15+ Must-Read Summer Poems

Q: What are some poems about summer?

Some of the best poems about summer are ‘ To Summer ’ by William Blake, ‘ The Summer Day ’ by Mary Oliver, and ‘ Warm Summer Sun ’ by Mark Twain. Many of the best summer poems express love for the summer season and speak on other themes, like aging, change, and relationships.

(15 to start, 40+ to explore)

Poems about summer exude the vibrant essence of the season, celebrating its warmth, abundance, rough winds, and carefree spirit.
Poets capture the sensory delights of the season, from the aroma of freshly cut green grass to the taste of sweet, juicy fruits, ice-cream stands, kids playing, and the clear summer moonlight. These poems often evoke nostalgia and sweet thoughts, recalling cherished memories of beautiful seasons past.
They may also delve into the symbolism of the season as a time of growth, renewal of the soul, and the fullness of a precious life. Poems about summer invite readers to bask in the season’s splendor and embrace the fleeting beauty of its moments.
Some notable poets who admired the beauty of summer through their poetry include Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver, William Blake, and William Shakespeare.

Poems about Summer Visual Representation

Poem Explorer Poetry Archives

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June (from “The Vision of Sir Launfal”)

by James Russell Lowell

‘June’ by James Russell Lowell is a religiously-charged romantic narrative poem about the overwhelming beauty and rejuvenating power of summer.

The speaker of this poem seems to find evidence for the existence of heaven and God on warm summer days when the sunlight brings everything back to life after winter. The depiction of summer as an ethereal, overwhelmingly wonderful, and peaceful time makes this poem a truly pleasant read.

And what is so rare as a day in June?

Then, if ever, come perfect days;

Then Heaven tries the earth if it be in tune,

And over it softly her warm ear lays:

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The Summer Day

by Mary Oliver

‘The Summer Day’ by Mary Oliver is characteristic of much of her best writing. It focuses on nature and the purpose of life.

This poem is a Mary Oliver classic. It was first published in New and Selected Poems in 1992. Throughout the piece, the poet alludes to the purpose of life and how individuals should value the beautiful moments of their existence. The speaker also describes nature's summer beauty with the help of the poet’s characteristic style, vivid imagery, and lyricism.

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean—

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Summer

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Ah! Sun-flower

by William Blake

In ‘Ah! Sunflower,’ Blake takes a creative and memorable approach to depict a weary sunflower.

This poem explores themes of spirituality and the passage of time. The poet writes about the sun, time, Heaven, and more within only eight lines and uses these to portray the desire for transcendence beyond earthly desires. The poem’s simple yet powerful imagery is a classic example of Blake’s signature use of powerful symbolism.

Ah Sun-flower! weary of time,

Who countest the steps of the Sun:

Seeking after that sweet golden clime

Where the travellers journey is done.

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Nationality: American

Themes: Beauty, Nature

Topics:

Summer

Light, Seasons, Sun, Wind

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Warm Summer Sun

by Mark Twain

‘Warm Summer Sun’ by Mark Twain is a poem that expresses the process of aging and life, all the way to life’s final moments.

This short, captivating poem captures the serenity of passing away. It is interpreted as an elegy that bids farewell to a loved one. The piece utilizes the warmth of the summer sun and winds to portray death as a tranquil transition rather than a tragic event.

Warm summer sun,

Shine kindly here,

Warm southern wind,

Blow softly here.

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Nationality: English

Theme: Nature

Topics:

Summer

Birds, Sky

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A Bird Song

by Christina Rossetti

‘A Bird Song’ by Christina Rossetti describes, through the interactions of swallows, the need a speaker has for a consistent companion.

This poem celebrates the summer and spring seasons. Within the short, three-stanza poem, Rossetti describes an interaction with a swallow and expresses her speaker’s need for companionship. The poet's simple yet evocative language gives the piece a quiet melancholy.

It's a year almost that I have not seen her:

Oh, last summer green things were greener,

Brambles fewer, the blue sky bluer.

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My Garden — like the Beach

by Emily Dickinson

‘My Garden — like the Beach’ by Emily Dickinson is a beautiful, short poem. It compares the speaker’s garden to the beach and the summer to the sea. Read the full poem, with a complete analysis.

This short and beautiful poem by Dickinson compares a garden to a beach and summer to the sea, capturing nature's serene and boundless beauty. Through vivid imagery, the poet intricately conveys the emotions evoked by these natural spaces, inviting the reader to marvel at their wonder.

My Garden—like the Beach—

Denotes there be—a Sea—

That's Summer—

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Nationality: American

Theme: Nature

Topics:

Summer

Earth, Life, Snow

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The Thaw

by Henry David Thoreau

‘The Thaw’ by Henry David Thoreau describes a speaker’s desire to be an integral part of an ecosystem, and his acceptance that he has to remain “silent.”

This wonderful Thoreau poem describes a speaker’s desire to become an integral part of an ecosystem. However, as the piece progresses, the speaker realizes his insignificance and finally admits he plays a tiny role in an incomprehensibly large process.

But I alas nor tinkle can nor fume,

One jot to forward the great work of Time,

‘Tis mine to hearken while these ply the loom,

So shall my silence with their music chime.

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Nationality: American

Themes: Dreams, Love, Nature, New Life

Emotions: Happiness, Hope, Relief

Topics:

Summer

Peace, Seasons, Winter

Form: Octave

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After the Winter

by Claude McKay

‘After the Winter’ by Claude McKay is a thoughtful and beautiful poem. Its speaker looks towards the future and considers the ideal life he’ll live with his partner.

In this poem, Claude McKay considers the future and how he will live when a metaphorical “winter” is over. Throughout the piece, he uses simple images like birds, flowers, and the sun to capture the beautiful essence of summer, a season he believes will give him peace.

Some day, when trees have shed their leaves

And against the morning’s white

The shivering birds beneath the eaves

Have sheltered for the night,

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Nationality: American

Theme: Spirituality

Topics:

Summer

God, Life, Night, Power, Prayer, Strength, Sun

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Prayer at Sunrise

by James Weldon Johnson

‘Prayer at Sunrise’ by James Weldon Johnson describes the power of the sun and a speaker’s request to be granted strength from God.

This short two-stanza poem marvels at the mesmerizing nature of the summer and the beautiful emotions and experiences it brings. Within these lines, the poet describes the power of the sun and a speaker’s request to be granted strength from God to go through the day and help those incapable of helping themselves.

Now thou art risen, and thy day begun.

How shrink the shrouding mists before thy face,

As up thou spring’st to thy diurnal race!

#10

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Sumer is icumen in

by W. de Wycombe

‘Sumer is icumen in’ is a song written in the Wessex dialect of Middle English. The brilliance of the composition lies in the use of a refrain that resonates with the consecutive cooing of the Cuckoo.

This poem is a joyful celebration of summer’s arrival, capturing the vitality of nature with vivid imagery. It describes the cuckoo singing, lambs frolicking, and plants growing, and uses these events to portray the renewal and abundance of the season.

Summer has arrived,

Loudly sing, cuckoo!

The seed is growing

And the meadow is blooming,

#11

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To Summer

by William Blake

‘To Summer’ by Blake celebrates the vibrant, life-giving force of the season in England, highlighting its beauty and vitality.

This poem is all about summer and how it changes everything around it. The poet describes summer as a powerful presence that brings warmth, brightness, and energy to the world. The season does not just pass by; it moves through the land like a force that awakens nature and people. Summer makes everything feel more alive, filling the world with joy and excitement.

O Thou who passest thro’ our vallies in

Thy strength, curb thy fierce steeds, allay the heat

That flames from their large nostrils! thou, O Summer,

Oft pitched’st here thy golden tent, and oft

#12

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Nationality: English

Themes: Death, Disappointment, Nature

Emotions: Compassion, Empathy, Grief, Regret, Sadness

Topics:

Summer

Death of a Loved One, Seasons, Winter

Form: Sestet

Genre: Dirge

"> 76/100

A Dirge

by Christina Rossetti

‘A Dirge’ by Christina Rossetti is a thoughtful and moving poem about death. It speaks on the birth and death of an important person in the speaker’s life.

This poem addresses a deceased person questioning why they chose to come into the world at the wrong time. Its speaker states the person should have come in a season of warmth and left in the winter and cold capturing the essence of both seasons.

Why were you born when the snow was falling?

You should have come to the cuckoo’s calling,

Or when grapes are green in the cluster,

Or, at least, when lithe swallows muster

#13

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As Imperceptibly as Grief

by Emily Dickinson

‘As imperceptibly as grief’ by Emily Dickinson analyzes grief. The poet compares it to the passing away of the summer.

The lackadaisical description of how summer "lapsed away" captures the essence of the poem's argument which is that seasons and emotions rarely make their demise known. Rather a person becomes aware that something has ended over time, whether it be the summer or a feeling of grief for a lost loved one.

As imperceptibly as Grief

The Summer lapsed away—

Too imperceptible at last

To seem like Perfidy—

#14

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Goblin Market

by Christina Rossetti

Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market,’ narrates the fantastical tale of Laura and Lizzie, delving into sin, redemption, and sisterhood.

Summer is filled with nature's abundance, from blossoming flowers to juicy fruits. The poem refers to summer's abundance when goblins tell that their fruits, 'All ripe together / In summer weather,' while Laura wonders where this place would be 'Where summer ripens at all hours,' suggesting the deceptive nature of fruits as they are not nourished with summer's purity and are inherently corrupted, having deceptive appearances. Moreover, it is summer season, as Lizzie mentions, 'Though this is summer weather,' yet goblins threaten its warmth and light as they appear at twilight, making the environment unsafe.

Morning and evening

Maids heard the goblins cry:

“Come buy our orchard fruits,

Come buy, come buy:

#15

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From Blossoms

by Li-Young Lee

‘From Blossoms’ describes the simple joys of summer. It uses peaches to explore the vivid interconnectedness of the world.

This poem is set on a summer day and is fundamentally connected to the concept of summer. It describes a quintessentially summery experience of buying fruit from a roadside stand and eating it.

From blossoms comes

this brown paper bag of peaches

we bought from the boy

at the bend in the road where we turned toward

FAQs about Summer Poetry

A “summer” poem is a piece of writing that speaks about the summer season, its various elements and uses it to describe other themes. For example, in ‘Warm Summer Sun’ Twain uses summer images to depict aging.

Some of the best poems about summer are ‘To Summer’ by William Blake, ‘The Summer Day’ by Mary Oliver, and ‘Warm Summer Sun’ by Mark Twain. Many of the best summer poems express love for the summer season and speak on other themes, like aging, change, and relationships.

Within this poem, William Blake celebrates the summer season. His speaker expresses joy over its arrival and the various natural images it brings with it. The poet also alludes to the role England played in the world at the time.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned this poem. He describes a rain shower within the text and expresses his appreciation for the summer season, especially after having endured winter.

Emily Dickinson's poetry holds great significance in the literary world. Her unique writing style, use of language, and deep exploration of themes such as love, nature, and mortality have earned her a prominent place in the canon of American literature. Her poems are often characterized by their concise, compact form and thought-provoking ideas.

The best way to write a summer poem is to consider one’s personal experiences in summer. Is it a season that you enjoy? Or one that you dread? If it is the former, what is it about the season that brings you joy? Are there certain images, people, and experiences that you love? By including personal feelings and locations one can make a summer poem feel real and relatable.

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