Famous Swampy Poems by Famous Poets

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

See also:

Ode to Gumbo

by Chris Tusa
 after Sue Owen

Born from flour anointed with oil, 
from a roux dark and mean as a horse’s breath, 
you remind me of some strange, mystical stew 
spawned from a muddy version of Macbeth.
Only someone’s replaced the spells with spices, 
the witches with a Cajun chef.

Maybe you’re a recipe torn from Satan’s Cookbook, 
a kind of dumb-downed devil’s brew
where evil...Read more of this...

Frogs in chorus

by Andrew Barton Paterson
 The chorus frogs in the big lagoon 
Would sing their songs to the silvery moon. 
Tenor singers were out of place, 
For every frog was a double bass. 
But never a human chorus yet 
Could beat the accurate time they set. 
The solo singer began the joke; 
He sang, "As long as I live I'll croak, 
Croak, I'll croak,"...Read more of this...

The Bell-ringer

by Emile Verhaeren
Yon, in the depths of the evening's track,
Like a herd of blind bullocks that seek their fellows,
Wild, as in terror, the tempest bellows.
And suddenly, there, o'er the gables black
That the church, in the twilight, around it raises
All scored with lightnings the steeple blazes.


See the old bell-ringer, frenzied with fear.
Mouth gaping, yet speechless, draw hastening near.
And the knell of alarm that...Read more of this...

The Andante of Snakes

by Arthur Symons
 They weave a slow andante as in sleep, 
Scaled yellow, swampy black, plague-spotted white; 
With blue and lidless eyes at watch they keep 
A treachery of silence; infinite 

Ancestral angers brood in these dull eyes 
Where the long-lineaged venom of the snake 
Meditates evil; woven intricacies 
Of Oriental arabesque awake, 

Unfold, expand, contract, and raise and sway 
Swoln heart-shaped...Read more of this...

Dont forget to view our wonderful member Swampy poems.

Get a Premium Membership
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace