Poems that convey terror plunge readers into the dark depths of fear, often going beyond mere fright to invoke a profound sense of dread and horror. These poems can explore themes of nightmares, supernatural elements, existential fears, or violence.
Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven‘ stands as a great example, where the haunting presence of the raven and the speaker’s descent into madness create an overwhelming sense of terror. The language used in such poems is often intense and unsettling, filled with haunting imagery and chilling metaphors.
‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen is a poignant anti-war poem that exposes the harsh reality of World War I.
The poem's striking and evocative portrayal of a battlefield evokes terror as one can't even imagine facing the nightmarish violence of the war. The graphic imagery in lines like, 'Many had lost their boots, But limped on, blood-shod' evokes intense emotions. The description of a gas attack and a soldier's agonizing death creates a sense of terror and revulsion. The gory details of the soldier's death in lines like, 'If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood/ Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs' evoke hair-raising terror.
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Walcott’s ‘A Far Cry from Africa’ explores postcolonial identities, encapsulating the struggle between African roots and colonial influence.
Derek Walcott's poem evokes a pervasive sense of terror through its vivid and haunting descriptions. The poet captures the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty that accompanies the backdrop of war and violence. Through powerful imagery of gunshots, bloodshed, and the chaos of conflict, Walcott creates an atmosphere of impending danger and dread. The repetition of the phrase "A wind is ruffling the tawny pelt" further intensifies the feeling of unease, as if a lurking threat is ever-present. The poem's portrayal of the internal turmoil faced by the poet, torn between conflicting loyalties and identities, adds another layer of terror to the narrative. Ultimately, 'A Far Cry from Africa' conveys a deep sense of terror that echoes the horrors of war and the unsettling nature of the human conflict.
‘Boots’ by Rudyard Kipling is a memorable poem. In it, Kipling uses repetition to emphasize the struggle of soldiers on a forced march.
The poem uniquely depicts terror arising not from immediate danger but from psychological torture. Unlike conventional horror that relies on external threats, 'Boots' shows terror emerging from within as soldiers face "forty thousand million boots." The night scenes particularly illustrate how terror can grow from repetition alone, marking a sophisticated exploration of psychological fear.
We're foot—slog—slog—slog—sloggin’ over Africa!
Foot—foot—foot—foot—sloggin’ over Africa—
(Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin’ up and down again!)
Cummings’ ‘what if a much of a which of a wind’ presents different fragmented apocalyptic visions in an experimental language.
The poem's cataclysmic events are described with nuances that evoke terror as the speaker invites readers to think about such disasters, beginning each stanza with 'what if.' The mysterious wind that 'bloodies with dizzying leaves the sun / and yanks immortal stars awry?' creates a creepy and haunting scene where 'skies are hanged, and oceans drowned.' This wind continues to wreak havoc and 'stifles forests in white' while the mountains scream in snow. The 'doom of a dream' biting 'this universe in two' creates a chilling apocalyptic scene evoking dread.
Dickinson’s ‘A narrow Fellow in the Grass’ captures snakes’ unsettling presence, reflecting fear and human vulnerability amid nature.
The word 'never' emphasizes the extent of the terror evoked by the snake, whether encountered 'Attended or alone.' The phrase 'tighter Breathing' suggests a physical reaction to the overwhelming sense of dread, indicating the speaker's increasing nervousness in the snake's presence. The mention of feeling 'Zero at the Bone' conveys a chilling sensation that penetrates the core of the speaker's being, emphasizing the impact of the terror induced by the snake's menacing and deceptive nature.
This poem explores nature’s overwhelming force and its impact on human lives, capturing a tense struggle between man and the environment.
In this poem, terror is felt through the storm’s intense power, making everything seem on the edge of breaking. The house shakes, the hills strain, and even strong birds struggle against the wind. This creates a feeling of fear and helplessness, showing how small and fragile humans are compared to the wild, unstoppable force of nature.
This house has been far out at sea all night, The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills, Winds stampeding the fields under the window Floundering black astride and blinding wet
In ‘The Frog Prince’ by Stevie Smith, the principal subject of contemplation is a frog and everything that is linked with enchantment, satisfaction, and transformation into the subject of true happiness.
In the poem, terror is rendered to arise from the unknown something or reality and possible repercussions of disillusionment as perceived by the voice. The expectation of change and the things one considers to be horrifying because unfamiliar introduces the tinge of apprehension and dread in the presentation that makes the reader empathize with the speaker as he or she muses about the dangers that lie ahead due to change.
‘Ariel’ by Sylvia Plath uses the imaginary thrill of a horseback ride to signify the psychological transformation the rider goes through.
The poem captures an overwhelming sense of terror as the speaker is carried at high speed on a horse she cannot control. The movement is fast, disorienting, and chaotic, with images of darkness and danger rushing past her. This fear is not just physical but also emotional, as she loses grip on her surroundings and even her sense of self. The uncontrolled motion reflects the fear of being overtaken by something more powerful than she can handle.
Vernon Scannell’s ‘Hide and Seek’ delves into loneliness and abandonment through a narrative of a hide-and-seek game.
The build-up of fear and nervousness in the game culminates in a sense of terror in the poem's conclusion. The abrupt disappearance of the seekers and the protagonist's subsequent abandonment evoke terror as the poem's underlying darkness emerges. The sudden shift from apparently fun anticipation to isolation evokes dread, leaving the protagonist stranded in the darkness of the garden with a haunting sense of fear and uncertainty.
Call out. Call loud: ‘I’m ready! Come and find me!’
The sacks in the toolshed smell like the seaside.
They’ll never find you in this salty dark,
But be careful that your feet aren’t sticking out.
‘Storm Warnings’ by Adrienne Rich draws attention to the turbulence brewing, from the perspective of a worried resident.
Adrienne Rich's poem skillfully evokes the emotion of terror. The picture painted by the speaker is terrifying. She warns that there's a storm coming, that something dark and sinister is brewing, and what is coming does not care about humans and their predictions. Although the poem does a good job of this, there are other poems that rank above it in this aspect, and elicit this emotion better.
One of the classics of Scottish literature, ‘Tam O’Shanter’ is a poem whose influence has spread beyond the borders of Scotland. A tale of drunken misadventure mixed with faux gothic and comedy horror, this poem somehow manages to transcend the mix of styles and tell a tale that has stood the test of time.
The poem conjures up frightening imagery when Tam leaves the pub and is making his way home through the night. But it gets much more frightening when he draws closer to the church. The imagery of the murder weapons and other objects on the holy table, as well as the dead bodies with the lights, helps to convey that this is a truly terrifying scene that Tam has come across. The final chase is also filled with fear as Tam only just manages to escape the pursuing witches.
‘The Hag’ by Robert Herrick is short poem that imagines with haunting detail a witch’s emergence into the night.
The final stanza of Herrick's poem is a climax of terror. One that would have no doubt been deeply affecting to readers living in the poet's time. There is something perversely apocalyptic in the scenes illustrated therein, from its tempestuous weather to the rising of the dead, while its final portent offers future horrors to look forward to.
William Butler Yeats’s ‘The Second Coming’ delves into the hopeless atmosphere of post-World War I Europe through apocalyptic imagery.
Terror is palpable in the vision of the “blank and pitiless” beast, whose slow, deliberate movements evoke primal fear. This terrifying image, combined with the poem’s suggestion of humanity’s inevitable destruction, grips the reader. The final question, “what rough beast…slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” underscores the terror of an unstoppable, apocalyptic force replacing expected salvation.
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
‘Leda and the Swan’ is a standout sonnet by W.B. Yeats, featured in his 1928 collection, The Tower. The poem explores the Greek myth of Leda, seduced by Zeus as a swan, and is considered one of Yeats’ finest works.
Yeats presents one of the most intense openings in poetry, where a young woman is attacked by a god in the form of a swan. The suddenness of the act, the helplessness of the girl, and the force used all create a strong emotional response of terror. This fear is not quiet or slow. It is immediate and overwhelming. Yeats paints a scene where terror grips not only the character but also the reader.
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.
