Robert Burns’ ‘Halloween’ is a thorough celebration of the holiday that revels in the fun of Scottish country-folk. Burns puts the country folk’s superstitious traditions in amusing contrast with the fae and folklore of Scotland.
Robert Burns' 'Halloween' is perhaps the most famous poem on the holiday. Inspired by John Mayne's poem of the same name. The poem focuses on the traditions and activities associated with Halloween in 18th century Scotland.
Upon that night, when fairies light
On Cassilis Downans dance,
Or owre the lays, in splendid blaze,
On sprightly coursers prance;
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97/100
John Mayne’s ‘Halloween’ is a thorough celebration of the holiday that pokes fun at Scotland’s pranks and superstitions. The speaker narrates the different antics that occur on Halloween night with warmth and excitement.
Mayne's poem holds the distinction of being one of the first-ever verses on the subject of 'Halloween.' His evocation of the excitement and delight of its celebrations still rings true today.
To ken their matrimonial mate,
The youngsters keen
Search a' the dark decrees o' fate
At Hallowe'en.
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96/100
‘Halloween in the Anthropocene, 2015’ melds Halloween’s fun with the grim realities of the Anthropocene, spotlighting global issues.
Craig Santos Perez' poem uses the holiday of Halloween to expose the hypocrisy of the wealthy, western world by reminding them that, while they celebrate, much of the rest of the world suffers, either through poverty, being overworked or the effects of climate change. The poem also touches upon topics such as cultural appropriation and explores how Halloween is an example of it.
Darkness spills across the sky like an oil plume.
The moon reflects bleached coral. Tonight, let us
praise the sacrificed. Praise the souls of black
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93/100
‘All Hallows’ by Louise Glück explores longing and barrenness against a harvest backdrop, blending natural and supernatural themes.
This poem depicts the period around Halloween as a deeply unsettling and unappealing time of the year. It is shown to be a time of want, of barrenness and of hopeless longing. The poet also touches upon the occult connotations of the holiday, in which the world of the living and the realm of the dead appear blurred.
Even now this landscape is assembling.
The hills darken. The oxen
sleep in their blue yoke,
the fields having been
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91/100
With a blend of fun and humor suitable for all ages, Nesbitt’s ‘Halloween Party’ depicts the Halloween escapades of a little girl in school.
This children's poem depicts a humorous misunderstanding when the narrator turns up to school in his Halloween costume a week too early, realising only once everybody has seen him in his costume. It captures children's tendencies to get excited about occasions like Halloween a long time in advance of the day itself.
We’re having a Halloween party at school.
I’m dressed up like Dracula. Man, I look cool!
I dyed my hair black, and I cut off my bangs.
I’m wearing a cape and some fake plastic fangs.
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90/100
‘A Rhyme for Halloween’ by Maurice Kilwein Guevara captures the macabre side of the fun Halloween holiday.
This is a great poem about Halloween by Guevara that captures all the different sides of the holiday, from the whimsical to the macabre. Through the poet's veil of magical realism, he crafts a journey through the evening that is both fantastical as it is terrifying. As it combines both the cultural celebration of the holiday with supernatural elements.
Tonight I light the candles of my eyes in the lee
And swing down this branch full of red leaves.
Yellow moon, skull and spine of the hare,
Arrow me to town on the neck of the air.
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89/100
‘Halloween’ by Arthur Peterson is a fun children’s poem about meeting fairies on Halloween night.
This poem takes place on Halloween night and captures a piece of Halloween culture: supernatural creatures. This poem is a bit unique as many Halloween poems tend to be darker or about other creatures less beautiful than fairies. This sets the other Halloween poems apart from this one.
Out I went into the meadow,
Where the moon was shining brightly,
And the oak-tree’s lengthening shadows
On the sloping sward did lean;
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88/100
‘Theme in Yellow’ by Sandburg gives a pumpkin’s view on Halloween, celebrating autumn’s colors and the whimsy of seasonal traditions.
In this poem, the Halloween night is seen through the perspective of the pumpkin. The speaker (Pumpkin) tells us the steady growth of him from the yellow balls to the matured orange/tawny into its Jack-o-lantern role during Halloween. When Halloween comes around, the children join hands and sing ghost songs around the pumpkin. In contrast to the usual spooky idea behind Halloween and Jack-o-lantern the poem present a much lighter sense about the day.
I spot the hills
With yellow balls in autumn.
I light the prairie cornfields
Orange and tawny gold clusters
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86/100
McCord’s ‘Macklin’s Jack O’ Lantern’ delves into the whimsical art of pumpkin carving, which spirals into a tale of suspense and fear.
This is a poetical description of Mr. Macklin carving the pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern. Once finished he “lights the candle in Jack’s skull.” Once lighted, it gives a kind of a creepy feeling. At the same time, it wards off the darkness as the concluding line suggests; “O Mr. Macklin! where’s the door?”.
Mr. Macklin takes his knife And carves the yellow pumpkin face: Three holes bring eyes and nose to life, The mouth has thirteen teeth in place.
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85/100
‘The Spider and the Fly’ by Mary Howitt describes the entrapment of a silly fly who gives into her own vanity and loses her life to a cunning spider.
This poem is considered as one of the popular poems of Halloween, as it is often recited during Hallows’ Eve. The poem warns the young children to be aware of those who use flattery to seduce, through the tale of the spider and the fly.
"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,
"'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to shew when you are there."
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58/100
‘All Hallows’ Eve’ by Tanning explores domestic abuse, depicting women’s struggle against ‘werewolf’ husbands.
This poem uses Halloween as an extended metaphor to explore domestic abuse, likening the husband's violence to the behavioral patterns of a werewolf, which is a popular costume on Halloween. The playful connotations of Halloween stand in stark contrast to the extremely serious nature of the violence present in the speaker's relationship.
Be perfect, make it otherwise.
Yesterday is torn in shreds.
Lightning’s thousand sulfur eyes
Rip apart the breathing beds.
