15+ Must-Read Poems about Journey

(15 to start, 500+ to explore)

These captivating verses embark on metaphorical or literal voyages, taking readers on transformative paths of exploration and growth. Journey poems may depict physical travels, introspective adventures, or pursuing a higher purpose.

They delve into the challenges, revelations, and personal transformations experienced along the way. These poems invite readers to embrace the uncertainties of life’s journey, finding meaning in the process rather than just the destination.

They celebrate the courage to embark on new paths and the resilience to keep moving forward, inspiring readers to find purpose and fulfillment in their unique journeys.

Poem Explorer Poetry Archives

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Characters in The Canterbury Tales

by Geoffrey Chaucer

The Thirty Pilgrims in ‘The Canterbury Tales’ and the host belong to diverse ranks and professions representing the contemporaneous society.

ONCE ON A TIME, as old tales tell to us,

There was a duke whose name was Theseus;

Of Athens he was lord and governor,

And in his time was such a conqueror

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Outward Bound

by Helen Hunt Jackson

‘Outward Bound’ by Helen Hunt Jackson is a rousing sonnet that dispels one’s fears of traveling into the unknown with a reminder that we make the same bold excursions every day of our lives without ever acknowledging it.

The central theme of Jackson's poem is the relative uncertainty of any journey, no matter how grand or deceptively familiar. In the sestet, the speaker articulates this point in a concise and sublime image: "No sea more foreign rolls than breaks each morn / Across our thresholds when the day is born."

The hour has come. Strong hands the anchor raise;

Friends stand and weep along the fading shore,

In sudden fear lest we return no more,

In sudden fancy thaThe safer stays

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The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue

by Geoffrey Chaucer

‘The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue’ by Geoffrey Chaucer expresses the poem’s satirical view on the society of its time.

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,

The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licóur

Of which vertú engendred is the flour;

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The Road That Has No End

by Joseph Burrows

‘The Road That Has No End’ features a speaker who yearns for an endless journey that will bring them fulfillment.

The central theme of Burrows' poem revolves around the journey taken down this endless road. In asking the listener if they've ever traveled it, they begin to reminisce on past journeys, expressing love and gratitude for the experiences it gave them. Depending on your interpretation, the road could also be a metaphor for life, portraying it as a path that is simultaneously difficult but ultimately rewarding. What is certain is that the speaker values the dynamism, adversity, and freedom offered by such journeys over a stagnant existence.

Hast ever tramped along the road That has no end? The far brown winding road,—your one Fast friend

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Night Drive

by Seamus Heaney

‘Night Drive’ by Seamus Heaney captures the two sides of a long drive. There is the tangible (the physical journey) and the emotional or mental journey that accompanies it.

The poem is structured around the idea of a journey, both literal and metaphorical. This journey serves as a conduit for observations about the world and reflections about personal relationships. It makes it possible to imagine a blending of the physical landscape with an emotional one.

The smells of ordinariness

Were new on the night drive through France;

Rain and hay and woods on the air

Made warm draughts in the open car.

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The Road

by Nancy Fotheringham Cato

‘The Road’ is simultaneously a thrilling car journey at night and a deeply personal mediation on time, humanity and the natural world.

This poem blurs the distinction between literal and figurative journeys in order to challenge the readers' views on what progress means. The narrator's trajectory from darkness towards light is symbolic and suggests that the poet feels we can all move in the direction of hope and therefore escape the clutches of despair.

I made the rising moon go back
behind the shouldering hill,
I raced along the eastern track
till time itself stood still.

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On A Journey

by Hermann Hesse

‘On A Journey’ by Hermann Hesse is a poem that seeks to provide both comfort and solace to those who find themselves demoralized by life’s journeys.

Another theme in Hermann Hesse's poem is embodied in the journey the speaker and their companion are on. This journey can be a general symbol of life, but ultimately, the purpose of the image is to inspire a prevailing perseverance. One that promises relief in the form of ceaseless companionship.

Don't be downcast, soon the night will come,

When we can see the cool moon laughing in secret

Over the faint countryside,

And we rest, hand in hand.

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The Silver Flask

by John Montague

‘The Silver Flask’ by John Montague recounts the poet’s family reunion and their journey to Ireland after twenty years to celebrate Christmas.

The journey to their original home is the fundamental theme of the poem. However, a more analytical approach will reveal this as a journey back to their Irish roots. Montague skillfully adds snippets of their past turmoil as emigrants to emphasize the importance of this journey. Additionally, it is a journey to fix the familial rifts and establish more cordial relationships. Moreover, the journey is a blend of both linear and circular, as it moves forward but also back to the initial residence after twenty years.

The family circle briefly restored

nearly twenty lonely years after

that last Christmas in Brooklyn,

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Hearthstone

by Gillian Clarke

‘Hearthstone’ muses over the literal and symbolic weight of a slab of slate that the speaker intends to install in their home.

The journey of the stone from a quarry in Blaenau to the speaker’s home illustrates the immense passage of time it has borne witness to. The magnitude of that trip is symbolized in the rock's "quarter of a ton" weight and reflected in its careful handling by the speaker. Clarke's personification of the van "groaning slowly home" also illustrates the slow and deliberate movement required to transport the stone. Ultimately, it mirrors the stone's long geological history and connects its ancient origins to the speaker's present day.

Lifting the slab takes our breath away

Corner to edge, edge to corner.

Its weight steps the plank

shifting from foot to foot.

#10

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Childhood Ideogram

by Larry Levis

Larry Levis’s ‘Childhood Ideogram’ unravels the intricacies of identity, memory, and the transience of time through the speaker’s nostalgia.

This poem addresses the theme of journey through the speaker's exploration of their past and the quest for understanding. 'Childhood Ideogram' takes readers on a journey of introspection and reflection as the speaker delves into their memories and experiences. It depicts the journey of self-discovery as the speaker navigates the complexities of childhood, identity, and the passage of time. The poem invites readers to join the speaker on this journey of contemplation and discovery, offering glimpses into the transformative power of introspection.

I lay my head sideways on the desk,

My fingers interlocked under my cheekbones,

My eyes closed. It was a three-room schoolhouse,

White, with a small bell tower, an oak tree

#11

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California Prodigal

by Maya Angelou

‘California Prodigal’ by Maya Angelou is a journey through California’s landscape, blending tradition and innovation, with themes of renewal and identity.

'California Prodigal' explores the theme of journey through the protagonist's return to California, his homeland. The poem navigates through physical landscapes and emotional depths, depicting the protagonist's transformative journey of rediscovery and renewal. Through vivid imagery and symbolism, Angelou captures the essence of the journey as a profound exploration of identity, tradition, and the cyclical nature of life.

The eye follows, the land

Slips upward, creases down, forms

The gentle buttocks of a young

Giant. In the nestle,

#12

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Theories of Time and Space

by Natasha Trethewey

‘Theories of Time and Space’ by Natasha Trethewey navigates a journey of displacement and memory, urging readers to embrace change.

In this poem, the theme of journey is central, depicted through the speaker's physical and metaphorical travels along Mississippi Highway 49. Each mile marker represents a step forward in life's journey, symbolizing growth and exploration. The coastal landscape of Gulfport serves as a backdrop for the journey, reflecting the evolving nature of the human experience.

You can get there from here, though

there’s no going home.

Everywhere you go will be somewhere

you’ve never been. Try this:

#13

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What now?

by Gary Soto

‘What Now?’ by Gary Soto is a contemporary poem that speaks to the universal experience of aging and learning.

This poem addresses the theme of journey by portraying the speaker's personal evolution over time. The poem reflects on the shifting perspectives and experiences that shape one's path through life. It captures the metaphorical journey from the wonder-filled skies of childhood to the practicalities of adulthood.

Where did the shooting stars go?

They flit across my childhood sky

vAnd by my teens I no longer looked upward—

My face instead peered through the windshield

#14

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A Watery City

by Jean Bleakney

‘A Watery City’ engages with themes of friendship and journeying, significantly how they are affected by the passage of time.

The poem is principally concerned with the narrator's journey to Cork but also her symbolic journey to acceptance of the inevitability of time.

Well if I’d known how many bridges there were in that city

I’d have worried for your soul and I’d never have written

Hope the prose is flowing as effortlessly as the Lee if

I’d considered the sea. I hadn’t reckoned on reversible rivers.

#15

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Canal Bank Walk

by Patrick Kavanagh

‘Canal Bank Walk’ explores a spiritual communion with nature, yearning for a pure, unselfconscious connection with the divine.

The poem contains elements of a personal transformation and a process of gaining a new outlook on life. The speaker's symbolic walk along the canal leads to the discovery of the self and the divine. This journey is characterized by a plunge into the natural environment and results in a spiritual change and enlightenment.

Leafy-with-love banks and the green waters of the canal

Pouring redemption for me, that I do

The will of God, wallow in the habitual, the banal,

Grow with nature again as before I grew.

Home » Collection » Poems about Journey

15+ Must-Read Poems about Journey

(15 to start, 500+ to explore)

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15+ Must-Read Poems about Journey

(15 to start, 500+ to explore)

by Geoffrey Chaucer

by Helen Hunt Jackson

by Geoffrey Chaucer

by Joseph Burrows

by Seamus Heaney

by Nancy Fotheringham Cato

by Hermann Hesse

by John Montague

by Gillian Clarke

by Larry Levis

by Maya Angelou

by Natasha Trethewey

by Gary Soto

by Jean Bleakney

by Patrick Kavanagh

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