Who is the best poet of all time? Well the answer may differ depending on who you ask. There have been so many tremendous poets in history and the best thing of all is that they are still being talked about and read today. While many people have their own opinion on who the best poet is I have devised my own list. Here are my top ten best poets.
10. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Known for transcendentalism and his poem “Nature” which is an absolute work of pure beauty, Emerson’s soft spoken yet crisp original words place him at the top of the list.
9. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Aside from being that poet dude with the big beard, Longfellow is also known for his poem, Paul Revere’s ride, The Song of Hiawatha and the first American to translate Dante’s Divine Comedy.
8. Lord Byron
Byron is one of those people who you’ve probably heard of but have no idea of how talented he was. He was during the Romantic movement and wrote many love poems including “She Walks in Beauty”.
7. John Keats
Keats was also a writer during the Romantic Movement and worte many love ballads and poems. While he died at age 25 of illness his poetry would go onto to be well received and popular long after his death.
6. Langston Hughes
A personal favorite of mine, Hughes was one of the best poets of his generation. His sometimes hidden or straight forward way with words or his simple 6 line poems Hughes was a quite a remarkable man and poet.
5. Robert Frost
“The Road Not Taken” in my opinion is not only a great poem but a great metaphor and inspiration for life. Frost is one of the best rhyming poets and really told a story in his poems.
4. Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was one of the best modern poets of her generation. She was real, raw and sometimes controversial with her poems but they told of her life and others and they made an impact.
3. Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson may be one of the most popular and well known poets but in real life and during her life she was depressed and a bit of a recluse spending months upon months in her room. It’s no wonder her words are so strong and still known today.
2. Edgar Allan Poe
I know what your thinking, how is Poe only number 2 on a list of poets that I made? Well to be honest I wasn’t going to include him because of his horror and story writing but I cannot deny that Poe was a heck of a poet. His stories he told in poetic form and his dark tales are still loved by many.
1. William Shakespeare
A bit surprised are you? Shakespeare wrote sonnets, ballads, lyrical poems but he has to be number one because he created his own words, his own language and his own structure in poetry. To not put him at one would be blasphemous. Shakespeare wrote love poems, told dramatic stories and could spin even the most simple thing into a thing of beauty.
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