Famous Pell-Mell Poems by Famous Poets

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

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A Boston Ballad 1854

...orse and worse! Can’t you stand it? Are you retreating? 
Is this hour with the living too dead for you? 

Retreat then! Pell-mell!
To your graves! Back! back to the hills, old limpers! 
I do not think you belong here, anyhow. 

But there is one thing that belongs here—shall I tell you what it is, gentlemen of
 Boston?

I will whisper it to the Mayor—he shall send a committee to England; 
They shall get a grant from the Parliament, go with a cart to the royal vault—haste!

Dig...Read more of this...
by Whitman, Walt


An Easy-goin' Feller

...Ther' ain't no use in all this strife,
An' hurryin', pell-mell, right thro' life.
I don't believe in goin' too fast
To see what kind o' road you 've passed.
It ain't no mortal kind o' good,
'N' I would n't hurry ef I could.
I like to jest go joggin' 'long,
To limber up my soul with song;
To stop awhile 'n' chat the men,
'N' drink some cider now an' then.
Do' want no boss a-standin' by
To see me work;...Read more of this...
by Laurence Dunbar, Paul

In the Home Stretch

...eople
In other chairs, and something, come to look,
For every room a house has—parlor, bed-room,
And dining-room—thrown pell-mell in the kitchen.
And now and then a smudged, infernal face
Looked in a door behind her and addressed
Her back. She always answered without turning.

“Where will I put this walnut bureau, lady?”
“Put it on top of something that’s on top
Of something else,” she laughed. “Oh, put it where
You can to-night, and go. It’s almost dark;
You must be getting ...Read more of this...
by Frost, Robert

Leipzig

...e;
Bold Poniatowski plunged him in
Never to re-emerge.

"Then stayed the strife. The remnants wound
Their Rhineward way pell-mell;
And thus did Leipzig City sound
An Empire's passing bell;

"While in cavalcade, with band and blade,
Came Marshals, Princes, Kings;
And the town was theirs.... Ay, as simple maid,
My mother saw these things!

"And whenever those notes in the street begin,
I recall her, and that far scene,
And her acting of how the Allies marched in,
And her touse ...Read more of this...
by Hardy, Thomas

Sly Dick

...Sharp was the frost, the wind was high 
And sparkling stars bedeckt the sky 
Sly Dick in arts of cunning skill'd, 
Whose rapine all his pockets fill'd, 
Had laid him down to take his rest 
And soothe with sleep his anxious breast. 
'Twas thus a dark infernal sprite 
A native of the blackest night, 
Portending mischief to devise 
Upon Sly Dick he cast his e...Read more of this...
by Chatterton, Thomas


The Battle of Cressy

...'Twas on the 26th of August, the sun was burning hot,
In the year of 1346, which will never be forgot,
Because the famous field of Cressy was slippery and gory,
By the loss of innocent blood which I'11 relate in story. 

To the field of Cressy boldly King Philip did advance,
Aided by the Bohemian Army and chosen men of France,
And treble the strength of th...Read more of this...
by McGonagall, William Topaz

The Burning of the Peoples Variety Theatre Aberdeen

...tage, about eight o'clock,
Which gave to the audience a very fearful shock;
Then a stampede ensued, and a rush was made pell-mell,
And in the crush, trying to get out, many people fell. 

The stage flies took fire owing to the gas
Not having room enough by them to pass;
And with his jacket Mr. Macaulay tried to put out the flame,
But oh! horrible to relate, it was all in vain. 

Detective Innes, who was passing at the time of the fire,
Rendered help in every way the audience ...Read more of this...
by McGonagall, William Topaz

The Capture of Lucknow

...s while it was day,
Because their blood was up and eager for the fray. 

Still the enemy kept up a blazing fire at them pell-mell,
But they fired too high and not a man of them fell;
And the bullets whistled around them again and again,
Still on went the unwavering Highlanders with might and main. 

But when they reached the ditch they were taken by surprise,
By the unexpected obstacle right before their eyes;
But Captain Middleton leapt into the ditch and showed them the way...Read more of this...
by McGonagall, William Topaz

The Clepington Catastrophe

.... 

But in the midst of dust and fire they did their duty well,
Aye! in the midst of a shower of bricks falling on them pell-mell,
Until they were compelled to let the water-hose go;
While the blood from their bruised heads and arms did flow. 

But brave James Fyffe held on to the hose until the last,
And when found in the debris, the people stood aghast.
When they saw him lying dead, with the hose in his hand,
Their tears for him they couldn't check nor yet command. 

Oh, he...Read more of this...
by McGonagall, William Topaz

The General Public

...ere. 
One yellow halo hung above a door, 
That gave on a black passage. Round about 
Struggled a howling crowd of boys, pell-mell, 
Pushing and jostling like a stormy sea, 
With shouting faces, turned a pasty white 
By the strange light, for foam. They all had clods, 
Or slimy balls of mud. A few gripped stones. 
And there, his back against the battered door, 
His pile of books scattered about his feet, 
Stood Shelley while two others held him fast, 
And the clods beat upon h...Read more of this...
by Benet, Stephen Vincent

The Great Adventure of Max Breuck

...n! Not for many a day
Had he been there to take his old, accustomed seat.

49
"Why, Max! Stop, Max!" And 
out they came pell-mell,
His old companions. "Max, where have you been?
Not drink with us? Indeed you serve us well!
How many months is it since we have seen
You here? Jan, Jan, you slow, old doddering goat!
Here's Mynheer Breuck come back again at last,
Stir your old bones to welcome him. Fie, Max.
Business! And after hours! Fill your throat;
Here's beer or brandy. Now, ...Read more of this...
by Lowell, Amy

The Maid Of The Mills Treachery

...acherous maid once more,

And she was still, alas, so fair
They all gave way before my wrath,

Wild outcries flew about pell-mell;
At length I managed to rush forth,

With voice of thunder, from that hell.

"As maidens of the town we fly,

We'll shun you maidens of the village;
Leave it to those of quality

Their humble worshippers to pillage.
Yet if ye are of practised skill,

And of all tender ties afraid,
Exchange your lovers, if ye will,

But never let them be betray'd."
...Read more of this...
by von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang

The Red Lacquer Music-Stand

...ake-skin freshly scaled,
Some sunflower seeds, wampum, and a bloody-tooth shell,
A blue jay feather, all together piled pell-mell
The stand will hold no more. The Boy with humming head
Looks once again, blows out the light, and creeps to bed.
The Boy keeps solemn vigil, while outside the wind
Blows gustily and clear, and slaps against the blind.
He hardly tries to sleep, so sharp his ecstasy
It burns his soul to emptiness, and sets it free
For adoration only, for worship. Ded...Read more of this...
by Lowell, Amy

The Royal Review

...second time at the Royal Review. 

To take them in general, they behaved very well,
The more that the rain fell on them pell-mell.
They marched by Her Majesty in very grand array,
Which will be remembered for many a long day,
Bidding defiance to wind and rain,
Which adds the more fame to their name. 

And I hope none of them will have cause to rue
The day that they went to the Royal Review.
And I'm sure Her Majesty ought to feel proud,
And in her praise she cannot speak too l...Read more of this...
by McGonagall, William Topaz

The Sunderland Calamity

...began to suspect
That they would lose their presents by neglect,
They rush'd from the gallery, and ran down the stairs pell-mell,
And trampled one another to death, according as they fell. 

As soon as the catastrophe became known throughout the boro'
The people's hearts were brim-full of sorrow,
And parents rush'd to the Hall terror-stricken and wild,
And each one was anxious to find their own child. 

Oh! it must have been a most horrible sight
To see the dear little child...Read more of this...
by McGonagall, William Topaz

Worldly Place

...ell!
So spake the imperial sage, purest of men,
Marcus Aurelius. But the stifling den
Of common life, where, crowded up pell-mell,

Our freedom for a little bread we sell,
And drudge under some foolish master's ken
Who rates us if we peer outside our pen--
Match'd with a palace, is not this a hell?

Even in a palace! On his truth sincere,
Who spoke these words, no shadow ever came;
And when my ill-school'd spirit is aflame

Some nobler, ampler stage of life to win,
I'll stop,...Read more of this...
by Arnold, Matthew

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