The Best Eighteenth-Century Poems Everyone Should Read

The eighteenth-century has gifted us with some incredible poets and true works of art. From William Blake to Alexandar Pope, we have some great names associated with the Age of Enlightenment and Romanticism.

“The crown of literature is poetry,” as Matthew Arnold once exclaimed. Thus, we can't refrain from presenting you with some of the best poems from the eighteenth century.

Without further ado, here is the list of eighteenth-century poems that should find their way to your must-read list.

“Tintern Abbey” by William Wordsworth,

Five years have past; five summers, with the length

Of five long winters! and again I hear

These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs

With a soft inland murmur.—Once again

Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,

That on a wild secluded scene impress

Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect

The landscape with the quiet of the sky …

Wordsworth’s inspiration for this poem came from the ruins of the medieval priory in the Wye Valley in South Wales. Despite the insinuation that the poem’s title provokes, the writing didn’t take place at Tintern Abbey. Wordsworth composed it after leaving the Wye as soon as he got to Bristol. While William Wordsworth has many poems worthy of your attention, such as “By the Sea” or “The Prelude,” the style and emotion of “Tintern Abbey” has made it a classic piece of Romantic poetry. The poem is written in meditative blank verse, and it is a true ode to self-examination, tranquility, and contemplation.

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

This classic poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley embodies stories of mortality and equality in death. Even though this poem is a 14-line sonnet, its rhyme scheme and form don’t align with typical sonnet tradition. This gives us a hint of Shelley’s rebellious and non-conforming character. “Ozymandias” is a Greek name for Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II. However, the poem is fictional as it describes the destruction of Ozymandias and his tyranny, while in reality, Ramses II dramatically expanded Egypt’s empire and is often regarded as the greatest pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. The decaying statue of Ozymandias portrays the passing nature of power. It is also a glorification of art and how it can preserve the past. If you love 18th-century art as much as you love 18th-century poetry, you can find here free essay samples on art history.

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, nor breath nor motion;

As idle as a painted ship

Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink …

The poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” first appeared in 1798 in Lyrical Ballads, a collection of poems that Coleridge co-authored with William Wordsworth. The inspiration for this long narrative poem came from a Somerset sailor’s story. Interestingly, Wordsworth didn’t like this now a classic poem and reluctantly approved its appearance in the collection. Years and years later, the poem is considered one of the best poems of 18th century English literature with potentially the most famous lines about the water: “Water, water, anywhere, / Nor any drop to drink.”

“The Rape of the Lock” by Alexander Pope

Say what strange motive, Goddess! could compel

A well-bred lord t’ assault a gentle belle?

O say what stranger cause, yet unexplor’d,

Could make a gentle belle reject a lord?

In tasks so bold, can little men engage,

And in soft bosoms dwells such mighty rage?

Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock” exceptionally personifies the neoclassical ideal of order and rationalism. The mock-heroic satire calls out the vanity of upper-class society in the early eighteenth century. The story leads us in “the world of upper-class drama.” When somebody cuts Belinda’s (an upper-class lady) lock of hair, a “war” starts. The poem’s exaggeration with a cast of supernatural entities is more than enjoyable once you lock in the thought that the poem ridicules the pettiness and superficiality of the upper class.

“The Vanity of Human Wishes” by Samuel Johnson

Who frown with vanity, who smile with art,

And ask the latest fashion of the heart,

What care, what rules your heedless charms shall save,

Each nymph your rival, and each youth your slave?

While best known for his Dictionary of the English Language (1755), Samuel Johnson is, in fact, an 18th-century classic poet. "The Vanity of Human Wishes" is considered to be his most impressive poem. This poem about vanity is written in heroic couplets (iambic pentameter rhyming couplets). You’ll be able to notice loose sections that deal with different kinds of ambition and power. All of these desires and wishes ultimately come to the point of futility. The concluding part of the poem suggests forming the right state of mind, the one that mainly focuses on love, gratefulness, and happiness.

“Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,

The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea,

The plowman homeward plods his weary way,

And leaves the world to darkness and to me.

Of course, we can’t end the list without featuring this true classic of eighteenth-century poetry. “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” was written soon after the death of Richard West (a poet). Thus, this elegy was dedicated to him. Despite the personalized inspiration, the poem became a meditation on the inevitability of death. This emotional and philosophical poem has become an elegy of all human beings. The poem's simplicity and honesty are what make it so beautiful. What’s interesting is that the ‘far from the madding crowd’ phrase was used by Thomas Hardy as the title of one of his novels.

Final Thoughts

Choosing a few best pieces of 18th-century poetry wasn't easy. There are so many more well-written poems you can indulge in. However, this list gives you a great starting point. It introduces you to some of the best 18th-century poets and their best work. Whether you are an 18th-century poetry fan or a newbie, you are bound to recognize the beauty of these poems. Once you get to know the poets' style, themes, and preferences, you'll have no trouble with prolonging the list with new captivating poems.

Citation of Sources:

● Dobrinska, Leah. 2017. “A Snapshot of Great Eighteenth-Century Poets.” Books Tell You Why (blog). Accessed January 27th, 2021. https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/a-snapshot-of-great-eighteenth-century-poets

● Shaw, Philip. 2014. “An Introduction to ‘Tintern Abbey’.” British Library (website). Accessed January 27th, 2021. https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/an-introduction-to-tintern-abbey#

● Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (blog). Accessed January 27th, 2021. https://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/

● The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2020. “Lyrical Ballads.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed January 27th, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lyrical-Ballads.