Famous Thomson Poems by Famous Poets

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

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On the Religious Memory of Mrs. Catherine Thomson my Christian Friend Deceased Dec. 16 1646

by John Milton
 When Faith and Love, which parted from thee never, 
Had ripened thy just soul to dwell with God, 
Meekly thou didst resign this earthly load 
Of death, called life, which us from life doth sever. 
Thy works, and alms, and all thy good endeavour, 
Stayed not behind, nor in the grave were trod; 
But, as Faith pointed with her...Read more of this...

A Poem Sacred to the Memory of Sir Isaac Newton

by James Thomson
 Shall the great soul of Newton quit this earth, 
To mingle with his stars; and every muse,
Astonish'd into silence, shun the weight
Of honours due to his illustrious name?
But what can man?--Even now the sons of light,
In strains high-warbled to seraphic lyre,
Hail his arrival on the coast of bliss.
Yet am not I deterr'd, though high the theme,
And sung to harps...Read more of this...

Sonnet 14

by John Milton
 XIV

When Faith and Love which parted from thee never,
Had ripen'd thy just soul to dwell with God,
Meekly thou didst resign this earthy load
Of Death, call'd Life; which us from Life doth sever
Thy Works and Alms and all thy good Endeavour
Staid not behind, nor in the grave were trod;
But as Faith pointed with her golden rod,
Follow'd thee up to joy...Read more of this...

Fareweel ye bughts

by James Thomson
 1. Fareweel, ye bughts, an' all your ewes, 
An' fields whare bIoomin' heather grows; 
Nae mair the sportin' lambs I'll see 
Since my true love's forsaken me. 

CHORUS. 
Nae mair I'll hear wi' pleasure sing 
The cheerfu' lav'rock in the Spring, 
But sad in grief now I maun mourn, 
Far, far frae her, o'er Logan-burn. 

2. Alas! nae mair...Read more of this...

Rule Britannia

by James Thomson
 When Britain first, at Heaven's command,
Arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sung this strain:
"Rule, Britannia, rule the waves;
Britons never will be slaves." 

The nations, not so blest as thee,
Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall:
While thou shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.
"Rule, Britannia, rule the waves;
Britons...Read more of this...

The Vine

by James Thomson
 THE wine of Love is music, 
 And the feast of Love is song: 
And when Love sits down to the banquet, 
 Love sits long: 

Sits long and arises drunken, 
 But not with the feast and the wine; 
He reeleth with his own heart, 
 That great, rich Vine....Read more of this...

May and the Poets

by James Henry Leigh Hunt
 There is May in books forever; 
May will part from Spenser never; 
May's in Milton, May's in Prior, 
May's in Chaucer, Thomson, Dyer; 
May's in all the Italian books:-- 
She has old and modern nooks, 
Where she sleeps with nymphs and elves, 
In happy places they call shelves, 
And will rise and dress your rooms 
With a drapery thick...Read more of this...

Gifts

by James Thomson
 GIVE a man a horse he can ride, 
 Give a man a boat he can sail; 
And his rank and wealth, his strength and health, 
 On sea nor shore shall fail. 

Give a man a pipe he can smoke, 
 Give a man a book he can read: 
And his home is bright with a calm delight,...Read more of this...

Hymn on Solitude

by James Thomson
 Hail, mildly pleasing solitude,
Companion of the wise and good;
But, from whose holy, piercing eye,
The herd of fools, and villains fly.
Oh! how I love with thee to walk,
And listen to thy whisper'd talk,
Which innocence, and truth imparts,
And melts the most obdurate hearts. 

A thousand shapes you wear with ease,
And still in every shape you please.
Now wrapt in some mysterious dream,
A...Read more of this...

In the Train

by James Thomson
 AS we rush, as we rush in the Train, 
 The trees and the houses go wheeling back, 
But the starry heavens above the plain 
 Come flying on our track. 

All the beautiful stars of the sky, 
 The silver doves of the forest of Night, 
Over the dull earth swarm and fly, 
 Companions of our flight....Read more of this...

Sunday up the River

by James Thomson
 MY love o'er the water bends dreaming; 
 It glideth and glideth away: 
She sees there her own beauty, gleaming 
 Through shadow and ripple and spray. 

O tell her, thou murmuring river, 
 As past her your light wavelets roll, 
How steadfast that image for ever 
 Shines pure in pure depths of my soul....Read more of this...

Farewell to Ravelrig

by James Thomson
 Sweet Ravelrig, I ne'er could part 
From thee, but wi' a dowie heart. 
When I think on the happy days 
I spent in youth about your braes, 
When innocence my steps did guide, 
Where murmuring streams did sweetly glide 
Beside the braes well stored wi' trees, 
And sweetest flow'rs that fend the bees: 

And there the tuneful tribe doth...Read more of this...

388. Extempore on some commemorations of Thomson

by Robert Burns
 DOST thou not rise, indignant shade,
 And smile wi’ spurning scorn,
When they wha wad hae starved thy life,
 Thy senseless turf adorn?


Helpless, alane, thou clamb the brae,
 Wi’ meikle honest toil,
And claught th’ unfading garland there—
 Thy sair-worn, rightful spoil.


And wear it thou! and call aloud
 This axiom undoubted—
Would thou hae Nobles’ patronage?
 First learn to live without it!


To...Read more of this...

343. Address to the shade of Thomson

by Robert Burns
 WHILE virgin Spring by Eden’s flood,
 Unfolds her tender mantle green,
Or pranks the sod in frolic mood,
 Or tunes Eolian strains between.


While Summer, with a matron grace,
 Retreats to Dryburgh’s cooling shade,
Yet oft, delighted, stops to trace
 The progress of the spiky blade.


While Autumn, benefactor kind,
 By Tweed erects his aged head,
And sees, with self-approving mind,
 Each creature on...Read more of this...

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