Get Your Premium Membership

Famous Scoffing Poems by Famous Poets

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

See also:

Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry
...usion,
We’ll light a *****, and ev’ry skin,
 We’ll rin them aff in fusion
 Like oil, some day.


 Note 1. Alluding to a scoffing ballad which was made on the admission of the late reverend and worthy Mr. Lihdsay to the “Laigh Kirk.”—R. B. [back]
Note 2. Rev. James Oliphant, minister of Chapel of Ease, Kilmarnock. [back]
Note 3. Rev. John Russell of Kilmarnock. [back]
Note 4. Rev. James Mackinlay. [back]
Note 5. Genesis ix. 22.—R. B. [back]
Note 6. Numbers xxv. 8.—R. B. [back]...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert



...Our tongues were made to bless the Lord,
And not speak ill of men:
When others give a railing word,
We must not rail again.

Cross words and angry names require
To be chastised at school;
And he's in danger of hell-fire
That calls his brother fool.

But lips that dare be so profane
To mock, and jeer, and scoff
At holy things, or holy men,
The Lord shall cu...Read more of this...
by Watts, Isaac
...bear, with patient frame,
All these vain ones offer;
While for them He suffereth long,
Shall I answer wrong with wrong,
Scoffing with the scoffer?

'Happier I, with loss of all,
Hunted, outlawed, held in thrall,
With few friends to greet me,
Than when reeve and squire were seen,
Riding our from Aberdeen,
With bared heads to meet me.

'When each goodwife, o'er and o'er,
Blessed me as I passed her door;
And the snooded daughter,
Through her casement glancing down,
Smiled on him...Read more of this...
by Whittier, John Greenleaf
...O give him many thanks, he's courteous,
That in suspecting kindly warneth us
Wee must not, as we used, flout openly,
In scoffing riddles, his deformity;
Nor at his board together being sat,
With words, nor touch, scarce looks adulterate;
Nor when he swol'n, and pampered with great fare
Sits down, and snorts, caged in his basket chair,
Must we usurp his own bed any more,
Nor kiss and play in his house, as before.
Now I see many dangers; for that is
His realm, his castle, and h...Read more of this...
by Donne, John
...reward
The conquests he has won.

"But bloody hands, and hearts unclean,
And all the lying race,
The faithless and the scoffing crew,
That spurn at offered grace;

"They shall be taken from my sight,
Bound fast in iron chains,
And headlong plunged into the lake
Where fire and darkness reigns."]

O may I stand before the Lamb,
When earth and seas are fled!
And hear the Judge pronounce my name,
With blessings on my head!

May I with those for ever dwell
Who here were my deligh...Read more of this...
by Watts, Isaac



...coming pray!"

XV

Soe Madge, ye hoyden, kneelt & prayed
that Godde sholde send her Robin backe.
And tho' ye folke vast scoffing made,
and tho' ye worlde ben colde and blacke,
And tho', as moneths dragged away,
ye hoyden's harte ben like to crack
With griff, she still did praye.

XVI

Sicke of that divell's damnèd charmes,
Aback did Robin come at last,
And Madge, ye hoyden, sprad her arms
and gave a cry and held him fast;
And as she clong to him and cried,
her patient harte w...Read more of this...
by Field, Eugene
...ye, who appointed stand 
Do as you have in charge, and briefly touch 
What we propound, and loud that all may hear! 
So scoffing in ambiguous words, he scarce 
Had ended; when to right and left the front 
Divided, and to either flank retired: 
Which to our eyes discovered, new and strange, 
A triple mounted row of pillars laid 
On wheels (for like to pillars most they seemed, 
Or hollowed bodies made of oak or fir, 
With branches lopt, in wood or mountain felled,) 
Brass, iro...Read more of this...
by Milton, John
...hy throne?
And yet thy love delays.

ver. 123,42 

Mine eyes for thy salvation fail;
O bear thy servant up!
Nor let the scoffing lips prevail
Who dare reproach my hope.

ver. 49,74 

Didst thou not raise my faith, O Lord?
Then let thy truth appear:
Saints shall rejoice in my reward,
And trust as well as fear....Read more of this...
by Watts, Isaac
...ffers should th' occasion take
To mock my holy zeal.

Yet if some proper hour appear,
I'll not be overawed,
But let the scoffing sinners hear
That I can speak for God....Read more of this...
by Watts, Isaac
...
With his bill and long neck ladled.

One the pigeons praised,--the other,

As they went, extoll'd the fishes,
Each one scoffing at his brother

For preferring vulgar dishes.


 * * *

If thou wouldst preserve thy credit,

When thou askest folks to guzzle
At thy hoard, take care to spread it

Suited both for bill and muzzle.

 1819....Read more of this...
by von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang
...in sheep's clothing.

Not so, I; for I caught an expression
In her brow's undisturbed self-possession
Amid the Court's scoffing and merriment,---
As if from no pleasing experiment
She rose, yet of pain not much heedful
So long as the process was needful,---
As if she had tried in a crucible,
To what ``speeches like gold'' were reducible,
And, finding the finest prove copper,
Felt the smoke in her face was but proper;
To know what she had _not_ to trust to,
Was worth all the ...Read more of this...
by Browning, Robert
...ul play, 
Stopp'd by many a merry laugh; 
But the sight I scarce can bear,
Leaning in my easy-chair. 

Let not then the scoffing eye
Laugh, my twisted leg to see: 
Gentle Christians, passing by, 
Stop awhile, and pity me, 
And for you I'll breathe a prayer, 
Leaning in my easy-chair....Read more of this...
by Taylor, Ann
...ibly exclaims, 
Protesting, if it comes again, 
Its guilty Blood the Grass shall stain. 
And to surprize it aims. 

The scoffing Gnat now laugh'd aloud, 
And bids him upwards view 
The Jupiter within the Cloud, 
That humbl'd him, who was so proud, 
And this sharp Thunder threw. 

That Taunt no Lyon's Heart cou'd bear; 
And now much more he raves, 
Whilst this new Perseus in the Air 
Do's War and Strife again declare, 
And all his Terrour braves. 

Upon his haughty Neck she ri...Read more of this...
by Finch, Anne Kingsmill
...that the witch spread over woodland and meadow,
Into the fleecy gray pall brooding on hillside and valley.
Laughing and scoffing, he strode into that hideous vapor;
Just as he said he would do, just as he bantered and threatened,
Ere they could fasten the door, Peter had done gone and done it!
Wasting his time over books, you see, had unsettled his reason--
Soddened his callow young brain with semi-pubescent paresis,
And his neglect of his chores hastened this evil condition....Read more of this...
by Field, Eugene
...ly sent around

The expiring brand;
Each one put it hastily

ln his neighbour's hand.

Dorilis then gave it me,

With a scoffing jest;
Sudden into flame it broke,

By my fingers press'd.

And it singed my eyes and face,

Set my breast on fire;
Then above my head the blaze

Mounted ever higher.

Vain I sought to put it out;

Ever burned the flame;
Stead of dying, soon the Fox

Livelier still became.

1770....Read more of this...
by von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang

Dont forget to view our wonderful member Scoffing poems.


Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry