15+ Must-Read Angel Poems

(15 to start, 30+ to explore)

In these poems about angels, poets like William Blake and John Donne explore the influence of divine presence in their lives and in the lives of others.

Angelic figures, whether religious, mythological, or metaphorical, symbolize grace, faith, and the power of God in everyday life. Some poets use angel imagery to suggest that there is a divine power, often (but not always) the Christian God watching over them. Alternatively, other writers use the character traits associated with angels to define their opinion of another person or group of people.

While poetic depictions of angels have changed over time, they appear in poems from various movements and time periods, including Romanticism, Metaphysical poetry, and contemporary poetry.

Poems about Angels Visual Representation

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The Angel

by William Blake

William Blake’s ‘The Angel’ is told through the frame of an angel who appears in a dream to the narrator throughout their life.

The poem prominently features an angel who serves as a protector and comforter to the maiden queen. The angel's appearance, with wings and a gentle demeanor, aligns with traditional Christian depictions of angels. The poem is both evocative of Blake's poetry and his interest in religion throughout his career.

I dreamt a dream! What can it mean?

And that I was a maiden Queen

Guarded by an Angel mild:

Witless woe was ne’er beguiled!

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The Woman and the Angel

by Robert Service

‘The Woman and the Angel’ is an allegory by Robert Service that reflects on the evolving nature of ethics and morality in human society.

As the title suggests, the poem features an angel as one of its main characters. The angel is portrayed as a divine being capable of experiencing human emotions and temptations, but also remains committed to his spiritual beliefs.

An angel was tired of heaven, as he lounged in the golden street;

His halo was tilted sideways, and his harp lay mute at his feet;

So the Master stooped in His pity, and gave him a pass to go,

For the space of a moon, to the earth-world, to mix with the men below.

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Yes, Holy Be Thy Resting Place

by Emily Brontë

‘Yes, Holy Be Thy Resting Place’ is one of Emily Brontë’s poems that visits the softly sentimental side of her poetic talent.

In this poem, the poet mentions angels as guardians who may send kind dreams and thoughts of love to the person who has passed away. This alludes to the Christian belief that angels are heavenly beings who act as intermediaries between God and humans, protecting and guiding individuals on their spiritual journey. The reference to angels also reinforces the idea of a peaceful resting place in heaven, where the deceased is watched over and comforted by divine beings.

Yes, holy be thy resting place

Wherever thou may'st lie;

The sweetest winds breathe on thy face,

The softest of the sky.

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On Being Human

by C.S. Lewis

‘On Being Human’ by C.S Lewis is incredibly unique and fascinating as it deals with both the physical and the spiritual realm as compared to one another.

The poem suggests that angels possess a pure intelligence that allows them to perceive the archetypes and verities of nature that humans cannot. However, they lack physical senses like skin and nose, so they cannot experience the physical world in the same way humans can.

Angelic minds, they say, by simple intelligence Behold the Forms of nature. They discern Unerringly the Archtypes, all the verities Which mortals lack or indirectly learn.

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Questions About Angels

by Billy Collins

In ‘Questions About Angels,’ the speaker wonders why people are not more imaginative or curious in their questions about metaphysical beings. He interrogates religious tradition by envisioning angels in a variety of forms, the last being a single dancer in a jazz bar, whose beautiful form inspires spirituality in the speaker.

This poem, as the title would suggest, is all about angels. The speaker comes up with increasingly imaginative and fanciful questions about them but finally lands on the image of one dancing in a jazz club, which embodies his appreciation for ordinary life.

Of all the questions you might want to ask

about angels, the only one you ever hear

is how many can dance on the head of a pin.

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Imagining Their Own Hymns

by Brigit Pegeen Kelly

‘Imagining Their Own Hymns’ by Brigit Pegeen Kelly is a memorable poem that speaks about the difference between how something appears and its reality.

In the poem, angels are not just religious symbols; they represent how beauty and roles are trapped by expectations. The angels in the stained glass feel as stuck and misunderstood as the young girl speaking in the poem. This shows how even divine figures can feel limited by the roles they are given.

What fools they are to believe the angels

in this window are in ecstasy. They

do not smile. Their eyes are rolled back in annoyance

not in bliss, as my mother’s eyes roll back

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A Hope Carol

by Christina Rossetti

‘A Hope Carol’ describes a liminal space in which a speaker is existing and the elements which inspire her to hope for the future.

The poem also has the element of angels in it but not in a direct manner; instead, it uses ‘sweet voices’ and ‘wings’ as symbols that are associated with angels, and this is in line with the theme of spiritual searching for the divine being. This reference to these other-worldly beings brings out the speaker’s search for the divine, the other world, which is typical of angels in literature.

Below the stars, beyond the moon,

Between the night and day,

I heard a rising falling tune

Calling me:

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The Annunciation

by Elizabeth Jennings

‘The Annunciation’ is a deeply thoughtful depiction of the moment Mary learned she’d carry the son of God.

The angel Gabriel’s visit is a key part of the story. The angel brings the important news that changes Mary’s life. The poem shows how the angel is both amazing and brings news that is hard to accept. It explores the meeting between a heavenly being and a human.

Nothing will ease the pain to come

Though now she sits in ecstasy

And lets it have its way with her.

The angel’s shadow in the room

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When Tomorrow Starts Without Me

by David Romano

Romano’s ‘When Tomorrow Starts Without Me’ offers solace in grief, exploring love and afterlife, reassures that loved ones remain forever.

Angels appear briefly but meaningfully in the poem, gently leading the narrator to the afterlife. They symbolize protection and peace, easing the transition from life to eternity. While their role is small, it adds a sense of divine presence and comfort, reminding readers of the spiritual care and guidance that accompanies the passage into the next realm.

When tomorrow starts without me

And I’m not here to see

If the sun should rise and find your eyes

All filled with tears for me

#10

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From the Coptic

by Stevie Smith

‘From the Coptic’ by Stevie Smith unravels existential dialogue, angels coaxing clay, shaping humanity; a whimsical journey embracing life’s intricacies.

The poem explores the topic of angels as celestial guides influencing the red clay's existential journey. Symbolizing happiness, pain, and death, the angels represent external forces shaping human experience. The poem explores the interplay between divine intervention and individual choice, casting the celestial beings as allegorical figures navigating the complexities of transformation and the inevitability of mortality.

Three angels came to the red red clay

Where in a heap it formless lay,

Stand up, stand up, thou lazy red clay,

Stand up and be Man this happy day.

#11

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In the Bleak Midwinter (A Christmas Carol)

by Christina Rossetti

‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ describes the birth of the Christ child on a “bleak midwinter” day and those who came to see him.

The poem mentions angels and heavenly beings gathering to honor Jesus. This shows the divine nature of His birth and its spiritual importance. Angels worshipping Jesus highlight the deep respect and reverence for Him. Their presence makes the event feel very special and important in a religious way.

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

#12

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Nightpiece

by James Joyce

‘Nightpiece’ by James Joyce unfolds as a beguiling but depressing vision of a nearly star-less night as it envelops the sky above the speaker.

Angels feature throughout Joyce's poem, which the speaker uses as a metaphor for the stars that appear. "Seraphim, / The lost hosts awaken," they declare with solemnity in the second stanza. In doing so, Joyce also cleverly personifies the stars as angelic beings. This powerful image greatly enhances the rest of the poem's religious imagery and imbues it with a somber hopefulness.

Gaunt in gloom,

The pale stars their torches,

Enshrouded, wave.

Ghostfires from heaven's far verges faint illume,

#13

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The Conqueror Worm

by Edgar Allan Poe

‘The Conquering Worm’ is a poem of existential dread, presenting the reader with the idea that there is no one who can alleviate the suffering of human condition and that ultimately death will come for us and is completely unavoidable.

The angels are the audience for the play which makes up the bulk of the poem. They watch it while being unable to intervene in any way. We are shown the angels as being sympathetic but ultimately quite useless characters.

Lo! ’t is a gala night

Within the lonesome latter years!

An angel throng, bewinged, bedight

In veils, and drowned in tears,

#14

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Part V: The Rime of The Ancient Mariner

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

In ‘Part V: The Rime of The Ancient Mariner,’ the dead crew rises, guided by spirits, in a quest for redemption. Supernatural meets divine.

The dead crew do not rise because their souls returned, but because blessed spirits have entered their bodies. These spirits help the ship sail again, keeping everything quiet and calm. Music fills the air, and the mariner sees this as a sign of something holy. These angelic forces seem gentle and peaceful, offering a break from the fear that came before. Their silent help feels like grace, even if it is only temporary.

The other was a softer voice,

As soft as honey-dew:

Quoth he, 'The man hath penance done,

And penance more will do.'

#15

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On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity

by John Milton

Milton’s early masterpiece, ‘On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity,’ celebrates Jesus’s birth and the poet’s own passage into adulthood.

In the poem, angels represent heavenly presence and joy. In Milton’s work, these celestial figures celebrate the birth of Christ to emphasize their role in the spirit realm. Their revelry emphasizes how crucial the occasion is while reminding us of the link between heaven and earth.

This is the month, and this the happy morn,

Wherein the Son of Heaven’s eternal King,

Of wedded maid and Virgin Mother born,

Our great redemption from above did bring;

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15+ Must-Read Angel Poems

(15 to start, 30+ to explore)

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15+ Must-Read Angel Poems

(15 to start, 30+ to explore)

by William Blake

by Robert Service

by Emily Brontë

by C.S. Lewis

by Billy Collins

by Brigit Pegeen Kelly

by Christina Rossetti

by Elizabeth Jennings

by David Romano

by Stevie Smith

by Christina Rossetti

by James Joyce

by Edgar Allan Poe

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

by John Milton

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