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Famous Mayest Poems by Famous Poets

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

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Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry
...fear -
We cherish freedom - back with thee and thine
From this unruly time of year,
The Feast of Valentine.

Blood thou mayest spare; but what of tears?
But what of riven households, broken faith -
Bywords that cling through all men's years
And drag them surely down to shame and death?
Stand back, O cruel man, O foe of youth,
And let such men as hearken not thy voice
Press freely up the road to truth,
The King's highway of choice. 
...Read more of this...
by Stevenson, Robert Louis



...wherefore dost thou fear, 
I am not hard to those who love me well; 
List to what I a second time will tell, 
And thou mayest hear perchance, and live to save 
The cruel maiden from a loveless grave.

"See, by my feet three golden apples lie-- 
Such fruit among the heavy roses falls, 
Such fruit my watchful damsels carefully 
Store up within the best loved of my walls, 
Ancient Damascus, where the lover calls 
Above my unseen head, and faint and light 
The rose-leaves flutte...Read more of this...
by Morris, William
...iza, and Emeline so fair,
And Harriet, and Susan, and she with curling hair!
Thine eyes are sadly blinded, but yet thou mayest see
Six true, and comely maidens sitting upon the tree;
Approach that tree with caution, then up it boldly climb,
And seize the one thou lovest, nor care for space, or time!
Then bear her to the greenwood, and build for her a bower,
And give her what she asketh, jewel, or bird, or flower --
And bring the fife, and trumpet, and beat upon the drum --
An...Read more of this...
by Dickinson, Emily
...rom woe;
"The one thy heedless heart will greet
"With Judas smile, and thou wilt meet
"In every Fool a Foe!"

So safely mayest thou pass from these,
And reach secure the home of PEACE,
And FRIENDSHIP find thee there.
No happier state can mortal know,
No happier lot can Earth bestow
If LOVE thy lot shall share.
Yet still CONTENT with him may dwell
Whom HYMEN will not bless,
And VIRTUE sojourn in the cell
Of HERMIT HAPPINESS....Read more of this...
by Southey, Robert
...d, weary--so I took a whim
To stray away into these forests drear
 Alone, without a peer:
And I have told thee all thou mayest hear.

 "Young stranger!
 I've been a ranger
In search of pleasure throughout every clime:
 Alas! 'tis not for me!
 Bewitch'd I sure must be,
To lose in grieving all my maiden prime.

 "Come then, Sorrow!
 Sweetest Sorrow!
Like an own babe I nurse thee on my breast:
 I thought to leave thee
 And deceive thee,
But now of all the world I love thee best....Read more of this...
by Keats, John



...alls for this in hall, 
Thou get to horse and follow him far away. 
Cover the lions on thy shield, and see 
Far as thou mayest, he be nor ta'en nor slain.' 

Then that same day there past into the hall 
A damsel of high lineage, and a brow 
May-blossom, and a cheek of apple-blossom, 
Hawk-eyes; and lightly was her slender nose 
Tip-tilted like the petal of a flower; 
She into hall past with her page and cried, 

'O King, for thou hast driven the foe without, 
See to the foe w...Read more of this...
by Tennyson, Alfred Lord
...r in much!
Yonder law, that with brazen staff is directing the struggling,
Naught is to thee. What thou dost, what thou mayest will is thy law,
And to every race a godlike authority issues.
What thou with holy hand formest, what thou with holy mouth speakest,
Will with omnipotent power impel the wondering senses;
Thou but observest not the god ruling within thine own breast,
Not the might of the signet that bows all spirits before thee;
Simple and silent thou goest through th...Read more of this...
by Schiller, Friedrich von
...Enter this cavern Stranger! the ascent
Is long and steep and toilsome; here awhile
Thou mayest repose thee, from the noontide heat
O'ercanopied by this arch'd rock that strikes
A grateful coolness: clasping its rough arms
Round the rude portal, the old ivy hangs
Its dark green branches down, and the wild Bees,
O'er its grey blossoms murmuring ceaseless, make
Most pleasant melody. No common spot
Receives thee, for the Power who prompts the song,...Read more of this...
by Southey, Robert
...rings yon clove-pink's fragrant bloom;
Yon gay waters wind their way
From the hollows of a tomb.

From the planets thou mayest know
All the change that shifts below,
Fled--beneath that zone of rays,
Fled to night a thousand Mays;
Thrones a thousand--rising--sinking,
Earth from thousand slaughters drinking
Blood profusely poured as water;--
Of the sceptre--of the slaughter--
Wouldst thou know what trace remaineth?
Seek them where the dark king reigneth!

Scarce thine eye can o...Read more of this...
by Schiller, Friedrich von
...ut honoured more? 
'Here, happy creature, fair angelick Eve! 
'Partake thou also; happy though thou art, 
'Happier thou mayest be, worthier canst not be: 
'Taste this, and be henceforth among the Gods 
'Thyself a Goddess, not to earth confined, 
'But sometimes in the air, as we, sometimes 
'Ascend to Heaven, by merit thine, and see 
'What life the Gods live there, and such live thou!' 
So saying, he drew nigh, and to me held, 
Even to my mouth of that same fruit held part 
Wh...Read more of this...
by Milton, John
...e sits at the right hand of bliss. 
Thus, measuring things in Heaven by things on Earth, 
At thy request, and that thou mayest beware 
By what is past, to thee I have revealed 
What might have else to human race been hid; 
The discord which befel, and war in Heaven 
Among the angelick Powers, and the deep fall 
Of those too high aspiring, who rebelled 
With Satan; he who envies now thy state, 
Who now is plotting how he may seduce 
Thee also from obedience, that, with him 
Be...Read more of this...
by Milton, John
...s holy rest 
Through all eternity, so late to build 
In Chaos; and the work begun, how soon 
Absolved; if unforbid thou mayest unfold 
What we, not to explore the secrets ask 
Of his eternal empire, but the more 
To magnify his works, the more we know. 
And the great light of day yet wants to run 
Much of his race though steep; suspense in Heaven, 
Held by thy voice, thy potent voice, he hears, 
And longer will delay to hear thee tell 
His generation, and the rising birth 
Of...Read more of this...
by Milton, John
...head, 
And to realities yield all her shows: 
Made so adorn for thy delight the more, 
So awful, that with honour thou mayest love 
Thy mate, who sees when thou art seen least wise. 
But if the sense of touch, whereby mankind 
Is propagated, seem such dear delight 
Beyond all other; think the same vouchsafed 
To cattle and each beast; which would not be 
To them made common and divulged, if aught 
Therein enjoyed were worthy to subdue 
The soul of man, or passion in him move...Read more of this...
by Milton, John
...ernal, thine is to decree; 
Mine, both in Heaven and Earth, to do thy will 
Supreme; that thou in me, thy Son beloved, 
Mayest ever rest well pleased. I go to judge 
On earth these thy transgressours; but thou knowest, 
Whoever judged, the worst on me must light, 
When time shall be; for so I undertook 
Before thee; and, not repenting, this obtain 
Of right, that I may mitigate their doom 
On me derived; yet I shall temper so 
Justice with mercy, as may illustrate most 
Them ...Read more of this...
by Milton, John
...
Then due by sentence when thou didst transgress, 
Defeated of his seisure many days 
Given thee of grace; wherein thou mayest repent, 
And one bad act with many deeds well done 
Mayest cover: Well may then thy Lord, appeased, 
Redeem thee quite from Death's rapacious claim; 
But longer in this Paradise to dwell 
Permits not: to remove thee I am come, 
And send thee from the garden forth to till 
The ground whence thou wast taken, fitter soil. 
He added not; for Adam at the n...Read more of this...
by Milton, John
...so I took a whim 
To stray away into these forests drear, 125 
Alone, without a peer: 
And I have told thee all thou mayest hear. 

Young Stranger! 
I've been a ranger 
In search of pleasure throughout every clime; 130 
Alas! 'tis not for me! 
Bewitch'd I sure must be, 
To lose in grieving all my maiden prime. 

Come then, Sorrow, 
Sweetest Sorrow! 135 
Like an own babe I nurse thee on my breast: 
I thought to leave thee, 
And deceive thee, 
But now of all th...Read more of this...
by Keats, John
...eary--so I took a whim 
To stray away into these forests drear, 
 Alone, without a peer: 
And I have told thee all thou mayest hear. 

 Young Stranger! 
 I've been a ranger 
In search of pleasure throughout every clime; 
 Alas! 'tis not for me! 
 Bewitch'd I sure must be, 
To lose in grieving all my maiden prime. 

 Come then, Sorrow, 
 Sweetest Sorrow! 
Like an own babe I nurse thee on my breast: 
 I thought to leave thee, 
 And deceive thee, 
But now of all the world I love...Read more of this...
by Keats, John
...eary--so I took a whim 
To stray away into these forests drear, 
 Alone, without a peer: 
And I have told thee all thou mayest hear. 

 Young Stranger! 
 I've been a ranger 
In search of pleasure throughout every clime; 
 Alas! 'tis not for me! 
 Bewitch'd I sure must be, 
To lose in grieving all my maiden prime. 

 Come then, Sorrow, 
 Sweetest Sorrow! 
Like an own babe I nurse thee on my breast: 
 I thought to leave thee, 
 And deceive thee, 
But now of all the world I love...Read more of this...
by Keats, John
...uld give, I gave,
'Twas some relief, our foe a grave.
His death sits lightly; but her fate
Has made me - what thou well mayest hate.
His doom was sealed - he knew it well
Warned by the voice of stern Taheer,
Deep in whose darkly boding ear
The deathshot pealed of murder near,
As filed the troop to where they fell!
He died too in the battle broil,
A time that heeds nor pain nor toil;
One cry to Mahomet for aid,
One prayer to Allah all he made:
He knew and crossed me in the fra...Read more of this...
by Byron, George (Lord)
...ale
Of tribulation in marriage,
Of which I am expert in all mine age,
(This is to say, myself hath been the whip),
Then mayest thou choose whether thou wilt sip
Of *thilke tunne,* that I now shall broach. *that tun*
Beware of it, ere thou too nigh approach,
For I shall tell examples more than ten:
Whoso will not beware by other men,
By him shall other men corrected be:
These same wordes writeth Ptolemy;
Read in his Almagest, and take it there."
"Dame, I would pray you, if you...Read more of this...
by Chaucer, Geoffrey

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Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry