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Famous Unhappily Poems by Famous Poets

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

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by Finch, Anne Kingsmill
...
The Gazettes long had spoke his Fame; 
Now Hautboys his Approach proclaim, 
And draw in Crouds from far. 

Cloria unhappily wou'd gaze; 
And as he nearer drew, 
The Man of Feather and of Lace 
Stopp'd short, and with profound Amaze 
Took all her Charms to view. 

A Bow, which from Campaigns he brought, 
And to his Holsters low, 
Herself, and the Spectators taught, 
That Her the fairest Nymph he thought, 
Of all that form'd the Row. 

Next day, ere Phoebus cou'd ...Read more of this...



by Robinson, Edwin Arlington
...of it, and that you sit 
With nothing more agreeable than a ghost.
If you had thought a while of that, you might, 
Unhappily, not have come; and your not coming 
Would have been desolation—not for you, 
God save the mark!—for I would have you here. 
I shall not be alone with you to listen;
And I should be far less alone tonight 
With you away, make what you will of that. 

“I said that we were going back to school, 
And we may say that we are there—with him. ...Read more of this...

by Marlowe, Christopher
...1 On this feast-day--O cursed day and hour!--
132 Went Hero thorough Sestos, from her tower
133 To Venus' temple, where unhappily,
134 As after chanc'd, they did each other spy.
135 So fair a church as this had Venus none:
136 The walls were of discolour'd jasper-stone,
137 Wherein was Proteus carved; and over-head
138 A lively vine of green sea-agate spread,
139 Where by one hand light-headed Bacchus hung,
140 And with the other wine from grapes out-wrung.
141 Of cry...Read more of this...

by Jong, Erica
...oes to bed with her husband
thinking of him.
-& all this in a real old-fashioned four-poster bed.

Do they live unhappily ever after?
Of course.
Do they undo their mistakes?
Never.
Who is the victim here?
Love is the victim.
Who is the villian?
Love that never dies....Read more of this...

by Milton, John
...ot thus, Adam! witness Heaven 
What love sincere, and reverence in my heart 
I bear thee, and unweeting have offended, 
Unhappily deceived! Thy suppliant 
I beg, and clasp thy knees; bereave me not, 
Whereon I live, thy gentle looks, thy aid, 
Thy counsel, in this uttermost distress, 
My only strength and stay: Forlorn of thee, 
Whither shall I betake me, where subsist? 
While yet we live, scarce one short hour perhaps, 
Between us two let there be peace; both joining, 
As jo...Read more of this...



by Robinson, Edwin Arlington
...death in life—which is the food 
Of art that has betrayed itself alive 
And is a food of hell. She might have heard
Unhappily the temporary noise 
Of louder names than yours, and on frail urns 
That hardly will ensure a dwelling-place 
For even the dust that may be left of them, 
She might, and angrily, as like as not,
Look soon to find your name, not finding it. 
She might, like many another born for joy 
And for sufficient fulness of the hour, 
Go famishing by now, ...Read more of this...

by Service, Robert William
...the scale from Heav'n to Hell.
Paris, I love you still . . . good-by, good-by.
Thus it all ends -- unhappily, alas!
It's time to sleep, and now . . . blow out the gas. . . .

Now there's that little midinette
Who goes to work each morning daily;
I choose to call her Blithe Babette,
Because she's always humming gaily;
And though the Goddess "Comme-il-faut"
May look on her with prim expression,
It's Pagan Paris where, you know,
T...Read more of this...

by Shakespeare, William
...ese, for restful death I cry,
As to behold desert a beggar born,
And needy nothing trimmed in jollity,
And purest faith unhappily forsworn,
And gilded honour shamefully misplaced,
And maiden virtue rudely strumpeted,
And right perfection wrongfully disgraced,
And strength by limping sway disablèd
And art made tongue-tied by authority,
And folly doctor-like controlling skill,
And simple truth miscalled simplicity,
And captive good attending captain ill.
Tired with all thes...Read more of this...

by Shakespeare, William
...se, for restful death I cry,
As, to behold desert a beggar born,
And needy nothing trimm'd in jollity,
And purest faith unhappily forsworn,
And guilded honour shamefully misplaced,
And maiden virtue rudely strumpeted,
And right perfection wrongfully disgraced,
And strength by limping sway disabled,
And art made tongue-tied by authority,
And folly doctor-like controlling skill,
And simple truth miscall'd simplicity,
And captive good attending captain ill:
Tired with all these,...Read more of this...

by Larkin, Philip
....

The northern sky rose high and black
Over the proud unfruitful sea,
East and west the ships came back
Happily or unhappily:

But the third went wide and far
Into an unforgiving sea
Under a fire-spilling star,
And it was rigged for a long journey....Read more of this...

by Chaucer, Geoffrey
...snare,
Al for the doughter of the kinge Admete,
That al his craft ne coude his sorwe bete." -- 

'Right so fare I, unhappily for me;
I love oon best, and that me smerteth sore;
And yet, paraunter, can I rede thee,
And not my-self; repreve me no more.
I have no cause, I woot wel, for to sore 
As doth an hauk that listeth for to pleye,
But to thyn help yet somwhat can I seye.

'And of o thing right siker maystow be,
That certayn, for to deyen in the peyne,
That I s...Read more of this...

by Chaucer, Geoffrey
...idoine and Arge a king, Criseyde!
And so hope I that I shal yet, y-wis. 
But he was slayn, allas! The more harm is,
Unhappily at Thebes al to rathe,
Polymites and many a man to scathe.

'But herte myn, sin that I am your man,
And been the ferste of whom I seche grace, 
To serven you as hertely as I can,
And ever shal, whyl I to live have space,
So, er that I departe out of this place,
Ye wol me graunte, that I may to-morwe,
At bettre leyser, telle yow my sorwe.' 
...Read more of this...

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