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Famous Knavish Poems by Famous Poets

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

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by Plath, Sylvia
...les say the Goatsucker moves, masked from men's sight
In an ebony air, on wings of witch cloth,
Well-named, ill-famed a knavish fly-by-night,
Yet it never milked any goat, nor dealt cow death
And shadows only--cave-mouth bristle beset--
Cockchafers and the wan, green luna moth....Read more of this...



by Taylor, Edward
...ther deprived of the pleasure
of exchanging a few anecdotes, regarding the mentally ill,
depraved, diseased, the purely knavish, you in your bughouse,
if you'll pardon my vernacular, O yes, and we in our crackbrain
daily rounds, there are so many gone potty everywhere we roam,
not to mention in one's own home, dead moonstruck.
Well, well, indeed we would have many notes to compare
if you could find the time to join us after your injections."
My invitation was spoken i...Read more of this...

by Tate, James
...ther deprived of the pleasure
of exchanging a few anecdotes, regarding the mentally ill,
depraved, diseased, the purely knavish, you in your bughouse,
if you'll pardon my vernacular, O yes, and we in our crackbrain
daily rounds, there are so many gone potty everywhere we roam,
not to mention in one's own home, dead moonstruck.
Well, well, indeed we would have many notes to compare
if you could find the time to join us after your injections."
My invitation was spoken i...Read more of this...

by Service, Robert William
...n though his name were Smith,
I'd like him to be happy.
I hope, because I'm stumped for rhyme,
He will not think me knavish,
If I should call him just this time:
 MACTAVISH.

Forgive me, Friend Mactavish. I
No doubt have cost you curses;
I'm sorry for you as you try
To put my type in verses;
And though new names I know you by,
When of new books creator,
I'll always look on you as my
 COLLABORATOR....Read more of this...

by Service, Robert William
...To find the place reserved for him
 Was at the butler's board.

So when the gentry called him in,
He entered with a knavish grin
 And sipped a glass of wine;
But when they asked would he recite
Something of late he'd chanced to write
 He ettled to decline.

Then with a sly, sardonic look
He opened up a little book
 Containing many a gem;
And as they sat in raiment fine,
So smug and soused with rosy wine,
 This verse he read to them.

'You see yon birkie caw'ed a L...Read more of this...



by Kipling, Rudyard
...rd
 For the toil of your tongue and pen --
In the praise of the blamed and the thanks of the shamed,
 And the honour o' knavish men.

They scarce shall veil their scorn, Red Earl,
 And the worst at the last shall be,
When you tell your heart that it does not know
 And your eye that it does not see....Read more of this...

by Field, Eugene
...wful peanut-boy beware.
Else, trusting in their specious arts, you may have reason to condemn
The traffic which the knavish ply 'twixt Jaffa and Jerusalem.

And when, ah, when the bonds fall due, how passing wroth will wax the
state
From Nebo's mount to Nazareth will spread the cry "Repudiate"!
From Hebron to Tiberius, from Jordan's banks unto the sea,
Will rise profuse anathemas against "that ---- monopoly!"
And F.M.B.A. shepherd-folk, with Sockless J...Read more of this...

by von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang
...hou lain hidden?
By whom hast thou now to awake from thy sleep

Been bidden?
Ah love, that thou art immortal I see!
Nor knavish cunning nor treachery

Can destroy thy life so godlike.

THE MAID OF THE MILL.

If still with as fond and heartfelt love,

As thou once didst swear, I'm cherish'd,
Then nought of the rapture we used to prove

Is perish'd.
So take the woman so dear to thy breast!
In her young and innocent charms be blest,

For all are thine from henceforwa...Read more of this...

by von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang
...ever

Quickly bringeth he;

River after river

Rusheth on poor me!


Now no longer

Can I bear him;

I will snare him,

Knavish sprite!

Ah, my terror waxes stronger!

What a look! what fearful 
sight

Oh, thou villain child of hell!

Shall the house through thee be drown'd
Floods I see that wildly swell,

O'er the threshold gaining ground.

Wilt thou not obey,

Oh, thou broom accurs'd?

Be thou still I pray,

As thou wert at first!


Will enough

Never please thee?

I wi...Read more of this...

by Field, Eugene
...have your way
You'll find that there's both host and the devil to pay
For your wine, costly wine."

Then the first knavish wight took his needle so bright
And threaded its eye with a wee ray of light
From the Rhine, sunny Rhine;
And, in such a deft way, patched a mirror that day
That where it was mended no expert could say--
Done so fine 't was for wine.

The second thereat spied a poor little gnat
Go toiling along on his nose broad and flat
Towards the Rhine, pleasa...Read more of this...

by Robinson, Mary Darby
...--one and all:
For the monarch a plentiful treasury had,
And his Courtiers were pleas'd, and no visage was sad,
And the knavish and foolish with drinking were mad,
While they sat in the Banquetting hall.

Some talk'd of their Valour, and some of their Race,
And vaunted, till vaunting was black in the face;
Some bragg'd for a title, and some for a place,
And, like braggarts, they bragg'd one and all!
Some spoke of their scars in the Holy Crusade,
Some boasted the banner of...Read more of this...

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