# Classic Poetry

Fourteen public-domain poems to read, share, and teach: Shakespeare, Dickinson, Poe, Keats, and more, each with its full text, poet biography, themes, and a reading note.

## Poem of the day

A new classic every day, chosen by the date. [Read today's poem](/poem-of-the-day/)

## All poems

- [**Sonnet 18**William Shakespeare](/sonnet-18/)
- [**Because I could not stop for Death**Emily Dickinson](/because-i-could-not-stop-for-death/)
- [**The Raven**Edgar Allan Poe](/the-raven/)
- [**O Captain! My Captain!**Walt Whitman](/o-captain-my-captain/)
- [**Ode to a Nightingale**John Keats](/ode-to-a-nightingale/)
- [**Ozymandias**Percy Bysshe Shelley](/ozymandias/)
- [**She Walks in Beauty**Lord Byron](/she-walks-in-beauty/)
- [**A Red, Red Rose**Robert Burns](/a-red-red-rose/)
- [**I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud**William Wordsworth](/daffodils/)
- [**Remember**Christina Rossetti](/remember/)
- [**Jabberwocky**Lewis Carroll](/jabberwocky/)
- [**The Owl and the Pussy-cat**Edward Lear](/the-owl-and-the-pussy-cat/)
- [**Old Pond**Matsuo Basho](/old-pond-haiku/)
- [**Rima XXI**Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer](/rima-xxi/)

## Browse by poet

- **William Shakespeare**[Sonnet 18](/sonnet-18/)
- **Emily Dickinson**[Because I could not stop for Death](/because-i-could-not-stop-for-death/)
- **Edgar Allan Poe**[The Raven](/the-raven/)
- **Walt Whitman**[O Captain! My Captain!](/o-captain-my-captain/)
- **John Keats**[Ode to a Nightingale](/ode-to-a-nightingale/)
- **Percy Bysshe Shelley**[Ozymandias](/ozymandias/)
- **Lord Byron**[She Walks in Beauty](/she-walks-in-beauty/)
- **Robert Burns**[A Red, Red Rose](/a-red-red-rose/)
- **William Wordsworth**[I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud](/daffodils/)
- **Christina Rossetti**[Remember](/remember/)
- **Lewis Carroll**[Jabberwocky](/jabberwocky/)
- **Edward Lear**[The Owl and the Pussy-cat](/the-owl-and-the-pussy-cat/)
- **Matsuo Basho**[Old Pond](/old-pond-haiku/)
- **Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer**[Rima XXI](/rima-xxi/)

## Frequently asked questions

### What poems are on this page?

Fourteen public-domain classics: Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death", Poe's "The Raven", Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!", Keats's "Ode to a Nightingale", Shelley's "Ozymandias", Byron's "She Walks in Beauty", Burns's "A Red, Red Rose", Wordsworth's "Daffodils", Rossetti's "Remember", Carroll's "Jabberwocky", Lear's "The Owl and the Pussy-cat", Basho's old pond haiku, and Bécquer's Rima XXI. Each has its full text, a short biography of the poet, themes, and a reading note.

### Are these poems really free to read?

Yes. Every poem here is in the public domain, which means its copyright has expired. You can read, copy, print, and share them freely. For the two non-English poems (Basho's haiku and Bécquer's rima), we include the original text plus our own English translation.

### What is the poem of the day?

A daily pick from the fourteen poems, chosen by the day of the year, so the selection is the same for everyone on the same date. Visit the poem of the day page for today's poem in full.

### Can I use these poems in school or at home?

Yes. They are ideal for classrooms, homeschooling, and family reading: short enough to read aloud, rich enough to discuss. Each poem page includes themes and a reading note to help you talk about it.