Dark poems delve into themes of death, despair, and the macabre, often exploring the darker aspects of human nature and existence. These works may include elements of horror, nightmares, and existential angst, creating a profound emotional impact through vivid, often unsettling imagery and introspective reflections.
Coleridge’s ‘Christabel’ is an uncompleted long narrative that tells the story of Christabel and Geraldine, featuring supernatural elements.
This poem is a quintessential example of a dark, gothic poem from the 19th century. Coleridge masterfully weaves an atmosphere of eerie suspense and supernatural elements, creating a sense of foreboding throughout the narrative. The ambiguous nature of Geraldine’s malevolence and the psychological tension it generates make this poem one of the finest examples of dark poetry from this era.
Lowell’s ‘Night Sweat’ portrays his struggle with writer’s block and profound distress, finding solace in his wife’s comforting presence.
Right from the line in the opening where Lowell talks about how for ten long nights he has been suffering from recurring episodes of night sweats, the theme of darkness starts looming over the text. Notice how the repetition of the word “night” in the first half and the words “leaded,” “gray,” and “soot” in the latter half create a dark ambiance in the poem.
Work-table, litter, books and standing lamp,
plain things, my stalled equipment, the old broom---
‘A Poison Tree’ presents the consequences of harboring anger, which becomes a poisonous tree wreaking devastation.
The poem embodies darkness, exploring concealed emotions and the metaphorical poisoning of relationships. The imagery of a growing, deceitful tree amplifies the shadowy theme, reflecting human tendencies to nurture hidden wrath with destructive outcomes.
Colm Keegan confronts the violent deaths of young men in Ireland in ‘Memorial’, rewinding the clock to a time they were happy and free.
This poem matches its dark subject matter with a dark and gloomy setting, emphasising the horror of the event. 'Memorial' is a poem which addresses the rise in violent deaths among young men, drawing inspiration from a 2010 murder case in Dublin. It focuses on the desire to go back in time and prevent events from taking the life of a loved one, but ultimately emphasises the inability to do so. Keegan pairs this dark subject with the oppressive darkness of the night, lit only by dim street lights which represent a row of graves.
‘Boots’ by Rudyard Kipling is a memorable poem. In it, Kipling uses repetition to emphasize the struggle of soldiers on a forced march.
In the realm of dark poetry, 'Boots' achieves special power by showing darkness emerging from repetition rather than tragedy. Unlike poems that rely on gothic imagery or violent events, Kipling creates horror from the mundane act of marching. The progression from physical exhaustion to hallucination demonstrates how darkness can stem from repetition alone.
We're foot—slog—slog—slog—sloggin’ over Africa!
Foot—foot—foot—foot—sloggin’ over Africa—
(Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin’ up and down again!)
Cummings’ ‘what if a much of a which of a wind’ presents different fragmented apocalyptic visions in an experimental language.
This fragmented poem presents apocalyptic scenes as a dark and sinister force 'bites this universe in two, / peels forever out of his grave,' leading to destruction and death, as it's 'blow life to isn't: blow death to was.' The disturbing, violent imagery of screaming, strangling, peeling, bloodies, etc., creates a haunting aura. The dark force is so ominous that it has yanked the 'immortal stars awry' likely into the direction of death and destruction. The massive destruction also leads to existential meaninglessness. Additionally, the poem alludes to dark human nature as we kill and exploit others for our own betterment.
‘My Brother at 3 am’ by Natalie Diaz is written in a Malay verse form called pantoum. He believes that something, or someone, “wants to kill [him]. ”
The theme of darkness permeates the poem, both literally and figuratively. The 3 a.m. setting creates an eerie, liminal space, a time often associated with fear, confusion, and uncertainty. Diaz uses the darkness of the night to mirror the brother’s mental state, blending the physical dark with the internal shadows of paranoia and fear. The green sky, a unique twist on the typical night imagery, heightens this feeling of impending doom. The darkness in the poem is not just an environmental backdrop, but an embodiment of the brother’s mental struggle.
He sat cross-legged, weeping on the steps
when Mom unlocked and opened the front door.
O God, he said. O God.
He wants to kill me, Mom.
Explore Bukowski’s raw style in ‘I Live Too Near the Slaughterhouse,’ where life’s brutal realities and fleeting moments clash.
This poem is dark because it tackles life’s brutal realities — death, suffering, and the absence of meaning. The image of the slaughterhouse intensifies the idea of the brutality of existence and then and the imagery of his mother’s coffin and Bukowski’s numb reaction to it, and then casually lighting a cigarette or drinking beer, amplifies the sense of hopelessness, reinforcing the poem’s bleak outlook on existence and emotional disconnection.
I live too near the slaugherhouse. What do you expect? Silver blood like Chatterton's? The dankness of my hours allows no practiced foresight.
‘I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins tells of a speaker’s suffering as he tries to understand the role of God in his life.
The poem centers around darkness, both literally and emotionally. The speaker wakes up feeling like the darkness of the night has taken over his entire being. This feeling of being trapped in a place without hope or light represents his deep inner turmoil. Even when day should bring relief, he still feels stuck in that darkness. The way he describes it shows just how deeply it affects every part of his mind and heart.
I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day.
What hours, O what black hours we have spent
This night! what sights you, heart, saw; ways you went!
‘The Listeners’ by Walter de la Mare describes a traveler knocking at the door of a deserted home inhabited by phantoms at night in a forest.
This poem creates a haunting atmosphere with an abandoned house inhabited by phantoms in the middle of a forest, showing no signs of human presence or previous intervention. The speaker's knocking at the door of this house seemingly distinct from the human realm in the dark of a silent night with lingering moonlight evokes isolation and existential horror of being left alone without closure in a strange realm where no one responds and is indifferent to human qualms as not even one phantoms answer the speaker.
‘The Little Boy Lost’ by William Blake is the story of a young child who while out searching for his father gets lost in the woods.
Blake expertly uses darkness as both a literal setting and a metaphor for the child's emotional state. The "dark" night mirrors the boy's inner turmoil and fear of abandonment. This theme permeates the entire poem, creating a palpable atmosphere of despair and loss, effectively conveying the child's vulnerable state in a hostile world.
Auden’s ‘Consider This and in Our Time’ captures a society poised on the brink, blending serene imagery with ominous undertones of political upheaval.
The poem immerses the reader in a world of foreboding and decay, with stark imagery like “derelict works” and “silent comb” evoking a haunting atmosphere. Auden’s portrayal of human fragility and the subtle rise of destructive forces highlights the darkness inherent in societal neglect and repression, creating an unsettling reflection of his era’s anxieties.
‘The Storm-Wind’ by William Barnes contrasts peace and danger with images of home and a terrifying storm. The poem emphasizes how much easier it is to appreciate the safety of home when the conditions outside are so inhospitable.
The storm in the poem brings a sense of darkness and danger. It creates an atmosphere of fear and worry, especially for the travelers caught in the wild winds. This darkness makes the speaker’s home feel even safer and warmer by comparison. The darkness of the storm highlights the contrast between the chaos outside and the peace inside, making the reader think about the comfort that home brings.
‘Dark house, by which once more I stand’ is an excerpt of an elegy that grieves over the lost company and the empty home of a dead friend.
In the first stanza, the speaker describes the house they're visiting as "dark," imbuing it with a dreadful atmosphere. That looming shadow symbolizes the loss of their friend ("He is not here; but far away"), a consequence of mortality. In other words, if the night is an absence of daylight, and death a lack of life, then when a person passes away they leave those left behind under the gloom of grief.
‘Mean Time’ delves into love’s loss, comparing it to the dark, extended nights after “Daylight Saving Time,” capturing deep sorrow.
Darkness is more than a setting in this poem. It is a condition of the speaker’s internal state. The environment mirrors their emotional decline. As light fades from the sky, so too does clarity and comfort. Duffy draws out this parallel to underscore a shift toward isolation and inner silence.
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