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Famous Variant Poems by Famous Poets

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

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by Hopkins, Gerard Manley
...them, a fringe and fray 
Of greenery: it is old earth’s groping towards the steep
Heaven whom she childs us by. 


(Variant from line 7.) b.

They touch, they tabour on it, hover on it[; here, there hurled], 
With talons sweep 
The smouldering enormous winter welkin. [Eye, 
But more cheer is when] May
Mells blue with snowwhite through their fringe and fray 
Of greenery and old earth gropes for, grasps at steep 
Heaven with it whom she childs things by....Read more of this...



by Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth
...n-loft.
There too the dove-cot stood, with its meek and innocent inmates
Murmuring ever of love; while above in the variant breezes
Numberless noisy weathercocks rattled and sang of mutation.

Thus, at peace with God and the world, the farmer of Grand-Pre
Lived on his sunny farm, and Evangeline governed his household.
Many a youth, as he knelt in the church and opened his missal,
Fixed his eyes upon her as the saint of his deepest devotion;
Happy was he who might ...Read more of this...

by Seeger, Alan
...and tears 
Hover about like butterflies and bees. 
Thou art the theme the music of the spheres 
Echoes in endless, variant harmonies. 


Thou art the idol in the altar-niche 
Faced by Love's congregated worshippers, 
Thou art the holy sacrament round which 
The vast cathedral is the universe. 


Thou art the secret in the crystal where, 
For the last light upon the mystery Man, 
In his lone tower and ultimate despair, 
Searched the gray-bearded Zoroastrian. 
...Read more of this...

by Stevenson, Robert Louis
...COME to me, all ye that labour; I will give your spirits rest;
Here apart in starry quiet I will give you rest.
Come to me, ye heavy laden, sin defiled and care opprest,
In your father's quiet mansions, soon to prove a welcome guest.
But an hour you bear your trial, sin and suffer, bleed and die;
But an hour you toil and combat here in day's inspir...Read more of this...

by Lux, Thomas
...-"), solidus (sounding
too much like a Roman legionnaire
of many campaigns),
or a separatrix (reminding one of a sexual
variant). No, I like virgule. I like the word
and I like the function: "Whichever is appropriate
may be chosen to complete the sense."
There is something democratic
about that, grown-up; a long
and slender walking stick set against the house.
Virgule: it feels good in your mouth.
Virgule: its foot on backwards, trochaic, that's OK, Americ...Read more of this...



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