of a new hell—if one were not enough— 
I doubt if a new horror would have held him 
With a malignant ingenuity
More to be feared than his before he died. 
You smile, as if in doubt. Well, smile again. 
Now come into his house, along with me: 
The four square sombre things that you see first 
Around you are four walls that go as high
As to the ceiling. Norcross knew them well, 
And he knew others like them. Fasten to that 
With all the claws of your intellig...Read more of this...
by Robinson, Edwin Arlington

The Sun Underfoot Among The Sundews

...An ingenuity too astonishing
to be quite fortuitous is
this bog full of sundews, sphagnum-
lined and shaped like a teacup.
 A step
down and you're into it; a
wilderness swallows you up:
ankle-, then knee-, then midriff-
to-shoulder-deep in wetfooted
understory, an overhead
spruce-tamarack horizon hinting
you'll never get out of here.
 But the sun
among the sund...Read more of this...
by Clampitt, Amy

Dont forget to view our wonderful member Ingenuity 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
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter