Thomas Hardy

Poems by Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Wordsworth. He was highly critical of much in Victorian society, especially on the declining status of rural people in Britain such as those from his native South West England.

While Hardy wrote poetry throughout his life and regarded himself primarily as a poet, his first collection was not published until 1898. Initially, he gained fame as the author of novels such as Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891) and Jude the Obscure (1895). During his lifetime, Hardy's poetry was acclaimed by younger poets (particularly the Georgians) who viewed him as a mentor. After his death his poems were lauded by Ezra Pound, W. H. Auden and Philip Larkin.

Many of his novels concern tragic characters struggling against their passions and social circumstances, and they are often set in the semi-fictional region of Wessex; initially based on the medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Hardy's Wessex eventually came to include the counties of Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Hampshire and much of Berkshire, in south-west and south central England. Two of his novels, Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Far from the Madding Crowd, were listed in the top 50 on the BBC's survey The Big Read.

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Poems

  • "According to the Mighty Working" Read Poem
  • "I Sometimes Think" Read Poem
  • "The Curtains Now Are Drawn" Read Poem
  • A Broken Appointment Read Poem
  • A Christmas Ghost Story Read Poem
  • A Circular Read Poem
  • A Commonplace Day Read Poem
  • A Confession To A Friend In Trouble Read Poem
  • A Conversation At Dawn Read Poem
  • A Death-Day Recalled Read Poem
  • A Dream Or No Read Poem
  • A Jog-Trot Pair Read Poem
  • A King's Soliloquy [On the Night of His Funeral] Read Poem
  • A Man (In Memory of H. of M.) Read Poem
  • A Meeting With Despair Read Poem
  • A Poet Read Poem
  • A Sign-Seeker Read Poem
  • A Spot Read Poem
  • A Thunderstorm In Town Read Poem
  • A Wasted Illness Read Poem
  • A Week Read Poem
  • A Wife In London Read Poem
  • A Woman's Fancy Read Poem
  • Additions: The Fire at Tranter Sweatley's Read Poem
  • After A Journey Read Poem
  • After Schiller Read Poem
  • After The Visit Read Poem
  • Afterwards Read Poem
  • Ah, Are You Digging On My Grave? Read Poem
  • Amabel Read Poem
  • An Ancient To Ancients Read Poem
  • An August Midnight Read Poem
  • An Autumn Rain-Scene Read Poem
  • Aquae Sulis Read Poem
  • Architectural Masks Read Poem
  • At Day-Close In November Read Poem
  • At A Bridal Read Poem
  • At A Hasty Wedding Read Poem
  • At A House In Hampstead Sometime The Dwelling Of John Keats Read Poem
  • At A Lunar Eclipse. Read Poem
  • At An Inn Read Poem
  • At Castle Boterel Read Poem
  • At Lulworth Cove A Century Back Read Poem
  • At Moonrise And Onwards Read Poem
  • At the Entering of the New Year Read Poem
  • At The Railway Station, Upways Read Poem
  • At The War Office, London. Read Poem
  • Barthelemon At Vauxhall Read Poem
  • Beeny Cliff [March 1870 - March 1913] Read Poem
  • Before And After Summer Read Poem
  • Before Marching and After Read Poem
  • Bereft, She Thinks She Dreams Read Poem
  • Between Us Now Read Poem
  • Birds At Winter Nightfall (Triolet) Read Poem
  • By The Earth's Corpse Read Poem
  • Cardinal Bembo's Epitaph On Raphael Read Poem
  • Catullus: Xxxi Read Poem
  • Channel Firing Read Poem
  • Convergence Of The Twain Read Poem
  • Departure Read Poem
  • Ditty Read Poem
  • Domicilium Read Poem
  • Doom And She Read Poem
  • Drummer Hodge Read Poem
  • During Wind And Rain Read Poem
  • Embarcation Read Poem
  • Epeisodia Read Poem
  • Epitaph On A Pessimist Read Poem
  • Exeunt Omnes Read Poem
  • Faintheart In A Railway Train Read Poem
  • Fragment Read Poem
  • Friends Beyond Read Poem
  • From Victor Hugo Read Poem
  • From: Men Who March Away Read Poem
  • Genoa And The Mediterranean. Read Poem
  • George Meredith Read Poem
  • God's Funeral Read Poem
  • God-Forgotten Read Poem
  • Going And Staying Read Poem
  • Had You Wept Read Poem
  • Hap Read Poem
  • He Never Expected Much Read Poem
  • Heiress And Architect Read Poem
  • Her Death And After Read Poem
  • Her Dilemma Read Poem
  • Her Immortality Read Poem
  • Her Initials Read Poem
  • Her Late Husband (King's-Hintock, 182-.) Read Poem
  • Her Reproach Read Poem
  • Her Secret Read Poem
  • Her Song Read Poem
  • Heredity Read Poem
  • His Immortality Read Poem
  • His Visitor Read Poem
  • How Great My Grief Read Poem
  • How She Went To Ireland Read Poem
  • I Found Her Out There Read Poem
  • I Have Lived With Shades Read Poem
  • I Look Into My Glass Read Poem
  • I Need Not Go Read Poem
  • I Rose Up As My Custom Is Read Poem
  • I Said To Love Read Poem
  • I Was Not He Read Poem
  • In A Eweleaze Near Weatherbury Read Poem
  • In A Museum Read Poem
  • In A Wood Read Poem
  • In Front Of The Landscape Read Poem
  • In Tenebris Read Poem
  • In The British Museum Read Poem
  • In The Days Of Crinoline Read Poem
  • In The Moonlight Read Poem
  • In The Old Theatre, Fiesole Read Poem
  • In The Servants' Quarters Read Poem
  • In The Vaulted Way Read Poem
  • In Time Of 'The Breaking Of Nations' Read Poem
  • In Vision I Roamed Read Poem
  • Jezreel Read Poem
  • Lament Read Poem
  • Last Words To A Dumb Friend Read Poem
  • Leipzig Read Poem
  • Let Me Enjoy Read Poem
  • Lines Read Poem
  • Lines On The Loss Of The Read Poem
  • Long Plighted Read Poem
  • Lost Love Read Poem
  • Mad Judy Read Poem
  • Middle-Age Enthusiasms Read Poem
  • Midnight On The Great Western Read Poem
  • Mismet Read Poem
  • Moments Of Vision Read Poem
  • Mute Opinion Read Poem
  • My Cicely Read Poem
  • My Spirit Will Not Haunt The Mound Read Poem
  • Nature's Questioning Read Poem
  • Near Lanivet 1872 Read Poem
  • Neutral Tones Read Poem
  • New Year's Eve Read Poem
  • Night In The Old Home Read Poem
  • No Buyers Read Poem
  • On A Fine Morning Read Poem
  • On An Invitation To The United States Read Poem
  • Places Read Poem
  • Postponement Read Poem
  • Rain On A Grave Read Poem
  • Read By Moonlight Read Poem
  • Regret Not Me Read Poem
  • Revulsion Read Poem
  • Rome: At the Pyramid Of Cestius. (Near The Graves Of Shelley & Keats) Read Poem
  • Rome: Building A New Street In The Ancient Quarter. Read Poem
  • Rome: On The Palatine. Read Poem
  • Rome: The Vatican-Sala Delle Muse. Read Poem
  • San Sebastian Read Poem
  • Sapphic Fragment Read Poem
  • Satires Of Circumstance In Fifteen Glimpses: In The Study Read Poem
  • Seen By The Waits Read Poem
  • Self- Unconscious Read Poem
  • Seventy-Four And Twenty Read Poem
  • She At His Funeral Read Poem
  • She Charged Me Read Poem
  • She Hears The Storm Read Poem
  • She, To Him, I Read Poem
  • She, To Him, II Read Poem
  • She, To Him, III Read Poem
  • She, To Him, IV Read Poem
  • Shelley's Skylark. Read Poem
  • Song From Heine Read Poem
  • Song Of Hope Read Poem
  • Song Of The Soldier's Wives. Read Poem
  • Song of the Soldiers Read Poem
  • St Launce's Revisited Read Poem
  • Starlings On The Roof Read Poem
  • Summer Schemes Read Poem
  • Tess's Lament Read Poem
  • The Abbey Mason Read Poem
  • The Alarm Read Poem
  • The Bedridden Peasant To An Unknown God Read Poem
  • The Bridge Of Lodi Read Poem
  • The Bullfinches Read Poem
  • The Burghers Read Poem
  • The Caged Thrush Freed And Home Again (Villanelle) Read Poem
  • The Casterbridge Captains Read Poem
  • The Cave Of The Unborn Read Poem
  • The Cheval-Glass Read Poem
  • The Choirmaster's Burial Read Poem
  • The Church-Builder Read Poem
  • The Colonel's Soliloquy Read Poem
  • The Comet At Valbury Or Yell'Ham Read Poem
  • The Contretemps Read Poem
  • The Convergence Of The Twain Read Poem
  • The Coquette, And After (Triolets) Read Poem
  • The Coronation Read Poem
  • The Dame Of Athelhall Read Poem
  • The Dance At The Phoenix Read Poem
  • The Darkling Thrush Read Poem
  • The Dead Drummer. Read Poem
  • The Dead Man Walking Read Poem
  • The Death Of Regret Read Poem
  • The Difference Read Poem
  • The Discovery Read Poem
  • The Dream-Follower Read Poem
  • The Elopement Read Poem
  • The Fallow Deer At The Lonely House Read Poem
  • The Farm Woman's Winter Read Poem
  • The Fire At Tranter Sweatley's Read Poem
  • The Garden Seat Read Poem
  • The Ghost Of The Past Read Poem
  • The Going Read Poem
  • The Going Of The Battery [Wive's Lament November 2nd 1899] Read Poem
  • The Haunter Read Poem
  • The House Of Hospitalities Read Poem
  • The Impercipient Read Poem
  • The Inconsistent Read Poem
  • The Ivy-Wife Read Poem
  • The Jubilee Of A Magazine:(To The Editor) Read Poem
  • The King's Experiment Read Poem
  • The Lacking Sense Scene.--A Sad-Coloured Landscape, Waddon Vale Read Poem
  • The Last Chrysanthemum Read Poem
  • The Levelled Churchyard Read Poem
  • The Lost Pyx: A Mediaeval Legend Read Poem
  • The Maid of Keinton Mandeville (A Tribute To Sir H. Bishop) Read Poem
  • The Man He Killed Read Poem
  • The Masked Face Read Poem
  • The Master And The Leaves Read Poem
  • The Milkmaid Read Poem
  • The Missed Train Read Poem
  • The Moon Looks In Read Poem
  • The Moth-Signal (On Egdon Heath) Read Poem
  • The Mother Mourns. Read Poem
  • The Newcomer's Wife Read Poem
  • The Night Of Trafalgar Read Poem
  • The Obliterate Tomb Read Poem
  • The Oxen Read Poem
  • The Peasant's Confession Read Poem
  • The Phantom Horsewoman. Read Poem
  • The Pity Of It Read Poem
  • The Problem Read Poem
  • The Puzzled Game-Birds Read Poem
  • The Rambler Read Poem
  • The Re-Enactment Read Poem
  • The Recalcitrants Read Poem
  • The Respectable Burgher On Read Poem
  • The Roman Gravemounds Read Poem
  • The Roman Road Read Poem
  • The Ruined Maid Read Poem
  • The Sacrilege: (A Ballad-Tragedy) Read Poem
  • The Satin Shoes Read Poem
  • The Seasons Of Her Year Read Poem
  • The Self-Unseeing Read Poem
  • The Selfsame Song Read Poem
  • The Sergeant's Song Read Poem
  • The Shadow On The Stone Read Poem
  • The Sick God Read Poem
  • The Sleep-Worker Read Poem
  • The Slow Nature Read Poem
  • The Souls Of The Slain Read Poem
  • The Spell Of The Rose Read Poem
  • The Stranger's Song Read Poem
  • The Subalterns Read Poem
  • The Sun On The Bookcase Read Poem
  • The Superseded Read Poem
  • The Supplanter: A Tale Read Poem
  • The Sweet Hussy Read Poem
  • The Telegram Read Poem
  • The Temporary The All Read Poem
  • The Tenant-For-Life Read Poem
  • The To-be-forgotten Read Poem
  • The Tree: An Old Man's Story Read Poem
  • The Two Men Read Poem
  • The Two Soldiers Read Poem
  • The Voice Read Poem
  • The Walk Read Poem
  • The Well-Beloved Read Poem
  • The West-Of-Wessex Girl Read Poem
  • The Widow Read Poem
  • The Wistful Lady Read Poem
  • The Woman In The Rye Read Poem
  • The Workbox Read Poem
  • The Year's Awakening Read Poem
  • Then And Now Read Poem
  • Thoughts of Phena at the News of Her Death Read Poem
  • To A Lady Read Poem
  • To A Sea-Cliff Read Poem
  • To An Orphan Child Read Poem
  • To An Unborn Pauper Child Read Poem
  • To Flowers From Italy In Winter Read Poem
  • To Life Read Poem
  • To Lizbie Browne Read Poem
  • To Meet, Or Otherwise Read Poem
  • To Outer Nature Read Poem
  • Tolerance Read Poem
  • Transformations Read Poem
  • Under The Waterfall Read Poem
  • Unknowing Read Poem
  • V.R. 1819-1901 (A Reverie.) Read Poem
  • Valenciennes Read Poem
  • We Are Getting to the End Read Poem
  • Weathers Read Poem
  • Welcome Home Read Poem
  • When I Set Out For Lyonnesse Read Poem
  • Winter In Durnover Field Read Poem
  • Without Ceremony Read Poem
  • Wives In The Sere Read Poem
  • Your Last Drive Read Poem
  • Zermatt To The Matterhorn. Read Poem
  • [Greek Title] Read Poem
  • 'According to the Mighty Working' Read Poem
  • And There Was a Great Calm Read Poem
  • At Lulworth Cove a Century Back Read Poem
  • The Chosen Read Poem
  • The Convergence of the Twain Read Poem
  • During Wind and Rain Read Poem
  • The Echo Elf Answers Read Poem
  • England to Germany in 1914 Read Poem
  • How She Went to Ireland Read Poem
  • I Looked Up from My Writing Read Poem
  • In Time of ‘The Breaking of Nations’ Read Poem
  • The Last Performance Read Poem
  • Men Who March Away Read Poem
  • A New Year's Eve in War Time Read Poem
  • On the Belgian Expatriation Read Poem
  • The Phantom Horsewoman Read Poem
  • The Pity of It Read Poem
  • Rain on a Grave Read Poem
  • Satires of Circumstance in Fifteen Glimpses VIII: In the Study Read Poem
  • The Shadow on the Stone Read Poem