Famous Practising Poems by Famous Poets

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

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A Poem Upon The Death Of O.C

...at Thunder was shot off, and sent
The Signal from the starry Battlement.
The Winds receive it, and its force out-do,
As practising how they could thunder too:
Out of the Binders Hand the Sheaves they tore,
And thrash'd the Harvest in the airy floore;
Or of huge Trees, whose growth with his did rise,
The deep foundations open'd to the Skyes.
Then heavy Showres the winged Tempests dead,
And pour the Deluge ore the Chaos head.
The Race of warlike Horses at his Tomb
Offer themsel...Read more of this...
by Marvell, Andrew


I think I was enchanted

...w Grass --
And just the meanest Tunes

That Nature murmured to herself
To keep herself in Cheer --
I took for Giants -- practising
Titanic Opera --

The Days -- to Mighty Metres stept --
The Homeliest -- adorned
As if unto a Jubilee
'Twere suddenly confirmed --

I could not have defined the change --
Conversion of the Mind
Like Sanctifying in the Soul --
Is witnessed -- not explained --

'Twas a Divine Insanity --
The Danger to be Sane
Should I again experience --
'Tis Antido...Read more of this...
by Dickinson, Emily

Phantasmagoria CANTO IV ( Hys Nouryture )

...OUR ear 
That sounds an easy thing? 
Try it yourself, my little dear! 
It took ME something like a year, 
With constant practising. 

"And when you've learned to squeak, my man, 
And caught the double sob, 
You're pretty much where you began: 
Just try and gibber if you can! 
That's something LIKE a job! 

"I'VE tried it, and can only say 
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. 

"Shakspea...Read more of this...
by Carroll, Lewis

The Cremona Violin

...ich her skill
Kept brightly burnished. It was very still.
An air from `Orfeo' hummed in her head.
Herr Altgelt had been practising before
The night's performance. Charlotta had plead
With him to stay with her. Even at the door
She'd begged him not to go. "I do implore
You for this evening, Theodore," she had said.
"Leave them to-night, and stay with me instead."
"A silly poppet!" Theodore pinched her 
ear.
"You'd like to have our good Elector turn
Me out I think." "But, Theod...Read more of this...
by Lowell, Amy

The Death of Cromwell

...thunder was shot off, and sent 
The signal from the starry battlement. 
The winds receive it, and its force outdo, 
As practising how they could thunder too; 
Out of the binder's hand the sheaves they tore, 
And thrashed the harvest in the airy floor; 
Or of huge trees, whose growth with his did rise, 
The deep foundations opened to the skies. 
Then heavy show'rs the wing?d tempests lead, 
And pour the deluge o'er the chaos' head. 
The race of warlike horses at his tomb 
Off...Read more of this...
by Marvell, Andrew


The Loss of the Victoria

...ia" was the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet,
And was struck by the "Camperdown" when too close they did meet,
While practising the naval and useful art of war,
How to wheel and discharge their shot at the enemy afar. 

Oh, Heaven ! Methinks I see some men lying in their beds,
And some skylarking, no doubt, and not a soul dreads
The coming avalanche that was to seal their doom,
Until down came the mighty fabric of the engine room. 

Then death leaped on them from all quart...Read more of this...
by McGonagall, William Topaz

The Vision of Judgment

...ast confusion, 
Was, that King George slipp'd into heaven for one; 
And when the tumult dwindled to a calm, 
I left him practising the hundredth psalm. 




Notes

The first publication of this satire on Southey's poem A Vision of Judgement was under the nom de plume of Quevedo Redivivus in volume number 1 of The Liberal, a periodical edited by Leigh Hunt and largely financed by Byron. In the copy of the first volume of The Liberal that I have (which appears to be a first edi...Read more of this...
by Byron, George (Lord)

Upon Appleton House to My Lord Fairfax

...h we the Dimensions find
Of that more sober Age and Mind,
When larger sized Men did stoop
To enter at a narrow loop;
As practising, in doors so strait,
To strain themselves through Heavens Gate.

And surely when the after Age
Shall hither come in Pilgrimage,
These sacred Places to adore,
By Vere and Fairfax trod before,
Men will dispute how their Extent
Within such dwarfish Confines went:
And some will smile at this, as well
As Romulus his Bee-like Cell.

Humility alone desig...Read more of this...
by Marvell, Andrew

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