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Famous Sir Poems by Famous Poets

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

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by Hugo, Victor
...bly of strange things, 
 Of horrors such as nightmare only brings. 
 Asps, and spread eagles without beak or feet, 
 Sirens and mermaids here and dragons meet, 
 And antlered stags and fabled unicorn, 
 And fearful things of monstrous fancy born. 
 Upon the rigid form of morion's sheen 
 Winged lions and the Cerberus are seen, 
 And serpents winged and finned; things made to fright 
 The timid foe, alone by sense of sight. 
 Some leaning forward and the others back,...Read more of this...



by Pinsky, Robert
...he right wall. Only one man remained
At attention in the middle: "What are you, soldier?"

Saluting, the man said, "Sir, I am a Belgian."
"Why, that's astonishing, Corporal--what's your name?"
Saluting again, "Rabinowitz," he answered:

A joke that seems at first to be a story
About the Jews. But as the renga describes
Religious meaning by moving in drifting petals

And brittle leaves that touch and die and suffer
The changing winds that riffle the gutter swirl,
S...Read more of this...

by Byron, George (Lord)
...l mirth. 

II. 

The chief of Lara is return'd again: 
And why had Lara cross'd the bounding main? 
Left by his sire, too young such loss to know, 
Lord of himself; — that heritage of woe, 
That fearful empire which the human breast 
But holds to rob the heart within of rest! — 
With none to check, and few to point in time 
The thousand paths that slope the way to crime; 
Then, when he most required commandment, then 
Had Lara's daring boyhood govern'd men. 
It sk...Read more of this...

by Marvell, Andrew
...the troop, whose valiant acts before 
(Their public acts) obliged them still to more. 
For chimney's sake they all Sir Pool obeyed, 
Or in his absence him that first it laid. 
Then comes the thrifty troop of privateers, 
Whose horses each with other interfered. 
Before them Higgons rides with brow compact, 
Mourning his Countess, anxious for his Act. 
Sir Frederick and Sir Solomon draw lots 
For the command of politics or sots, 
Thence fell to words, but quar...Read more of this...

by Robinson, Edwin Arlington
...r> Since the world 
Was ordered, there was never a long pause 
For caution between doing and undoing.

BURR

Go on, sir; my attention is a trap 
Set for the catching of all compliments 
To Monticello, and all else abroad 
That has a name or an identity. 

HAMILTON

I leave to you the names—there are too many;
Yet one there is to sift and hold apart, 
As now I see. There comes at last a glimmer 
That is not always clouded, or too late. 
But I was near and young...Read more of this...



by Blake, William
...self, 
Like Dr. Priestly and Bacon and Newton— 
Poor spiritual knowledge is not worth a button 
For thus the Gospel Sir Isaac confutes: 
‘God can only be known by His attributes; 
And as for the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, 
Or of Christ and His Father, it’s all a boast 
And pride, and vanity of the imagination, 
That disdains to follow this world’s fashion.’ 
To teach doubt and experiment 
Certainly was not what Christ meant. 
What was He doing all that time, 
F...Read more of this...

by Tennyson, Alfred Lord
...From noiseful arms, and acts of prowess done 
In tournament or tilt, Sir Percivale, 
Whom Arthur and his knighthood called The Pure, 
Had passed into the silent life of prayer, 
Praise, fast, and alms; and leaving for the cowl 
The helmet in an abbey far away 
From Camelot, there, and not long after, died. 

And one, a fellow-monk among the rest, 
Ambrosius, loved him much beyond the rest, 
And honoured him, and wrought i...Read more of this...

by Wordsworth, William
... "Oh Doctor! Doctor! where's my Johnny?"  "I'm here, what is't you want with me?"  "Oh Sir! you know I'm Betty Foy,  And I have lost my poor dear boy,  You know him—him you often see;"   "He's not so wise as some folks be,"  "The devil take his wisdom!" said  The Doctor, looking somewhat grim,  "What, woman! should I know of him?"  And, gru...Read more of this...

by Chaucer, Geoffrey
...e,
And art a knight, a worthy and an able,
That by some cas*, since fortune is changeable, *chance
Thou may'st to thy desire sometime attain.
But I that am exiled, and barren
Of alle grace, and in so great despair,
That there n'is earthe, water, fire, nor air,
Nor creature, that of them maked is,
That may me helpe nor comfort in this,
Well ought I *sterve in wanhope* and distress. *die in despair*
Farewell my life, my lust*, and my gladness. *pleasure
Alas, *why p...Read more of this...

by Scott, Sir Walter
...h Katrine's shore
     But yet, as far as yesternight,
     Old Allan-bane foretold your plight,—
     A gray-haired sire, whose eye intent
     Was on the visioned future bent.
     He saw your steed, a dappled gray,
     Lie dead beneath the birchen way;
     Painted exact your form and mien,
     Your hunting-suit of Lincoln green,
     That tasselled horn so gayly gilt,
     That falchion's crooked blade and hilt,
     That cap with heron plumage trim,
     An...Read more of this...

by Tennyson, Alfred Lord
...Of ruby swaying to and fro, the prize 
Of Tristram in the jousts of yesterday, 
Came Tristram, saying, `Why skip ye so, Sir Fool?' 

For Arthur and Sir Lancelot riding once 
Far down beneath a winding wall of rock 
Heard a child wail. A stump of oak half-dead, 
From roots like some black coil of carven snakes, 
Clutched at the crag, and started through mid air 
Bearing an eagle's nest: and through the tree 
Rushed ever a rainy wind, and through the wind 
Pierced ever a ch...Read more of this...

by Chaucer, Geoffrey
...than will Malkin's maidenhead,
When she hath lost it in her wantonness.
Let us not moulde thus in idleness.
"Sir Man of Law," quoth he, "so have ye bliss,
Tell us a tale anon, as forword* is. *the bargain
Ye be submitted through your free assent
To stand in this case at my judgement.
Acquit you now, and *holde your behest*; *keep your promise*
Then have ye done your devoir* at the least." *duty
"Hoste," quoth he, "de par dieux jeo asente; 
To breake ...Read more of this...

by Chaucer, Geoffrey
...*the budget is opened*
Let see now who shall tell another tale:
For truely this game is well begun.
Now telleth ye, Sir Monk, if that ye conne*, *know
Somewhat, to quiten* with the Knighte's tale." *match
The Miller that fordrunken was all pale,
So that unnethes* upon his horse he sat, *with difficulty
He would avalen* neither hood nor hat, *uncover
Nor abide* no man for his courtesy, *give way to
But in Pilate's voice he gan to cry,
And swore by armes, and by bloo...Read more of this...

by Tennyson, Alfred Lord
...Sir Walter Vivian all a summer's day 
Gave his broad lawns until the set of sun 
Up to the people: thither flocked at noon 
His tenants, wife and child, and thither half 
The neighbouring borough with their Institute 
Of which he was the patron. I was there 
From college, visiting the son,--the son 
A Walter too,--with others of our set, 
Five others: we...Read more of this...

by Pope, Alexander
...each'rous Friend, and daring Spark,
The Glance by Day, the Whisper in the Dark;
When kind Occasion prompts their warm Desires,
When Musick softens, and when Dancing fires?
'Tis but their Sylph, the wise Celestials know,
Tho' Honour is the Word with Men below.

Some Nymphs there are, too conscious of their Face,
For Life predestin'd to the Gnomes Embrace.
These swell their Prospects and exalt their Pride,
When Offers are disdain'd, and Love deny'd.
Then gay Ideas c...Read more of this...

by Poe, Edgar Allan
...my chamber door: 
This it is and nothing more." 

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, 
"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; 20 
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, 
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, 
That I scarce was sure I heard you"¡ªhere I opened wide the door:¡ª 
Darkness there and nothing more. 

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wonde...Read more of this...

by Byron, George (Lord)
...grant 
His neutral virtues, which most monarchs want; 

XLVI 

'I know he was a constant consort; own 
He was a decent sire, and middling lord. 
All this is much, and most upon a throne; 
As temperance, if at Apicius' board, 
Is more than at an anchorite's supper shown. 
I grant him all the kindest can accord; 
And this was well for him, but not for those 
Millions who found him what oppression chose. 

XLVII 

'The New World shook him off; the Old yet groans 
Be...Read more of this...

by Miller, Alice Duer
...old braid; 
And high above them on the wall 
Hung other English faces-all 
Part of the pattern of English life—
General Sir Charles, and his pretty wife, 
Admirals, Lords-Lieutenant of Shires, 
Men who were served by these footmen's sires 
At their great parties-none of them knowing 
How soon or late they would all be going 
In plainer dress to a sterner strife- 
Another pattern of English life.

I went up the stairs between them all,
Strange and frightened and shy and sm...Read more of this...

by Chaucer, Geoffrey
...speak after my fantasy,
To take nought agrief* what I may say; *to heart
For mine intent is only for to play.

Now, Sirs, then will I tell you forth my tale.
As ever may I drinke wine or ale
I shall say sooth; the husbands that I had
Three of them were good, and two were bad
The three were goode men, and rich, and old
*Unnethes mighte they the statute hold* *they could with difficulty
In which that they were bounden unto me. obey the law*
Yet wot well what I mean ...Read more of this...

by Wordsworth, William
...here upon the ground I sit—  I sit and sing to them."   "And often after sunset, Sir,  When it is light and fair,  I take my little porringer,  And eat my supper there."   "The first that died was little Jane;  In bed she moaning lay,  Till God released her of her pain,  And then she went away."   "So in t...Read more of this...

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