{"id":25884,"date":"2023-04-04T19:10:05","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T17:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=182655"},"modified":"2023-04-04T21:35:43","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T19:35:43","slug":"10-most-famous-poems-of-all-time","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/10-most-famous-poems-of-all-time\/","title":{"rendered":"10 most famous poems of all time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our round-up of the ten most famous poems of all time <\/p>

By Hannah Nepilova\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 04 April 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

No top-ten round up of famous poems could be anything other than subjective, and inevitably we have had to miss out dozens, maybe even hundreds, of major contenders. Nonetheless, we\u2019ve done our best to put together a list that at least provides a springboard for some healthy debate. Take a look and see if we have missed out any of your favourites!<\/p>\n

Most famous poems of all time<\/h2>\n

\u2018The Tyger\u2019 by William Blake<\/strong><\/h3>\n
With its vivid imagery and universal themes, William Blake<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s 1794 poem, which explores the struggle between good and evil through the metaphor of a tiger, never gets old. It has been set by a number of composers, among them Rebecca Clarke<\/a><\/strong>, who in her 1933 song \u2018Tiger, Tiger\u2019 , freely embraces dissonance to capture the searing intensity of Blake\u2019s poem. The result is a terrifyingly dark sonic canvas \u2013 one of Clarke\u2019s most intrepid tonal experiments.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\""p1"\"><strong>\u2018Ode to Joy\u2019 by Friedrich Schiller<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">It\u2019s not hard to see why Schiller\u2019s 1785 poem, \u2018<strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/ode-to-joy-lyrics\/"\">Ode to Joy<\/a>\u2018 <\/strong>which celebrates the unity of all mankind, has resonated with people all over the world. And why it would have appealed to <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/five-essential-works-beethoven\/"\">Beethoven<\/a><\/strong>, deeply committed, as he was, to the ideals of the Enlightenment and the belief in the power of human progress.<\/p>\n<p class=\""p1"\">He famously filched it for the fourth movement of his ninth symphony, where, in combination with his ecstatic melody, it has provided a symbol of hope and inspiration for generations of listeners.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Beethoven\" symphony=\"\" movement=\"\" iv=\"\" to=\"\" joy=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hdWyYn0E4Ys?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3 class=\""p1"\"><strong> \u2018Der Erlk<span class=\""s1"\">oni<\/span>g\u2019 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">This gripping poem, written in 1782, tells the story of a father and son being pursued by the mythological creature, the Erlking, who is said to lure children to their death.<\/p>\n<p class=\""p1"\">It also lured the Austrian composer <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/franz-schubert\/"\">Franz Schubert<\/a><\/strong> to write a piece of music: his famous art song <i>Der Erlkonig<\/i>, whose haunting <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-a-melody\/"\">melody<\/a><\/strong> and dramatic musical accompaniment capitalises on the poem\u2019s sense of suspense and horror.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Franz\" schubert:=\"\" erlk=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JS91p-vmSf0?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlightcontent\" editor-content=\"\"> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/darkest-nursery-rhymes\/"\"><b>10 darkest nursery rhymes<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/popular-nursery-rhymes\/"\"><b>10 of the most popular nursery rhymes<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""..\/reviews\/books\/the-best-books-about-classical-music-released-in-2022-so-far\/"\"><b>The best books about music released in 2022<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h3 class=\""p1"\"><strong><i>\u2018<\/i>I wandered lonely as a cloud\u2019 by William Wordsworth<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Inspired by a walk that Wordsworth took around Glencoyne Bay in the Lake District with his sister Dorothy, Wordsworth\u2019s 1804 poem, otherwise known as \u2018Daffodils\u2019, is famous for its simple yet evocative imagery and its celebration of nature.<\/p>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Though seen as a classic of English Romantic poetry \u2013 and a staple on the English Literature GSCE syllabus \u2013 it has received surprisingly few musical settings, a rare example being a song by the 20th century English composer, conductor and organist Eric Thiman.<\/p>\n<p class=\""p1"\">In 2007, Cumbria Tourism also released a rap version of it, featuring MC Nuts, a <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/facts-about-red-squirrels\/"\">red squirrel<\/a><\/strong>, in an attempt to lure the \u2018YouTube generation\u2019 of tourists to the Lake District.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""I\" wandered=\"\" lonely=\"\" as=\"\" a=\"\" cloud=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/F1ePkY8vs6k?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3 class=\""p1"\"><strong> \u2018If\u2019 by Rudyard Kipling<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">A rousing representation of Victorian-era stoicism<i>,<\/i> Kipling\u2019s \u2018If\u2019, written in 1910,<i> <\/i>was voted the nation\u2019s favourite poem by BBC television viewers in both 2005 and 2009.<\/p>\n<p class=\""p1"\">With its propulsive rhythm and moving message of perseverance, determination and resilience in the face of adversity, it puts you in mind of the nationalist school of English music\u00a0 (you can imagine <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/edward-elgar\/"\">Elgar<\/a><\/strong> having a field day with it). For all that though, its most famous musical setting is by the folk singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, who changed the last verse and updated the language.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Joni\" mitchell=\"\" if=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SBuqy9oLISA?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3><strong> \u2018Don Juan\u2019 by Lord Byron<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">This epic poem is well known for its satirical tone, its romantic themes and its larger-than-life protagonist: the womanising Don Juan, whose travels and Romantic escapades are notorious.\u00a0 They certainly provided plenty of fodder for the composer, <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/richard-strauss\/"\">Richard Strauss<\/a>,<\/strong> who, in his 1888 <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-tone-poem\/"\">tone poem<\/a><\/strong> <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/don-juan-strauss\/"\"><em>Don Juan<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, pulled out all the stops to depict the various stages of Don Juan\u2019s journey: at times his music is frenzied and chaotic; at times erotic and sensual; at times it is melancholic, most poignantly at the end where the hero comes to the realisation that his life has been empty and meaningless.<\/p>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Don Juan is also the inspiration behind <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/mozart\/"\">Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart<\/a><\/strong>\u2018s <i><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/building-library-mozarts-don-giovanni\/"\">Don Giovanni<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 <\/i>though Mozart\u2019s creation is far more sinister and villainous.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Strauss:\" don=\"\" juan=\"\" hr-sinfonieorchester=\"\" andr=\"\" orozco-estrada=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XG4uBRBMdzY?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlightcontent\" editor-content=\"\"> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-musical-settings-british-poems\/"\"><b>5 of the best musical settings of British poems<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/don-juan-strauss\/"\"><b>Don Juan: who was he and why did Strauss write a tone poem about him?<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/classical-music-inspired-by-fairy-tales\/"\"><b>6 pieces of classical music inspired by fairytales<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h3><strong> \u2018Stop all the Clocks\u2019 by W.H. Auden<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The 1994 film <em>Four Weddings and a Funeral<\/em> enhanced this poem\u2019s popularity, thanks to that famous scene in which John Hannah recited it so poignantly. But W.H Auden\u2019s \u2018Stop all the Clocks\u2019 , otherwise known as \u2018Funeral Blues\u2019 has always struck a chord with the public\u00a0 \u2013 ever since\u00a0 it first appeared in the 1936 play <i>The Ascent of F6. <\/i><\/p>\n<p>This is a poem that everyone can relate to, whose themes of love, loss and mourning are universal, whose surface simplicity belies its internal depth \u2013 not least in the way it goes above and beyond the usual tropes associated with\u00a0 mourning (who, for example, would usually demand that a traffic policeman wear black cotton gloves?).<\/p>\n<p>No surprises, then, that\u00a0 it appealed to the foremost British composer of Auden\u2019s day, <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/five-essential-works-benjamin-britten\/"\">Benjamin Britten<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 a close creative partner of Auden\u2019s \u2013 who set it as a song for voice and piano, elevating it with his characteristic less-is-more approach.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Funeral\" blues=\"\" benjamin=\"\" britten=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OwXnsSDw4cI?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3><strong>Shakespeare\u2019s sonnets<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Iconic though they are, <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/shakespeare-music\/"\">Shakespeare<\/a><\/strong>\u2018s love poems have had surprisingly little in the way of musical settings \u2013 at least by classical composers. One composer who has thrown his hat into the ring is <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/robert-hollingworth\/"\">Robert Hollingworth<\/a><\/strong>, director of the vocal ensemble I Fagiolini, whose 2012 album \u2018Shakespeare: the sonnets\u2019, paid tribute to the Bard\u2019s time by using authentic instruments from the early 17th century, including the Lirone, Theorbo, viol, cornett,\u00a0 sackbut and shawm, amongst others.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\u00a0\u2018The Raven\u2019 by Edgar Allan Poe<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This 1845 poem, which tells of a distraught lover who is paid a mysterious visit by a talking raven, is a masterful example of the Gothic literary tradition, encapsulating the despair of mourning. It is also renowned for its musicality, which helps to explain why a variety of composers, including Joseph Holbrooke, Leonard Slatkin, Toshio Hosokawa and Betsy Jolas, have all had a go at setting it.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Joseph\" holbrooke=\"\" raven=\"\" adrian=\"\" leaper=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FgwJgGCSncs?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlightcontent\" editor-content=\"\"> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/five-best-settings-robert-burns-poems\/"\"><b>Five of the best\u2026settings of Robert Burns poems<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/listen\/podcast\/music-to-my-ears-poet-wendy-cope\/"\"><b>Music to my Ears: poet Wendy Cope<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/reviews\/books\/childrens-books-about-music\/"\">Children\u2019s books about music: 10 of the best<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h3><strong>\u2018The Lady of Shallot\u2019 by Alfred Lord Tennyson<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Such is the immediate appeal of this 19th-century <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-a-ballad\/"\">ballad<\/a><\/strong>, which tells the story of Elaine of Astolat, a young noblewoman stranded in a tower up the river from Camelot, that even confirmed poetry-phobes might make an exception for it. With its flowing rhythm and vivid descriptions of the Lady\u2019s surroundings, it creates an atmosphere full of magic and mystery that lends itself to musical adaptation.<\/p>\n<p>That, at least, must have been the view of the French composer <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/five-essential-works-messiaen\/"\">Olivier Messiaen<\/a><\/strong>, who used the poem as the basis for his first ever composition when he was eight years old:\u00a0 a piece for solo piano called <i>La dame de Shalott<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The obvious lack of experience in this work will be forgiven when one learns that I was born in December 1908 and wrote it at the beginning of 1917,\u2019 wrote Messiaen of the work. \u2018In this \u201cLady of Shalott\u201d a child\u2019s imagination runs unleashed.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing is missing: the castles, the inflection of the spoken word, the song of Lady Shalott(weaving!), Sir Lancelot on horseback, the broken mirror, the tapestry which flies out the window, the falling willow leaves, and the death of the lady who lies in a boat drifting down the river (<strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-a-barcarolle\/"\">barcarole<\/a><\/strong>!).Despite its extraordinary naivety, this work is nonetheless my op.1.\u2019<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Olivier\" messiaen:=\"\" la=\"\" dame=\"\" de=\"\" shalott=\"\" pour=\"\" piano=\"\" apr=\"\" tennyson=\"\" yvonne=\"\" loriod-messiaen=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VDYuWMRgxPs?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlightcontent\" editor-content=\"\"> \n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/ovid-metamorphoses-inspired-composers\/"\">How Ovid\u2019s\u00a0Metamorphoses\u00a0inspired composers<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-musical-settings-british-poems\/"\">Five of the best musical settings of British poems<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Our round-up of the ten most famous poems of all time <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":25885,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/10-most-famous-poems-of-all-time.jpg",640,491,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/10-most-famous-poems-of-all-time-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/10-most-famous-poems-of-all-time-300x230.jpg",300,230,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/10-most-famous-poems-of-all-time.jpg",640,491,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/10-most-famous-poems-of-all-time.jpg",640,491,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/10-most-famous-poems-of-all-time.jpg",640,491,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/10-most-famous-poems-of-all-time.jpg",640,491,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Our round-up of the ten most famous poems of all time","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/25884"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}