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Famous Judgments Poems by Famous Poets

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

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by Pope, Alexander
...who Writes amiss;
A Fool might once himself alone expose,
Now One in Verse makes many more in Prose.

'Tis with our Judgments as our Watches, none
Go just alike, yet each believes his own.
In Poets as true Genius is but rare,
True Taste as seldom is the Critick's Share;
Both must alike from Heav'n derive their Light,
These born to Judge, as well as those to Write.
Let such teach others who themselves excell,
And censure freely who have written well.
Authors ar...Read more of this...



by Whitman, Walt
...and I Saturnius am; 
Not Time affects me—I am Time, old, modern as any;
Unpersuadable, relentless, executing righteous judgments; 
As the Earth, the Father, the brown old Kronos, with laws, 
Aged beyond computation—yet ever new—ever with those mighty laws rolling, 
Relentless, I forgive no man—whoever sins, dies—I will have that man’s
 life; 
Therefore let none expect mercy—Have the seasons, gravitation, the appointed days,
 mercy?—No more have I;
But as the seasons, and gra...Read more of this...

by Browning, Elizabeth Barrett
...ng weights of pain,
We anchor in deep waters, safe from shore,
And hear submissive o'er the stormy main
God's chartered judgments walk for evermore....Read more of this...

by Watts, Isaac
...of saints, Almighty Lord,
How just and true thy ways!

Who dares refuse to fear thy name,
Or worship at thy throne?
Thy judgments speak thine holiness
Through all the nations known.

Great Babylon that rules the earth,
Drunk with the martyrs' blood,
Her crimes shall speedily awake
The fury of our God.

The cup of wrath is ready mixed,
And she must drink the dregs:
Strong is the Lord, her sovereign Judge,
And shall fulfil the plagues....Read more of this...

by Alighieri, Dante
...liest placed, and she 
 - Mercy her name - among God's mysteries 
 Dwells in the midst, and hath the power to see 
 His judgments, and to break them. This sharp 
 I tell thee, when she saw, she called, that so 
 Leaned Lucia toward her while she spake - and said, 
 "One that is faithful to thy name is sped, 
 Except that now ye aid him." She thereat, 
 - Lucia, to all men's wrongs inimical - 
 Left her High Place, and crossed to where I sat 
 In speech with Rachel (of...Read more of this...



by Wordsworth, William
...is within us, so impress
With quietness and beauty, and so feed
With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues,
Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men,
Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all
The dreary intercourse of daily life,
Shall e'er prevail against us, or disturb
Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold
Is full of blessings.  Therefore let the moon
Shine on thee in thy solitary walk;
And let the misty mountain winds be free
To blow agains...Read more of this...

by Watts, Isaac
...br> 161,120 

My heart with sacred rev'rence hears
The threat'nings of thy word;
My flesh with holy trembling fears
The judgments of the Lord.

ver. 166,174 

My God, I long, I hope, I wait,
For thy salvation still;
While thy whole law is my delight,
And I obey thy will....Read more of this...

by Watts, Isaac
...ighteousness, arise,
Bless the dark world with heav'nly light;
Thy gospel makes the simple wise,
Thy laws are pure, thy judgments right.

Thy noblest wonders here we view
In souls renewed and sins forgiv'n;
Lord, cleanse my sins, my soul renew,
And make thy word my guide to heaven....Read more of this...

by Watts, Isaac
...ght;
It calls dead sinners from their tombs,
And gives the blind their sight.

How perfect is thy word!
And all thy judgments just!
For ever sure thy promise, Lord,
And men securely trust.

My gracious God, how plain
Are thy directions giv'n!
O may I never read in vain,
But find the path to heav'n!

PAUSE.

I hear thy word with love,
And I would fain obey:
Send thy good Spirit from above
To guide me, lest I stray.

O who can ever find
The errors of his ways?
Y...Read more of this...

by Sidney, Sir Philip
...gives the eyes 
Both light and force of seeing. 

Of Him the fear doth cleanness bear 
And so endures forever, 
His judgments be self verity, 
They are unrighteous never. 

Then what man would so soon seek gold 
Or glittering golden money? 
By them is past in sweetest taste, 
Honey or comb of honey. 

By them is made Thy servants' trade 
Most circumspectly guarded, 
And who doth frame to keep the same 
Shall fully be rewarded. 

Who is the man that ever can 
H...Read more of this...

by Watts, Isaac
...
Thy hand, which guides my doubtful feet,
Shall my desires fulfil.

Mine innocence shalt thou display,
And make thy judgments known,
Fair as the light of dawning day,
And glorious as the noon.

The meek at last the earth possess,
And are the heirs of heav'n;
True riches, with abundant peace,
To humble souls are giv'n.

PAUSE.

Rest in the Lord, and keep his way,
Nor let your anger rise,
Though Providence should long delay
To punish haughty vice.

Let sinne...Read more of this...

by Whitman, Walt
...were all conceiv’d in the open air, and all great poems also; 
I think I could stop here myself, and do miracles; 
(My judgments, thoughts, I henceforth try by the open air, the road;)
I think whatever I shall meet on the road I shall like, and whoever beholds me shall like
 me; 
I think whoever I see must be happy. 

5
From this hour, freedom! 
From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines, 
Going where I list, my own master, total and absolute,
Li...Read more of this...

by Petrarch, Francesco
...>E.    This is the thought which grieves us most of all;For perfect judgments are on earth so rareThat one man's fault is oft another's blame. Macgregor....Read more of this...

by Whittier, John Greenleaf
...nd His love.

I dimly guess from blessings known
Of greater out of sight,
And, with the chastened Psalmist, own
His judgments too are right.

I long for household voices gone.
For vanished smiles I long,
But God hath led my dear ones on,
And He can do no wrong.

I know not what the future hath
Of marvel or surprise,
Assured alone that life and death
His mercy underlies.

And if my heart and flesh are weak
To bear an untried pain,
The bruised reed He will n...Read more of this...

by Kipling, Rudyard
...ared to meet his fate,
Which ain't unlikely rovin', etc.

Her leading-stoker's seventeen,
So he don't know what the Judgments mean,
Unless he cops 'em rovin', etc.

Her cook was chef in the Lost Dogs' Home,
 Mark well what I do say!
And I'm sorry for Fritz when they all come
 A-rovin', a-rovin', a-roarin' and a-rovin',
 Round the North Sea rovin',
 The Lord knows where!...Read more of this...

by St Vincent Millay, Edna
...red shames; the yellow stripe
Of thin but valid treacheries; the flashy green of kind deeds done
Through indolence high judgments given here in haste; 
The recurring checker of the serious breach of taste?

No more uncoloured than unmade,
I fear, can be this garment that I may not doff;
Confession does not strip it off,
To send me homeward eased and bare;

All through the formal, unoffending evening, under the clean
Bright hair,
Lining the subtle gown. . .it is no...Read more of this...

by Kipling, Rudyard
...oved and looked for, it must die with me;
But the Lord has left me over for a servant of the Judgment,
 And I serve His Judgments here!

Guns in Flanders--Flanders guns!
(I had a son that worked 'em once!)
Shells for guns in Flanders, Flanders!
Shells for guns in Flanders, Flanders!
 Shells for guns in Flanders! Feeds the guns!...Read more of this...

by Byron, George (Lord)
...I have also treated them more tolerantly. The way in which that poor insane creature, the Laureate, deals about his judgments in the next world, is like his own judgment in this. If it was not completely ludicrous, it would be something worse. I don't think that there is much more to say at present. 

QUEVEDO REDIVIVUS 

P.S. — It is possible that some readers may object, in these objectionable times, to the freedom with which saints, angels, and spiri...Read more of this...

by Gregory, Rg
...full of puff their insights comatose

but they concoct the standards in their painted kingdom-comes
they pass down the judgments draped in tongues of holy writ
the people are a mass disease an untissued runny nose
disdained (but somehow soared above) as they subscribe their wit
to the culture of the stately tree (and to pilfering its plums)

they've got there by a rancid myth - that a nation's wisdom blows
from the arseholes of the clever (the odiferously fit)
as they guzzle...Read more of this...

by Bukowski, Charles
...e animal deep in sleep and
almost nothing can awaken it.
when activated it's best at brutality,
selfishness, unjust judgments, murder. 
what can we do with it, this Humanity? 
nothing. 
avoid the thing as much as possible.
treat it as you would anything poisonous, vicious
and mindless.
but be careful. it has enacted laws to protect
itself from you.
it can kill you without cause.
and to escape it you must be subtle.
few escape. 
it's up ...Read more of this...

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Book: Reflection on the Important Things