15+ Must-Read Lament Poems

(15 to start, 100+ to explore)

The genre of lament poetry is driven by profound emotion and poignant expression. Its universal themes of loss, sorrow, regret, and longing connect deeply with readers, providing a cathartic outlet for feelings of grief.

While personal laments mourn individual loss or personal struggles, communal laments express collective sorrow in the face of shared tragedy, such as war or natural disaster. Lament poems are marked by their introspective nature, vulnerability, and raw emotion, often utilizing sensory language and metaphors to convey the depth of the poet’s despair or longing.

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The Dancing

by Gerald Stern

‘The Dancing’ by Gerald Stern is an emotionally complex poem that wrestles with feelings of joy and bittersweetness inspired by a fond memory.

Although the poem focuses on a happy memory, the speaker's bittersweet feelings towards it make it more of a lament dedicated to the past, especially in regards to its bemoaning final line.

the three of us whirling and singing, the three of us

screaming and falling, as if we were dying,

as if we could never stop—in 1945 —

in Pittsburgh, beautiful filthy Pittsburgh

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Tess’s Lament

by Thomas Hardy

‘Tess’s Lament’ by Thomas Hardy is a depressing poem that agonizes over the grief and regret of one woman’s tragic heartbreak.

As evidenced by the title, this poem by Hardy is also a phenomenal example of a lament. These types of poems might also be considered elegies or dirges, especially if they reckon with the death of a loved one. This poem takes a different approach, the speaker appearing stricken with a heartbreak that's left them bereft of any will to live.

I would that folk forgot me quite,

Forgot me quite!

I would that I could shrink from sight,

And no more see the sun.

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The Triumph of Achilles

by Louise Glück

‘The Triumph of Achilles’ depicts the titular hero as he mourns the loss of his beloved companion Patroclus.

There are few examples of mourning and loss in literature that are as powerful as Achilles' reaction to the death of Patroclus in The Iliad. The poet here is able to make this ancient story appear fresh and new by focusing on the personal nature of their relationship, allowing the reader to draw parallels to their own lives.

In the story of Patroclus

no one survives, not even Achilles

who was nearly a god.

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From The Complaints of Poverty

by Nicholas James

‘The Complaints of Poverty’ by Nicholas James uses rhetorical devices and rhyme to give the rich a good look at how unpleasant it is to be poor. James indirectly challenges the stigmas associated with both wealth and poverty, inviting the rich to treat poor people with compassion, sympathy, and generosity.

This poem, while it is a lament, is more specifically a complaint poem. This type of poem is best suited to social and political themes, just as James uses it to examine the social inequities of the poor and wealthy in 18th-century England. It is one of the best complaint poems, but it gets lost in the sea of high-quality laments.

MAY poverty, without offence, approach

The splendid equipage, the gilded coach?

May it with freedom all its wants make known?

And will not wealth and pow'r assume a frown?

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Easter

by Jill Alexander Essbaum

‘Easter’ by Jill Alexander Essbaum explores the painful contrast between life’s renewal and the speaker’s unhealed grief.

The poem elicits lament through its sorrowful tone and introspective reflection on loss. The poem expresses deep grief ("season of defeat") and isolation ("I feel alone"), contrasting with Easter's themes of resurrection. This emotional depth and focus on personal suffering align it with the lament genre, emphasizing mourning and the enduring impact of loss.

is my season
of defeat.

Though all
is green

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The Slave Auction

by Frances Harper

Have you ever imagined what it felt like observing innocent lives being traded at the slave auction? It is vividly portrayed through the eyes of Frances Harper in her poem ‘The Slave Auction’.

This poem is a lament, expressing deep sorrow and grief for the people suffering at the auction. Harper uses this genre to give voice to the heartbreaking emotions felt by mothers, fathers, and children who are torn from each other. Through the lament, she allows readers to feel the shared sorrow of families losing their loved ones forever, creating a space where their anguish is recognized and remembered. The poem's mournful tone captures a profound sense of loss and empathy for those impacted by this cruelty.

The sale began—young girls were there,

Defenseless in their wretchedness,

Whose stifled sobs of deep despair

Revealed their anguish and distress.

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Funeral Blues

by W.H. Auden

‘Funeral Blues,’ also known as ‘Stop all the Clocks,’ is arguably Auden’s most famous poem. It was first published in Poems of To-Day in 1938.

‘Funeral Blues’ is written from an imperative tone. This is why the helpless lament in the speaker’s voice gets overshadowed by a sense of order and control.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

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Lament

by Gillian Clarke

‘Lament’ is Gillian Clarke’s war-inspired perspective on taking the time to remember the devastation and destruction that humanity is capable of today.

As the title itself suggests, this poem belongs to the lament genre. The poem expresses sorrow and grief for both people and the environment affected by war. It speaks gently and seriously, naming what has been hurt and what cannot be repaired. While the genre is not as commonly labeled as others like elegy or lyric, its fit is clear and consistent throughout the poem. Since the match is strong but not widely known, it earns a solid score.

For the green turtle with her pulsing burden,

in search of the breeding ground.

For her eggs laid in their nest of sickness.

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Polar Exploration

by Stephen Spender

‘Polar Exploration’ reflects upon peaceful isolation and urban life, particularly how the latter appears to make the former impossible.

The poem is a lament for the old world and the adventure the narrator has left behind. These things are presented as if they have slipped away and cannot be regained.

Our single purpose was to walk through snow

With faces swung to their prodigious North

Like compass iron. As clerks in whited Banks

With bird-claw pens column virgin paper

#10

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Death of a Teacher

by Carol Ann Duffy

‘Death of a Teacher’ by Carol Ann Duffy is a moving poem. In it, the poet discusses a personal loss she suffered and how it affected her.

The big trees outside are into their poker game again,

shuffling and dealing, turning, folding, their leaves

drifting down to the lawn, floating away, ace high,

on a breeze. You died yesterday.

#11

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Piano

by D.H. Lawrence

‘Piano’ by D.H. Lawrence is a powerful and emotional poem about the past. It uses childhood memories and nostalgia to move the reader.

'Piano' fits the lamentation genre because it mourns the loss of childhood innocence and simpler times. The narrator doesn’t just recall memories; he weeps for them. His sorrow isn’t just nostalgic—it's a grieving for something irretrievable. This mournful reflection invites us to feel the weight of what time takes away, leaving only memories.

Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;

Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see

A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings

And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.

#12

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Renouncement

by Alice Meynell

‘Renouncement’ by Alice Meynell is a passionate poem in which the speaker fights to fend off thoughts of the person she loves. She refuses to allow herself to think about this person during the day.

The poem can be seen as a lament, expressing deep sorrow and mourning over the loss of a loved one. The speaker's deep emotional pain and longing for the deceased beloved are central themes, characteristic of a lament. The poem poignantly captures the speaker's grief and the struggle to cope with the separation.

I must not think of thee; and, tired yet strong,

I shun the thought that lurks in all delight—

The thought of thee—and in the blue heaven's height,

And in the sweetest passage of a song.

#13

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Small Towns and The River

by Mamang Dai

Dai’s ‘Small Towns and The River’ juxtaposes the impermanent nature of human existence with the perpetual flow of the river.

The poem fits the Lament genre because it quietly expresses sadness and mourning. It opens with death and continues through loss, memory, and spiritual reflection. The poet speaks in a soft tone, never forcing emotion but letting it settle naturally through silence and small images. By the end, there’s peace, but it comes only after deep reflection. The way it honors the dead without sounding overly dramatic makes it a thoughtful and strong example of a modern lament.

Small towns always remind me of death.

My hometown lies calmly amidst the trees,

it is always the same,

in summer or winter,

#14

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Gathering Leaves

by Robert Frost

‘Gathering Leaves’ is a profound poem that delves into the themes of man versus nature, productivity, and change.

The poem laments the loss of the leaves' beauty and wonder, but also laments the fact that, for the narrator, another year has passed in his finite life and he knows that there are only so many left in which to be inspired by nature.

Spades take up leaves

No better than spoons,

And bags full of leaves

Are light as balloons.

#15

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Yellow Stars and Ice

by Susan Stewart

‘Yellow Stars and Ice’ captures the unattainable nature of memory, even when it feels tantalizingly close at hand.

The poem is a lament for things we have lost, not necessarily physically but rather, lost to the distant past where we cannot reclaim them.

I am as far as the deepest sky between clouds

and you are as far as the deepest root and wound,

and I am as far as a train at evening,

as far as a whistle you can't hear or remember.

Home » Collection » Lament Poems

15+ Must-Read Lament Poems

(15 to start, 100+ to explore)

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15+ Must-Read Lament Poems

(15 to start, 100+ to explore)

by Gerald Stern

by Thomas Hardy

by Louise Glück

by Nicholas James

by Jill Alexander Essbaum

by Frances Harper

by W.H. Auden

by Gillian Clarke

by Stephen Spender

by Carol Ann Duffy

by D.H. Lawrence

by Alice Meynell

by Mamang Dai

by Robert Frost

by Susan Stewart

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