Poems centered on the concept of time contemplate its enigmatic nature and its impact on human existence. They often muse on the fleeting nature of moments, the nostalgia associated with memories, and the inevitability of change.
These verses may explore the cyclical patterns of time, emphasizing the importance of seizing opportunities and cherishing present experiences. By invoking introspection, these poems encourage readers to value time as a finite resource, prompting them to make meaningful choices and cultivate an appreciation for the present moment.
‘Time does not bring relief; you all have lied’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay tells of an emotionally damaged woman, seeking relief from heartbreak.
The poem, one of the best about time, begins with the speaker criticizing those who said time would ease her pain over a lost lover. Time has passed, yet her emotions are as vivid as when the hurt was new. It addresses time differently than expected, not solving her problems or diminishing past heartaches. Her longing for her lover is ever-present, felt in the rain and with the changing tides.
‘To Time’ by Sylvia Plath explores the meaning of time. It depicts time as a machine that moves through history, depleting it of all purpose.
This short poem discusses the comings and goings of death “in a casual steel car”. The speaker describes how human beings address death and its inevitability. In the last six lines of the poem, the speaker toasts to the great ages of the past that have long since faded into death. These include thousands of kings, the “sunblue sea” and “the legendary dragon”. In conclusion, she states that time is “a great machine” that works, as a prison does, to “drain…the milk of stars”.
‘Carpe Diem’ by Robert Frost is a poem that encourages the reader to live in the present and comments on people’s tendency to focus on the past and the future instead.
Time is the central theme of ‘Carpe Diem,’ with the poem meditating on the fleeting nature of the present. Frost explores how time shapes human experience, particularly how it often eludes our grasp, making it difficult to live fully in the moment. The personification of Age further emphasizes the inexorable passage of time.
‘Time’ by Allen Curnow is a highly relatable poem that depicts time through a series of metaphors that personify it.
Time is certainly the most important topic at work in this poem. The entire poem, from the first to last line, is centered around the influence of Time on all living things. The poet structured this piece with Time as the narrator, as well. Time speaks to the reader, declaring over and over again that it is all elements of life.
I am the nor-west air among the pines
I am the water-race and the rust on railway lines
I am the mileage recorded on the yellow signs.
I am dust, I am distance, I am lupins back of the beach
‘Passing Time’ by Maya Angelou explores the similarities between all people. It uses figurative language to depict skin tones as “dawn” and “dusk.”
In this piece, she discusses race and the various similarities and differences humankind needs to address and reconcile. She compares “Your skin” to “dusk” and her own to “musk”. One creates the “beginning / Of a certain end” and the other “the end of a / Sure beginning”. Through these simple lines she is attempting to convey to the reader that in the grand scheme of things is one single force, living, breathing, and then dying.
Sonnet 116: ‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds’ by William Shakespeare is easily one of the most recognizable sonnets of all time. It explores the nature of love and what “true love” is.
Love, what is it? What is it not? The poet delves into these questions in this sonnet. Initially, love is likened to marriage, an institution binding partners through changes. It's also compared to a guiding star for ships lost at sea. Unlike the rest of creation, love remains unshakeable. Time is portrayed as altering physical appearance but failing to diminish the essence of true love, which endures despite time's inevitable passage.
‘The Minuet’ by Mary Mapes Dodge alludes to the many changes that the passage of time presents. This is specially related to the way that one speaker’s grandmother has changed.
Time is a critical part of this poem. If it weren't for the passage of time, there would be little to explore in this children's poem. The speaker is amused by how much time has passed and has difficulty imagining their grandmother as a young woman. Besides, the poet explores how people and their customs change with time, and how they perceive and participate in relationships.
‘In Retrospect’ by Maya Angelou is a deeply sad poem that speaks about relationships through an extended seasonal metaphor.
The passage of time is at the heart of this poem. The speaker discusses time through a description of the seasons and how they're always changing. She also alludes to how time took someone close to her. The speaker has only recently become actively aware of how impossible it is to stop time.
‘On the Beach at Night Alone’ by Walt Whitman is a powerful poem. In it, Whitman discusses how everything that has ever existed or will ever exist is connected.
The poem explores the concept of time and how all things, past, present, and future, and all lives and deaths are part of a larger pattern that spans the universe. Whitman suggests that time is not linear but cyclical, with everything repeating and evolving in an endless cycle.
A vast similitude interlocks all,
All spheres, grown, ungrown, small, large, suns, moons, planets,
‘Years’ by Sylvia Plath wrestles with the wearisome nature of eternity while yearning for the rapture of motion.
Plath's poem wrestles with two different experiences of time: the first is characterized as a stagnating eternity, and the second and more favorable is depicted as defiant motion. The speaker makes it unequivocally clear they prefer the latter over the former, which they refer to in no uncertain terms as being boring and "vacuous."
‘Annabel Lee’ by Edgar Allan Poe is a lyrical narrative ballad about a man haunted by his lost lover, Annabel Lee.
This piece follows the death of a beautiful woman, and is intimately connected to his life. The speaker is haunted by her life and death, the time they had together, and the time that was taken from them. He thinks that he is somewhat to blame because their love was so strong, it was only inevitable that they were going to have a short time together. He eventually comes to the conclusion that the angels were jealous and took her from him.
‘Half-Past Two’ utilizes childish vernacular and mismatched capitalization to reflect the stress of a young boy, who in the past was punished for “Something Very Wrong.”
In this poem, the narrator shows a state in which time hides, tickless and waits until it is born again. In that meditative state, the child finds something new. He understands not only the importance of knowing time but also the significance of the present moment.
‘Hour’ contrasts love’s timeless value against fleeting time, revealing riches in moments shared, beyond material wealth.
Time is the most important theme in this poem as two lovers take every opportunity they can find to spend “an hour together”. The speaker counts time in “thousands of seconds” as they kiss. It slows when they are together, and seems as though “nothing dark will end our shining hour”. IN the last lines the speaker presents “Time” as being against “love”. It “hates love, wants love / poor”.
Love’s time’s beggar, but even a single hour,
bright as a dropped coin, makes love rich.
We find an hour together, spend it not on flowers
or wine, but the whole of the summer sky and a grass ditch.
‘After’ by Marston captures the eternal ache of loss, where brief joys transition to lasting sorrow, reflecting on grief’s permanence.
The resonance and repetition of the word “time” across the text directly drives home the central idea. This is about how the good times of our lives fade away quickly. Thus we need to cherish the time we still have with our loved ones.
Our Poem Guides, PDFs, Study Tools, and Articles are created by a team of qualified poetry experts to provide an unparalleled in-depth look into poetry.
