Famous Resolutions Poems by Famous Poets

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

See also:

Ah Poverties Wincings and Sulky Retreats

...hoked articulations—you meannesses; 
You shallow tongue-talks at tables, (my tongue the shallowest of any;) 
You broken resolutions, you racking angers, you smother’d ennuis; 
Ah, think not you finally triumph—My real self has yet to come forth; 
It shall yet march forth o’ermastering, till all lies beneath me;
It shall yet stand up the soldier of unquestion’d victory....Read more of this...
by Whitman, Walt


from imperfect Eden

...tuffed with pomp of state
were brushed aside in favour of the plate
but those who entered hungry came out wise
unspoken resolutions mulled like pies


(2)
and then the tram ride home (if we were lucky -
and nothing during the day had caused despair)
trams had a gift about them that was snaky
wriggling their straitened ways from lair to lair
they hissed upon their wires and flashed the air
they swallowed people whole and spewed them out
and most engorged in them became devout
...Read more of this...
by Gregory, Rg

Hymn

...winds like no other bark
chasmal to my ant-soul running up and down
and if I find you I must go out deep into your
 far resolutions
and if I find you I must stay here with the separate leaves...Read more of this...
by Godolphin, Sidney

Resolutions

...his, my son?" she said;
 "Just do it."

Of her wise words I've often thought -
Aye, sometimes with a pang of pain,
When resolutions come to naught,
And high resolves are sadly vain;
The human heart from failure bleeds;
Hopes may be wrecked so that we rue them . . .
Don't let us dream of lovely deeds -
 Just do them.

And so, my son, uphold your pride.
Believe serenely in your soul.
Just take things in a steady stride,
Until behold! you've gained your goal.
But if, perchance, ...Read more of this...
by Service, Robert William

Resolutions

...Resolutions I have made,
Kept, I have none,
Why do I have to make,
Resolutions anymore?

I pause through endless time,
For this year to pass,
And the lights of celebration to die,
On this New Year day.

Remember those magical days,
When the promise of togetherness, 
Held us together, tentatively,
Alas! No more!

Years just flow by,
As water beneath bridges,
...Read more of this...
by Matthew, John


Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror

...d a say in the matter and exercised
An option of which he was hardly conscious,
Unaware that necessity circumvents such resolutions.
So as to create something new
For itself, that there is no other way,
That the history of creation proceeds according to
Stringent laws, and that things
Do get done in this way, but never the things
We set out to accomplish and wanted so desperately
To see come into being. Parmigianino
Must have realized this as he worked at his
Life-obstructing...Read more of this...
by Ashbery, John

The Man Who Raised Charlestown

...unday, and the church bells rang their peal, 
The quiet man was mending a broken waggon wheel; 
While they passed their resolutions on his doings (and the likes), 
From a pile his men brought to him he was choosing poles for pikes. 

(They were hanging men in Buckland who would not cheer King George – 
They were making pikes in Charlestown at every blacksmith's forge: 
While the Council sat in session and the same old song they sang, 
They heard the horsemen gallop out, and t...Read more of this...
by Lawson, Henry

The Sick Stockrider

...for the corn or for the oil, 
Or for wine that maketh glad the heart of man. 
For good undone, and gifts misspent, and resolutions vain, 
'Tis somewhat late to trouble. This I know -- 
I should live the same life over, if I had to live again; 
And the chances are I go where most men go. 

The deep blue skies wax dusky, and the tall green trees grow dim, 
The sward beneath me seems to heave and fall; 
And sickly, smoky shadows through the sleepy sunlight swim, 
And on the ver...Read more of this...
by Gordon, Adam Lindsay

The White Cliffs

...k on us when 
They brought us sympathy, and saw us stand 
Like the proverbial ostrich-head in sand— 
While youth passed resolutions not to fight, 
And statesmen muttered everything was right— 
Germany, a kindly, much ill-treated nation—
Russia was working out her own salvation
Within her borders. As for Spain, ah, Spain
Would buy from England when peace came again!
I listened and believed— believed through sheer
Terror. I could not look whither my fear
Pointed— that agony tha...Read more of this...
by Miller, Alice Duer

Understanding

...poetry were being formed,
the scope of my art was being plotted.

This is why my repentances were never stable.
And my resolutions to control myself, to change
lasted for two weeks at the very most....Read more of this...
by Cavafy, Constantine P

Dont forget to view our wonderful member Resolutions poems.

Get a Premium Membership
Get more exposure for your poetry and more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry

Member Area

My Admin
Profile and Settings
Edit My Poems
Edit My Quotes
Edit My Short Stories
Edit My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder

Soup Social

Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us

Member Poems

Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread

Member Poets

Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest

Famous Poems

Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100

Famous Poets

Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War

Poetry Resources

Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter