Category: Thomas Hood

The Song Of The Shirt The Song of the Shirt With fingers weary and worn, With eyelids heavy and red, A woman sat, in unwomanly…

On Mistress Nicely, A Pattern For Housekeepers She was a woman peerless in her station, With household virtues wedded to her name; Spotless in linen,…

Christmas Holidays Along the Woodford road there comes a noise Of wheels, and Mr. Rounding’s neat post-chaise Struggles along, drawn by a pair of bays,…

The Exile The swallow with summer Will wing o’er the seas, The wind that I sigh to Will visit thy trees. The ship that it…

Miss Killmansegg And Her Precious Leg. A Legend “Who hath not felt that breath in the air, A perfume and freshness strange and rare, A…

Allegory- A Moral Vehicle I had a gig-horse, and I called him Pleasure Because on Sundays for a little jaunt He was so fast and…

Time Of Roses It was not in the Winter Our loving lot was cast; It was the time of roses— We pluck’d them as we…

Sonnet For The 14th Of February No popular respect will I omit To do thee honor on this happy day, When every loyal lover tasks…

Let Us Make A Leap, My Dear Let us make a leap, my dear, In our love, of many a year, And date it very…

The Sea Of Death ——Methought I saw Life swiftly treading over endless space; And, at her foot-print, but a bygone pace, The ocean-past, which, with…

Ode To The Moon I Mother of light! how fairly dost thou go Over those hoary crests, divinely led!— Art thou that huntress of the…

Faithless Sally Brown Young Ben he was a nice young man, A carpenter by trade; And he fell in love with Sally Brown, That was…

Verses Written In An Album Far above the hollow Tempest, and its moan, Singeth bright Apollo In his golden zone,— Cloud doth never shade him,…

The Dream Of Eugene Aram ‘Twas in the prime of summer-time An evening calm and cool, And four-and-twenty happy boys Came bounding out of school:…

My Heart Is Sick With Longing My heart is sick with longing, tho’ I feed On hope; Time goes with such a heavy pace That…

Welcome, Dear Heart, And A Most Kind Good-Morrow Welcome, dear Heart, and a most kind good-morrow; The day is gloomy, but our looks shall shine:—…

To A False Friend Our hands have met, but not our hearts; Our hands will never meet again. Friends, if we have ever been, Friends…

Sonnet To My Wife The curse of Adam, the old curse of all, Though I inherit in this feverish life Of worldly toil, vain wishes,…

I Love Thee I love thee—I love thee! ‘Tis all that I can say;— It is my vision in the night, My dreaming in the…

The Poet’s Portion What is a mine—a treasury—a dower— A magic talisman of mighty power? A poet’s wide possession of the earth. He has th’…

Ode To Rae Wilson Esq. A WANDERER, Wilson, from my native land, Remote, O Rae, from godliness and thee, Where rolls between us the eternal…

Death It is not death, that sometime in a sigh This eloquent breath shall take its speechless flight; That sometime these bright stars, that now…

To An Absentee O’er hill, and dale, and distant sea, Through all the miles that stretch between, My thought must fly to rest on thee,…

The Dream Fairy A little fairy comes at night, Her eyes are blue, her hair is brown’ with silver spots upon her wings, And from…

Midnight Unfathomable Night! how dost thou sweep Over the flooded earth, and darkly hide The mighty city under thy full tide; Making a silent palace…

There Is Dew For The Flow’Ret There is dew for the flow’ret And honey for the bee, And bowers for the wild bird, And love…

Sonnet On Receiving A Gift Look how the golden ocean shines above Its pebbly stones, and magnifies their girth; So does the bright and blessed…

Hymn To The Sun Giver of glowing light! Though but a god of other days, The kings and sages Of wiser ages Still live and…

The Lost Heir ‘Oh where, and oh where Is my bonny laddie gone?’ _Old Song_. One day, as I was going by That part of…

Ode To The Great Unknown ‘O breathe not his name!’ —Moore. I Thou Great Unknown! I do not mean Eternity, nor Death, That vast incog!…

Birthday Verses Good morrow to the golden morning, Good morrow to the world’s delight— I’ve come to bless thy life’s beginning, Since it makes my…

To An Enthusiast Young ardent soul, graced with fair Nature’s truth, Spring warmth of heart, and fervency of mind, And still a large late love…

The Departure Of Summer Summer is gone on swallows’ wings, And Earth has buried all her flowers: No more the lark,—the linnet—sings, But Silence sits…

Lycus The Centaur FROM AN UNROLLED MANUSCRIPT OF APOLLONIUS CURIUS (The Argument: Lycus, detained by Circe in her magical dominion, is beloved by a Water…

The World Is With Me The world is with me, and its many cares, Its woes–its wants–the anxious hopes and fears That wait on all…

Silence Silence There is a silence where hath been no sound, There is a silence where no sound may be, In the cold grave—under the…

Gold! Gold! Gold! Gold! Gold! Bright and yellow, hard and cold Molten, graven, hammered and rolled, Heavy to get and light to hold, Hoarded, bartered,…

The Lay Of The Laborer A spade! a rake! a hoe! A pickaxe, or a bill! A hook to reap, or a scythe to mow,…

Ode To W. Kitchener, M.D. Author of The Cook’s Oracle, Observations on Vocal Music, The Art of Invigorating and Prolonging Life, Practical Observations on Telescopes,…

Bianca’s Dream – A Venetian Story BIANCA!—fair Bianca!—who could dwell With safety on her dark and hazel gaze, Nor find there lurk’d in it a…

To Fancy Most delicate Ariel! submissive thing, Won by the mind’s high magic to its hest— Invisible embassy, or secret guest,— Weighing the light air…

The Death Bed We watch’d her breathing thro’ the night, Her breathing soft and low, As in her breast the wave of life Kept heaving…

Love, Dearest Lady, Such As I Would Speak Love, dearest Lady, such as I would speak, Lives not within the humor of the eye;— Not…

The Workhouse Clock An Allegory There’s a murmur in the air, And noise in every street— The murmur of many tongues, The noise of numerous…

Sigh On, Sad Heart, For Love’s Eclipse Sigh on, sad heart, for Love’s eclipse And Beauty’s fairest queen, Though ’tis not for my peasant lips…

False Poets And True (To Wordsworth) Look how the lark soars upward and is gone, Turning a spirit as he nears the sky! His voice…

The Lament Of Toby, The Learned Pig Oh, heavy day! oh, day of woe! To misery a poster, Why was I ever farrowed, why Not…

Ode On A Distant Prospect Of Clapham Academy I Ah me! those old familiar bounds! That classic house, those classic grounds My pensive thought recalls!…

Anticipation ‘Coming events cast their shadow before.’ I had a vision in the summer light— Sorrow was in it, and my inward sight Ached with…

To A Sleeping Child I Oh, ’tis a touching thing, to make one weep,— A tender infant with its curtain’d eye, Breathing as it would…

The Bridge Of Sighs One more Unfortunate, Weary of breath, Rashly importunate, Gone to her death! Take her up tenderly, Lift her with care; Fashion’d…

Lines On Seeing My Wife And Two Children Sleeping In The Same Chamber And has the earth lost its so spacious round, The sky its…

The Two Swans (A Fairy Tale) I Immortal Imogen, crown’d queen above The lilies of thy sex, vouchsafe to hear A fairy dream in honor…

Serenade Ah, sweet, thou little knowest how I wake and passionate watches keep; And yet while I address thee now, Methinks thou smilest in thy…

Flowers I will not have the mad Clytie, Whose head is turned by the sun; The tulip is a courtly queen, Whom, therefore, I will…

The Lady’s Dream The lady lay in her bed, Her couch so warm and soft, But her sleep was restless and broken still; For turning…

Ode To Autumn I saw old Autumn in the misty morn Stand shadowless like Silence, listening To silence, for no lonely bird would sing Into…

Autumn I Saw old Autumn in the misty morn Stand shadowless like Silence, listening To silence, for no lonely bird would sing Into his hollow…

To Hope Oh! take, young Seraph, take thy harp, And play to me so cheerily; For grief is dark, and care is sharp, And life…

Still Glides The Gentle Streamlet On Still glides the gentle streamlet on, With shifting current new and strange; The water that was here is gone,…