Famous Quantities Poems by Famous Poets

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

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Contraband

by Denise Levertov
 The tree of knowledge was the tree of reason.
That's why the taste of it
drove us from Eden. That fruit
was meant to be dried and milled to a fine powder
for use a pinch at a time, a condiment.
God had probably planned to tell us later
about this new pleasure.
We stuffed our mouths full of it,
gorged on but and if and how...Read more of this...

An Inscription

by Ambrose Bierce
 A conqueror as provident as brave,
He robbed the cradle to supply the grave.
His reign laid quantities of human dust:
He fell upon the just and the unjust....Read more of this...

The H. Communion

by George Herbert
 Not in rich furniture, or fine array, 
Nor in a wedge of gold, 
Thou, who from me wast sold, 
To me dost now thy self convey; 
For so thou should'st without me still have been, 
Leaving within me sin: 

But by the way of nourishment and strength
Thou creep'st into my breast; 
Making thy way my rest, 
And thy small...Read more of this...

The Clepington Catastrophe

by William Topaz McGonagall
 'Twas on a Monday morning, and in the year of 1884,
That a fire broke out in Bailie Bradford's store,
Which contained bales of jute and large quantities of waste,
Which the brave firemen ran to extinguish in great haste. 

They left their wives that morning without any dread,
Never thinking, at the burning pile, they would be killed dead
By the falling of...Read more of this...

The Walrus and the Carpenter

by Lewis Carroll
The sun was shining on the sea,
   Shining with all his might;
He did his very best to make
   The billows smooth and bright—
And this was odd, because it was
   The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
   Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
   After...Read more of this...

A Poem for Will Baking

by Susan Rich
 Each night he stands before

the kitchen island, begins again

from scratch: chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg,

he beats, he folds;

keeps faith in what happens

when you combine known quantities,

bake twelve minutes at a certain heat.

The other rabbis, the scholars,

teenagers idling by the beach,

they receive his offerings,

in the early hours, share his grief.

It’s enough now, they say.

Each day more baked goods to friends,

and friends of...Read more of this...

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