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Famous Wisely Poems by Famous Poets

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

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by Dryden, John
...the plot.
To farther this Achitophel unites
The malcontents of all the Israelites:
Whose differing parties he could wisely join,
For several ends, to serve the same design.
The best, and of the princes some were such,
Who thought the pow'r of monarchy too much:
Mistaken men, and patriots in their hearts;
Not wicked, but seduc'd by impious arts.
By these the springs of property were bent,
And wound so high, they crack'd the government.
The next for interest sou...Read more of this...



by Robinson, Mary Darby
...fires. 
The proud enthusiast shuns promiscuous praise, 
The Idiot's smile condemns the Poet's lays. 
Perfection wisely courts the lib'ral few, 
The voice of kindred genius must be true. 
But empty witlings sate the public eye 
With puny jest and low buffoonery, 
The buzzing hornets swarm about the great, 
The poor appendages of pamper'd state; 
The trifling, flutt'ring insects of a day, 
Flit near the sun, and glitter in its ray; 
Whose subtle fires with charms ma...Read more of this...

by Pope, Alexander
...but be discreet,
And mark that Point where Sense and Dulness meet.

Nature to all things fix'd the Limits fit,
And wisely curb'd proud Man's pretending Wit:
As on the Land while here the Ocean gains,
In other Parts it leaves wide sandy Plains;
Thus in the Soul while Memory prevails,
The solid Pow'r of Understanding fails;
Where Beams of warm Imagination play,
The Memory's soft Figures melt away.
One Science only will one Genius fit;
So vast is Art, so narrow Human Wi...Read more of this...

by Robinson, Edwin Arlington
...mber a Queen’s Festival; 
And they would strive, informally, to make 
The most of them.—The mother understood, 
And wisely stepped away. Aunt Imogen
Was there for only one month in the year, 
While she, the mother,—she was always there; 
And that was what made all the difference. 
She knew it must be so, for Jane had once 
Expounded it to her so learnedly
That she had looked away from the child’s eyes 
And thought; and she had thought of many things. 

There w...Read more of this...

by Byron, George (Lord)
...rce with life resign; 
Now thou art mine, that sacred oath, 
Though sworn by one, hath bound us both. 
Yes, fondly, wisely hast thou done; 
That vow hath saved more heads than one: 
But blench not thou — thy simplest tress 
Claims more from me than tenderness; 
I would not wrong the slenderest hair 
That clusters round thy forehead fair, 
For all the treasures buried far 
Within the caves of Istakar. [19] 
This morning clouds upon me lower'd, 
Reproaches on my head we...Read more of this...



by Donne, John
...ay that man
Which goes this empty and ethereal way,
Than if at beauty's elements he stay.
Rich nature hath in women wisely made
Two purses, and their mouths aversely laid:
They then which to the lower tribute owe
That way which that exchequer looks must go:
He which doth not, his error is as great
As who by clyster gave the stomach meat....Read more of this...

by Jonson, Ben
...In single paths dangers with ease are watch'd ; Contagion in the press is soonest catch'd. This makes, that wisely you decline your lifeNot looking by, or back, like those that wait Times and occasions, to start forth, and seem. Which though the turning world may disesteem, Because that studies spectacles and shows, And after varied, as fresh objects, goes, Giddy with change, and therefore cannot see Right, the right way ;  yet must you...Read more of this...

by Marvell, Andrew
...pects, like a star, 
Here shines in peace, and thither shoots in war, 
While by his beams observing princes steer, 
And wisely court the influence they fear. 
O would they rather by his pattern won 
Kiss the approaching, not yet angry Son; 
And in their numbered footsteps humbly tread 
The path where holy oracles do lead; 
How might they under such a captain raise 
The great designs kept for the latter days! 
But mad with reason (so miscalled) of state 
They know them not...Read more of this...

by Carroll, Lewis
...ouble knock?
The twilight wanes, and morning comes at last -
"Oh, Uncle, what's o'clock?" 

The Uncle gravely nods, and wisely winks.
It MAY mean much, but how is one to know?
He opens his mouth - yet out of it, methinks,
No words of wisdom flow. 


II 

Empress of Art, for thee I twine
This wreath with all too slender skill.
Forgive my Muse each halting line,
And for the deed accept the will! 


O day of tears! Whence comes this spectre grim,
Parting, like Death'...Read more of this...

by Marvell, Andrew
...r> 

But a fresh news the great designment nips, 
Of, at the Isle of Candy, Dutch and ships! 
Bab May and Arlington did wisely scoff 
And thought all safe, if they were so far off. 
Modern geographers, 'twas there, they thought, 
Where Venice twenty years the Turk had fought, 
While the first year our navy is but shown, 
The next divided, and the third we've none. 
They, by the name, mistook it for that isle 
Where Pilgrim Palmer travelled in exile 
With the bull's ho...Read more of this...

by Trumbull, John
...grand he march'd by light of moon.
I see him, but thou canst not; proud
He leads in front the trembling crowd,
And wisely knows, as danger's near,
'Twill fall much heaviest on his rear.
Go on, great Gen'ral, nor regard
The scoffs of every scribbling bard;
Who sings how gods, that fearful night,
Aided by miracle your flight,
As once they used, in Homer's day,
To help weak heroes run away;
Tells how the hours, at this sad trial,
Went back, as erst on Ahaz' dial,
While ...Read more of this...

by Milton, John
...whether Heaven move or Earth, 
Imports not, if thou reckon right; the rest 
From Man or Angel the great Architect 
Did wisely to conceal, and not divulge 
His secrets to be scanned by them who ought 
Rather admire; or, if they list to try 
Conjecture, he his fabrick of the Heavens 
Hath left to their disputes, perhaps to move 
His laughter at their quaint opinions wide 
Hereafter; when they come to model Heaven 
And calculate the stars, how they will wield 
The mighty frame;...Read more of this...

by Whittier, John Greenleaf
...ame a huckleberry hill. 

A careless boy that night he seemed; 
But at his desk he had the look 
And air of one who wisely schemed, 
And hostage from the future took 
In trainëd thought and lore of book. 
Large-brained, clear-eyed, of such as he 
Shall Freedom's young apostles be, 
Who, following in War's bloody trail, 
Shall every lingering wrong assail; 
All chains from limb and spirit strike, 
Uplift the black and white alike; 
Scatter before their swift advance 
T...Read more of this...

by Byron, George (Lord)
...rce with life resign; 
Now thou art mine, that sacred oath, 
Though sworn by one, hath bound us both. 
Yes, fondly, wisely hast thou done; 
That vow hath saved more heads than one: 
But blench not thou — thy simplest tress 
Claims more from me than tenderness; 
I would not wrong the slenderest hair 
That clusters round thy forehead fair, 
For all the treasures buried far 
Within the caves of Istakar. [19] 
This morning clouds upon me lower'd, 
Reproaches on my head we...Read more of this...

by Goldsmith, Oliver
...;
The hearth, except when winter chilled the day,
With aspen boughs, and flowers, and fennel gay;
While broken teacups, wisely kept for show,
Ranged o'er the chimney, glistened in a row.

Vain transitory splendours! Could not all
Reprieve the tottering mansion from its fall!
Obscure it sinks, nor shall it more impart
An hour's importance to the poor man's heart;
Thither no more the peasant shall repair
To sweet oblivion of his daily care;
No more the farmer's news, the ba...Read more of this...

by Donne, John
...ave broke this happy dream; 
It was a theme 
For reason much too strong for fantasy. 
Therefore thou waked'st me wisely; yet 5 
My dream thou brok'st not but continued'st it. 
Thou art so true that thoughts of thee suffice 
To make dreams truths and fables histories; 
Enter these arms for since thou thought'st it best 
Not to dream all my dream let 's act the rest. 10 

As lightning or a taper's light  
Thine eyes and not thy noise waked me; 
Yet I tho...Read more of this...

by Killigrew, Anne
...O Man! thy self torment
Good here to gain, or Evils to prevent? 
Who only Miserable or Happy art, 
As thou neglects, or wisely act'st thy Part. 

 For shame then rouse thy self as from a Sleep, 
The long neglected Reins let Reason keep, 

The Charret mount, and use both Lash and Bit, 
Nobly resolve, and thou wilt firmly fit:
Fierce Anger, boggling Fear, Pride prauncing still, 
Bounds-hating Hope, Desire which nought can fill, 
Are stubborn all, but thou may'st give them L...Read more of this...

by Trumbull, John
...ach Ass a gifted met'physician,
Could preach in wrath 'gainst laughing rogues,
Write Halfway-covenant Dialogues,[3]
And wisely judge of all disputes
In commonwealths of men or brutes.


'Twas then, in spring a youthful Sparrow
Felt the keen force of Cupid's arrow:
For Birds, as Æsop's tales avow,
Made love then, just as men do now,
And talk'd of deaths and flames and darts,
And breaking necks and losing hearts;
And chose from all th' aerial kind,
Not then to tribes, like ...Read more of this...

by Byron, George (Lord)
...

'A Daniel come to judgment! yes a Daniel!
I thank thee, Jew for teaching me that word.' 

PREFACE 

It hath been wisely said, that 'One fool makes many;' and it hath been poetically observed —

'That fools rush in where angels fear to tread.' - Pope 

If Mr. Southey had not rushed in where he had no business, and where he never was before, and never will be again, the following poem would not have been written. It is not impossible that it may be as good as...Read more of this...

by Swift, Jonathan
...cloyed:
Some paragraph in ev'ry paper,
To curse the Dean, or bless the Drapier.

The doctors, tender of their fame,
Wisely on me lay all the blame:
"We must confess his case was nice;
But he would never take advice.
Had he been ruled, for aught appears,
He might have lived these twenty years;
For when we opened him we found
That all his vital parts were sound."

From Dublin soon to London spread,
'Tis told at court "the Dean is dead."
Kind Lady Suffolk, in the...Read more of this...

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