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Famous Tokens Poems by Famous Poets

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

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by Bryant, William Cullen
...throws himself 
Upon the continent, and overwhelms 
Its cities---who forgets not, at the sight 
Of these tremendous tokens of thy power, 
His pride, and lays his strifes and follies by? 
Oh, from these sterner aspects of thy face 
Spare me and mine, nor let us need the wrath 
Of the mad unchained elements to teach 
Who rules them. Be it ours to meditate, 
In these calm shades, thy milder majesty, 
And to the beautiful order of the works 
Learn to conform the o...Read more of this...



by Bryant, William Cullen
...throws himself 
Upon the continent and overwhelms 
Its cities¡ªwho forgets not at the sight 110 
Of these tremendous tokens of thy power  
His pride and lays his strifes and follies by? 
O from these sterner aspects of thy face 
Spare me and mine nor let us need the wrath 
Of the mad unchain¨¨d elements to teach 115 
Who rules them. Be it ours to meditate  
In these calm shades thy milder majesty  
And to the beautiful order of thy works 
Learn to conform the o...Read more of this...

by Hardy, Thomas
...drop one plume as pledge that Heaven inscrolls the wrong.

--There are who, rapt to heights of tranc?d trust,
These tokens claim to feel and see,
Read radiant hints of times to be--
Of heart to heart returning after dust to dust.

Such scope is granted not my powers indign...
I have lain in dead men's beds, have walked
The tombs of those with whom I'd talked,
Called many a gone and goodly one to shape a sign,

And panted for response. But none replies;...Read more of this...

by von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang
...h aged and weak he may be.
This castle is mine! thou hast made it thy prey,

Thy people 'twas put me to flight;
The tokens I bear will confirm what I say"--

The children they hear with delight.

"The king who erst govern'd returneth again,
And restores to the Faithful the goods that were ta'en,

I'll unseal all my treasures the while;
The laws shall be gentle, and peaceful the reign"--

The old man thus cries with a smile--
"Take courage, my son! all hath turned out ...Read more of this...

by Thompson, Francis
...st flower on Sussex hills 
Was the Daisy-flower that day! 

Her beauty smoothed earth's furrowed face. 
She gave me tokens three:-- 
A look, a word of her winsome mouth, 
And a wild raspberry. 

A berry red, a guileless look, 
A still word,--strings of sand! 
And yet they made my wild, wild heart 
Fly down to her little hand. 

For standing artless as the air, 
And candid as the skies, 
She took the berries with her hand, 
And the love with her sweet eyes. 

T...Read more of this...



by Lawson, Henry
...the rebel makes answer `No! 
We'll fight till the world grows wide!' 

The world shall yet be a wider world -- for the tokens are manifest; 
East and North shall the wrongs be hurled that followed us South and West. 
The march of Freedom is North by the Dawn! Follow, whate'er betide! 
Sons of the Exiles, march! March on! March till the world grows wide!...Read more of this...

by Angelou, Maya
...A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed,
Marked the mastodon.

The dinosaur, who left dry tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.

But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow.

I will give you no more hiding place down here.

Y...Read more of this...

by Trumbull, John
...ingal having grown
The vilest Tory in the town,
And now in full examination
Convicted by his own confession,
Finding no tokens of repentance,
This Court proceeds to render sentence:
That first the Mob a slip-knot single
Tie round the neck of said M'Fingal,
And in due form do tar him next,
And feather, as the law directs;
Then through the town attendant ride him
In cart with Constable beside him,
And having held him up to shame,
Bring to the pole, from whence he came."


F...Read more of this...

by Pinsky, Robert
...Dire one and desired one,
Savior, sentencer--

In an old allegory you would carry
A chained alphabet of tokens:

Ankh Badge Cross.
Dragon,
Engraved figure guarding a hallowed intaglio,
Jasper kinema of legendary Mind,
Naked omphalos pierced
By quills of rhyme or sense, torah-like: unborn
Vein of will, xenophile
Yearning out of Zero.

Untrusting I court you. Wavering
I seek your face, I read
That Crusoe's knife
Reeked of you, that to defile you
The ...Read more of this...

by Service, Robert William
...ming home,
The velvet love of little hands.

So much is good. . . . We thank Thee, God,
For all the tokens Thou hast given,
That here on earth our feet have trod
Thy little shining trails of Heaven....Read more of this...

by Angelou, Maya
...)

A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed,
Mark the mastodon.
The dinosaur, who left dry tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow.
I will give you no hiding place down here.
You...Read more of this...

by Belloc, Hilaire
...The grapes' sweet odors rise;
15 At noon the roads all flutter
16 With yellow butterflies.

17 By all these lovely tokens 
18 September days are here,
19 With summer's best of weather,
20 And autumn's best of cheer.

21 But none of all this beauty
22 Which floods the earth and air
23 Is unto me the secret
24 Which makes September fair.

25 'T is a thing which I remember;
26 To name it thrills me yet:
27 One day of one September
28 I never can forget....Read more of this...

by Whitman, Walt
...able or industrious over the whole earth. 

So they show their relations to me, and I accept them;
They bring me tokens of myself—they evince them plainly in their
 possession. 

I wonder where they get those tokens: 
Did I pass that way huge times ago, and negligently drop them? 
Myself moving forward then and now and forever, 
Gathering and showing more always and with velocity,
Infinite and omnigenous, and the like of these among them; 
Not too exclusive...Read more of this...

by Dyke, Henry Van
...aple and birch and hickory ready for winter,
The gambrel-roof with its garret crowded with household relics, --
All the tokens of prudent thrift and the spirit of self-reliance. 

I love the look of the shingled houses that front the ocean;
Their backs are bowed, and their lichened sides are weather-beaten;
Soft in their colour as grey pearls, they are full of patience and courage.
They seem to grow out of the rocks, there is something indomitable about them:
Facing t...Read more of this...

by von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang
...not yet flown,

Sweetest, here then stay,

And without delay

Hold we now our wedding feast alone!"

Then exchange they tokens of their truth;

She gives him a golden chain to wear,
And a silver chalice would the youth

Give her in return of beauty rare.

"That is not for me;

Yet I beg of thee,
One lock only give me of thy hair."

Now the ghostly hour of midnight knell'd,

And she seem'd right joyous at the sign;
To her pallid lips the cup she held,

But she drank of...Read more of this...

by Bridges, Robert Seymour
...ress,
For when God sendeth sorrow, it doth bless. 

50
The world comes not to an end: her city-hives
Swarm with the tokens of a changeless trade,
With rolling wheel, driver and flagging jade,
Rich men and beggars, children, priests and wives.
New homes on old are set, as lives on lives;
Invention with invention overlaid:
But still or tool or toy or book or blade
Shaped for the hand, that holds and toils and strives. 
The men to-day toil as their fathers taught,
Wi...Read more of this...

by Scott, Sir Walter
...their crest.'
     If by the blaze I mark aright
     Thou bear'st the belt and spur of Knight.'
     'Then by these tokens mayst thou know
     Each proud oppressor's mortal foe.'
     'Enough, enough; sit down and share
     A soldier's couch, a soldier's fare.'
     XXXI..

     He gave him of his Highland cheer,
     The hardened flesh of mountain deer;
     Dry fuel on the fire he laid,
     And bade the Saxon share his plaid.
     He tended him like welcome...Read more of this...

by Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth
...radise
He bound them in his sheaves.

"My Lord has need of these flowerets gay,"
The Reaper said, and smiled;
"Dear tokens of the earth are they,
Where he was once a child.

"They shall all bloom in fields of light,
Transplanted by my care,
And saints, upon their garments white,
These sacred blossoms wear."

And the mother gave, in tears and pain,
The flowers she most did love;
She knew she should find them all again
In the fields of light above.

O, not in cr...Read more of this...

by Angelou, Maya
...A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed,
Mark the mastodon.
The dinosaur, who left dry tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow.
I will give you no hiding place down here.
You, created ...Read more of this...

by Bradstreet, Anne
...Lord, Thy folk whom Thou 
To wilderness hast brought; 
Let not Thine own inheritance 
Be sold away for nought.

But tokens of Thy favour give, 
With joy send back my dear 
That I and all Thy servants may 
Rejoice with heavenly cheer.

Lord, let my eyes see once again 
Him whom Thou gavest me 
That we together may sing praise 
Forever unto Thee.

And the remainder of our days 
Shall consecrated be 
With an engaged heart to sing 
All praises unto Thee....Read more of this...

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Book: Reflection on the Important Things