A lot of poems earn fame because they have the ability to inspire others. These poems equip people with the internal strength they require to achieve a goal, overcome a challenge, or let go of their guilt or resentment. Some poems can also inspire individuals to become a better version of themselves. In this article, we list down three inspiring poems that will surely give you the mental boost you need when things get tough.
1. “Hope” is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson
In this poem, Dickinson talks about hope becoming a singing bird that sings its tune and never stops.
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
2. Dreams by Langston Hughes
In just eight simple lines, Hughes reminds us of the importance of holding onto our dreams and how life without these dreams will turn into a barren field.
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
3. Invictus by William Ernest Henley
This poem was inspired by Henley’s own struggles as an invalid and his determination to stay strong.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
