A. E. Housman

15+ Must-Read A. E. Housman Poems

(15 to start, 16+ to explore)

A.E. Housman, born Alfred Edward Housman, in March 1859, is best known for his simple style, memorable and moving images that made his work popular during his lifetime. His collection A Shropshire Lad, a cycle of 63 poems, is his most widely read. It has sustained his reputation since his death in 1936 and includes poems like ‘Oh Who Is That Young Sinner,’ ‘1887,’ and ‘To an Athlete Dying Young.’ Housman is also remembered for his career as a classical scholar and his role as a professor of Latin at Cambridge University. His final collection was published in 1922, titled Last Poems.

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Poem Explorer Poetry Archives

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Loveliest of Trees

‘Loveliest of Trees’ by A. E. Housman is a joyful nature poem in which the speaker describes how powerful the image of cherry blossom trees is in his life. He takes a great deal of pleasure from looking at them.

Alfred Edward Housman, a classicist and poet, published a collection of poetry entitled The Shropshire Lad in which ‘Loveliest of Trees’ takes the second spot. This piece resounds Housman’s artistic abilities and his philosophical bent. Housman is best remembered for this poem along with some other poems from the collection.

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.

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Unrequited Love

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Because I Liked You Better

‘Because I Liked You Better’ by A. E. Housman is a love poem that taps on the theme of unrequited love. Like his “A Shropshire Lad” poems, it also touches on the theme of death.

'Because I Liked You Better' embodies key themes of A. E. Housman's poetry: unrequited love, stoicism, and poignant reflections on mortality. His works often explore themes of loss and longing with a restrained yet deeply emotional tone. This poem exemplifies Housman's ability to capture complex human emotions within concise and evocative verses, making it a fitting representation of his poetic style and thematic concerns.

Because I liked you better

Than suits a man to say,

It irked you, and I promised

To throw the thought away.

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Is My Team Ploughing

‘Is My Team Ploughing’ by A.E. Housman is an excellent work tapping into the emotion of someone’s passing away and telling that life is like a river.

This poem showcases Housman's excellence in crafting emotionally resonant elegies. Through vivid dialogue, he captures the profound human emotions of mortality, memory, and the enduring bonds between the living and the departed.

Yes, lad, I lie easy,

I lie as lads would choose;

I cheer a dead man's sweetheart,

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Easter Hymn

‘Easter Hymn’ by A. E. Houseman unearths the contradictions between religious teachings and their implementation. The poet is juxtaposing biblical moments of violence with modern ones to highlight the incomplete nature of Christ’s promise to save humanity from itself.

This is a poignant poem by A. E. Houseman that gets at the heart of the disturbing dissonance between what religion promises and its realities.

If in that Syrian garden, ages slain,

You sleep, and know not you are dead in vain,

Nor even in dreams behold how dark and bright

Ascends in smoke and fire by day and night

#5

Bredon Hill

‘Bredon Hill’ by A.E. Housman depicts an initially heartwarming and later heartbreaking story of a couple torn apart when one of them dies suddenly on a cold Christmas night.

In summertime on Bredon

The bells they sound so clear;

Round both the shires they ring them

In steeples far and near,

#6

Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree

‘Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree’ by A. E. Housman describes a traumatizing story of two brothers and how one of them accidentally met his end in a wheat field at the hand of the other.

Farewell to barn and stack and tree,

Farewell to Severn shore.

Terence, look your last at me,

For I come home no more.

#7

He would not stay for me, and who can wonder

‘He would not stay for me, and who can wonder’ appears in A. E. Housman’s “Additional Poems”. It taps on the themes of separation and leave-taking.

He would not stay for me, and who can wonder?

He would not stay for me to stand and gaze.

#8

Here dead lie we because we did not choose

‘Here dead lie we because we did not choose’ by A.E. Housman is a powerful, short poem about World War I. It utilizes a speaker, or group of speakers, who have passed away.

Here dead we lie because we did not choose

To live and shame the land from which we sprung.

#9

Oh Who is that Young Sinner

‘Oh Who is that Young Sinner’ by A.E. Houseman is an important poem that addresses the fear and hatred of homosexuality in England in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrists?

And what has he been after that they groan and shake their fists?

And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air?

Oh they're taking him to prison for the colour of his hair.

#10

Terence, This is Stupid Stuff

‘Terence, This is Stupid Stuff’ by A. E. Housman addresses a speaker’s poetry, how he feels about another’s opinion, and alludes to critiques of Housman’s own literary works.

'Terence, this is stupid stuff:

You eat your victuals fast enough;

There can't be much amiss, 'tis clear,

To see the rate you drink your beer.

#11

They Say My Verse is Sad

‘They Say My Verse is Sad’ by A.E. Housman is a direct, two stanza poem. In it, Housman describes why he writes poetry and who he writes for.

They say my verse is sad: no wonder.

Its narrow measure spans

Rue for eternity, and sorrow

Not mine, but man's

#12

To an Athlete Dying Young

‘To an Athlete Dying Young’ by A. E. Housman describes the death of a youthful man who is celebrated for his glorious passing and remembered for his loss, rather than his athletic achievements.

The time you won your town the race

We chaired you through the market-place;

Man and boy stood cheering by,

And home we brought you shoulder-high.

#13

When green buds hang in the elm

A. E. Housman’s poem ‘When green buds hang in the elm’ is about a speaker’s attachment to nature and how it reminds him of his own mortality. It appears in the poetry collection Last Poems (1922).

When green buds hang in the elm like dust

And sprinkle the lime like rain,

Forth I wander, forth I must,

And drink of life again.

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When I Was One-and-Twenty

‘When I Was One-and-Twenty’ by A. E. Housman is a relatable poem that explores how easy it is to make mistakes in one’s love life, even when one knows exactly what they should do.

When I was one-and-twenty

I heard a wise man say,

“Give crowns and pounds and guineas

But not your heart away;

#15

With rue my heart is laden

‘With rue my heart is laden’ by A.E. Housman is a short and simple poem in which a speaker looks back on what they’ve lost from their youth.

With rue my heart is laden

For golden friends I had,

For many a rose-lipt maiden

And many a lightfoot lad.

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