Get Your Premium Membership

Famous Soulful Poems by Famous Poets

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

See also:

Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry
...then?
Could gift of men
Or favor of the God above,
Plant aught in this bare heart
Or teach this tongue the singer's soulful art?
Ah, no! 'Tis love, and love alone
That spurs my soul so surely on;
Turns night to dawn,
And thorns to roses fairest blown;
And winter drear to spring—
Oh, were it not for love I could not sing!
...Read more of this...
by Laurence Dunbar, Paul



...it with pain.

And when his soul was troubled he had not the heart to play.
But let his head droop sadly down in such a soulful way,
That every one that saw him declared it was worth twice
(And some there were said three times) the large admission price;
And all were quite unanimous and said it would be crude
For such a man to fiddle when he wasn’t in the mood.

But when his soul was filled with joy he tossed his flowing hair
And waved his violin-bow in great circles in the a...Read more of this...
by Butler, Ellis Parker
...he gander of Jack Dunn, of Nevertire; 
And, no doubt, the bush is wretched if you judge it by the groan 
Of the sad and soulful poet with a graveyard of his own. 

And he spoke in terms prophetic of a revolution's heat, 
When the world should hear the clamour of those people in the street; 
But the shearer chaps who start it -- why, he rounds on them the blame, 
And he calls 'em "agitators who are living on the game". 
Bur I "over-write" the bushmen! Well, I own without a dou...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...y takes some,
nobody reads them though,

no trumpets, no solemn instauration, no change;
no commissions, ladies high in soulful praise
(pal) none,
costumes as usual, turtleneck sweaters, loafers,
in & among the busy Many who brays
art is if anything fun.

I say the subject was given as of old,
prescribed the technical treatment, tests really tests
were set by the masters & graded.
I say the paralyzed fear lest one's not one
is back with us forever, worsts & bests
spring for t...Read more of this...
by Berryman, John
..., the singing throng,
Who, gifted with the skill divine,
Take up the threads of life, spun fine,
And weave them into soulful song.
They sung for me, whose passion pressing
My soul, found vent in song nor line.
They bore the burden of expressing
All that I felt, with art's design,
And every word of theirs was mine.
I read them to Ione, ofttimes,
[Pg 35]By hill and shore, beneath fair skies,
And she looked deeply in ...Read more of this...
by Laurence Dunbar, Paul



...their snow,

Thus the main and cordial current
Of our love sets over sea, --
Tender, comely, valiant Ireland,
Songful, soulful, sorrowful Ireland, --
Streaming warm to comfort thee....Read more of this...
by Lanier, Sidney
...ance strikes with glance, swift flashing high and higher, 
Like lightnings that precede the mighty storm; 
In the deep, soulful stillness; in the warm, 
Impassioned tide that sweeps through throbbing veins, 
Between the shores of keen delights and pains; 
In the embrace where madness melts in bliss, 
And in convulsive rapture of a kiss –
Thus doth Love speak....Read more of this...
by Wilcox, Ella Wheeler
...
The zest of life exceeds the bound of laws. 
New gales of tropic fury round my head 
Break lashing me through hours of soulful dread; 
But when the terror thins and, spent, withdraws, 
Leaving me wondering awhile, I pause-- 
But soon again the risky ways I tread! 
No rigid road for me, no peace, no rest, 
While molten elements run through my blood; 
And beauty-burning bodies manifest 
Their warm, heart-melting motions to be wooed; 
And passion boldly rising in my breast, 
Li...Read more of this...
by McKay, Claude
...om
 For my choice;
In the glug glug of the bottle,
As I tip it down my throttle,
 I rejoice.

Paint me neither sour not soulful,
For I would not have folks doleful
 When I go;
So if to my shade you're quaffing
I would rather see you laughing,
 As you know.
In Life's Great Experiment
I'll have heaps of merriment
 E're I pass;
And though devil beckons me,
And I've many a speck on me,
Maybe some will recon me -
 Worth a glass....Read more of this...
by Service, Robert William
...nvironments induced the proper pride,--
Wich gen'rally wuz whiskey straight, with seltzer on the side,--
He throwed his soulful bein' into opry airs 'nd things
Wich bounded to the ceilin' like he'd mesmerized the strings.

Oh, you that live in cities where the gran' piannies grow,
An' primy donnies round up, it's little that you know
Uv the hungerin' an' the yearnin' wich us miners an' the rest
Feel for the songs we used to hear before we moved out West.
Yes, memory is a plea...Read more of this...
by Field, Eugene
...

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I ...Read more of this...
by Angelou, Maya
...glance the sun's bright light
Blessed in the realms sublime of space.
Upon the cheek now bloomed the smile,
The voice's soulful harmony
Expanded into song the while,
And feeling swam in the moist eye;
And from the mouth, with spirit teeming o'er,
Jest, sweetly linked with grace, began to pour.

Sunk in the instincts of the worm,
By naught but sensual lust possessed,
Ye recognized within his breast
Love-spiritual's noble germ;
And that this germ of love so blest
Escaped the se...Read more of this...
by Schiller, Friedrich von
...ere the bombs are bustin',
and the cannons like 'ell-doors slam --
Just order another drink, boys, and I'll tell you of Soulful Sam.

Oh, Sam, he was never 'ilarious, though I've 'ad some mates as was wus;
He 'adn't C. B. on his programme, he never was known to cuss.
For a card or a skirt or a beer-mug he 'adn't a friendly word;
But when it came down to Scriptures, say! Wasn't he just a bird!

He always 'ad tracts in his pocket, the which he would haste to present,
And though...Read more of this...
by Service, Robert William
...s;
Girdled her garments billowing wide,
Moved with an undulating glide;
All her frivolous friends forsook,
Cultivated a soulful look;
Gushed in a voice with a creamy throb
Over some weirdly Futurist daub --
Did all, in short, that a woman can
To be a consummate Bohemian.

A year went past with its hopes and fears,
A year that seemed like a dozen years.
They met once more. . . . Oh, at last! At last!
They rushed together, they stopped aghast.
They looked at each other with bla...Read more of this...
by Service, Robert William
...Stay, season of calm love and soulful snows! 
There is a subtle sweetness in the sun, 
The ripples on the stream's breast gaily run, 
The wind more boisterously by me blows, 
And each succeeding day now longer grows. 
The birds a gladder music have begun, 
The squirrel, full of mischief and of fun, 
From maples' topmost branch the brown twig throws. 
I read these pregnant signs, know wha...Read more of this...
by McKay, Claude

Dont forget to view our wonderful member Soulful poems.


Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry