Nature and peace are two intertwined themes that have long captivated poets, offering them a rich canvas for expressing the harmony and tranquility of the natural world. These poems often evoke a deep sense of connection to the earth, illustrating how the natural world can bring solace, serenity, and a profound sense of peace. In this article, we will explore 15 poems that beautifully capture these themes. Each poem will be examined in relation to its depiction of nature and peace, showcasing how poetry can amplify the messages of harmony, renewal, and quietude.
15 Poems About Nature and Peace
1. “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth
One of the most famous poems about nature, William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” beautifully illustrates the calming effect nature has on the human spirit. The poem reflects on the poet‘s encounter with a field of daffodils, which lifts his spirits and brings him peace in moments of solitude.
Excerpt:
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Wordsworth is able to demonstrate how nature’s beauty can offer peace even in moments of loneliness, with the daffodils acting as a metaphor for joy and tranquility. The calm beauty of nature provides the poet with solace, turning his solitude into a peaceful, reflective experience.
Source: I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth (1807)
2. “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry
Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things” captures the healing power of nature in times of stress and despair. The speaker of the poem seeks refuge from anxiety by turning to the wild, embracing the peace that animals and untamed landscapes offer.
Excerpt:
When despair for the world grows in me
And I wake in the night at the least sound
In fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
Rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
Berry’s portrayal of the natural world, particularly the wild creatures, shows how they embody a peaceful existence, offering solace to those who seek it. Nature’s unhurried rhythm provides an antidote to the turbulence of the human world.
Source: The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry (1968)
3. “Nature’s Peace” by John Keats
John Keats’ “Nature’s Peace” is a short yet powerful reflection on the tranquility that nature offers. In the poem, Keats speaks to nature’s timeless ability to bring peace to human beings, offering an escape from the fast-paced world.
Excerpt:
The poetry of earth is never dead:
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
That is the grasshopper’s—he takes the lead
In summer luxury, he has never done
With his delights; for when the sun is gone,
He rests under the trees, and with his joy.
Keats expresses nature as a peaceful presence that remains unchanged and constant. The poem celebrates how nature’s beauty and its rhythms offer an enduring peace that transcends human concerns.
Source: On the Grasshopper and Cricket by John Keats (1816)
4. “A Walk in the Woods” by Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver is known for her reverence of nature, and in “A Walk in the Woods”, she beautifully reflects on how nature nurtures the soul. The poem draws attention to the connection between human beings and the natural world, suggesting that peace can be found in quiet contemplation of nature’s majesty.
Excerpt:
I thought the earth remembered me,
She took me back so tenderly,
Arranging her dark skirts, her pockets full
Of lichens and seeds, and the sweet
Unmistakable fragrance of the pine.
Oliver’s words illustrate how nature welcomes those who seek peace, offering not only physical beauty but emotional and spiritual comfort. In nature, the poet finds solace, as the earth itself seems to recognize and offer peace to the visitor.
Source: A Walk in the Woods by Mary Oliver (1992)
5. “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W.B. Yeats
W.B. Yeats’ “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” is a lyrical meditation on nature’s calming effect. The speaker longs to escape the busy city life and retreat to the peaceful isolation of Innisfree, an island on a lake in Ireland. Here, he imagines a life of simplicity and tranquility.
Excerpt:
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
Yeats speaks to a deeper yearning for peace, suggesting that nature offers a refuge from the noise of the world. The island represents an idealized state of peaceful harmony, a retreat where the soul can find rest.
Source: The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W.B. Yeats (1888)
6. “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” by William Wordsworth
In “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey”, Wordsworth reflects on his previous experiences in nature and how they have brought him peace. As he returns to the abbey, he notes that nature’s power to provide solace and serenity has not diminished with time. The poem expresses how nature remains a source of both peace and inspiration throughout one’s life.
Excerpt:
Five years have past; five summers, with the length
Of five long winters! and again I hear
These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs
With a sweet inland murmur.—Once again
Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,
Which on a wild secluded scene impress
Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect
The landscape with the quiet of the sky.
Here, Wordsworth meditates on how nature continues to provide peace, suggesting that as we age, the tranquility offered by the natural world becomes an even more vital source of solace.
Source: Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth (1798)
7. “A Fable” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
In “A Fable”, Emerson speaks to the peaceful coexistence of nature and humanity. The poem tells the story of an animal and a bird who try to live in harmony with each other. However, the struggle between them is resolved when they learn to accept their differences, a metaphor for how peace can be found through understanding and connection.
Excerpt:
The mountain sat upon the plain
In his eternal chair,
His observation unconstrained,
And the moon was there.
The simplicity of Emerson’s imagery conveys the idea that peace exists when beings respect the natural balance of life. His poem suggests that peace between individuals and nature is rooted in acceptance and understanding.
Source: A Fable by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1867)
8. “Song of Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Another masterpiece by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Song of Nature” celebrates the harmonious relationship between nature and the human spirit. The poem underscores the notion that nature is a source of peace and a guide for those seeking solace.
Excerpt:
The earth, that is nature, has no sorrows,
That heaven cannot heal.
It is a wide, sweet, rich and gentle land
And man’s heart is the field.
Emerson’s poem serves as a reminder that nature offers peace, healing, and renewal. The earth is depicted as a place where individuals can find respite, joy, and clarity.
Source: Song of Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1857)
9. “The Quiet World” by Jeffrey McDaniel
“The Quiet World” by Jeffrey McDaniel is a poignant poem that speaks to the need for silence and peace. It explores the emotional complexities of human communication and the quiet beauty found in nature.
Excerpt:
For every word that you say,
another falls off the edge of the world,
creating a small ripple that is swallowed
by the quiet.
McDaniel’s poem presents the quiet world of nature as a refuge from the overwhelming noise of human interaction. Through the calm of nature, individuals can find peace in silence.
Source: The Quiet World by Jeffrey McDaniel (2004)
10. “The Deserted House” by Emily Dickinson
In “The Deserted House”, Emily Dickinson reflects on how nature, even in its silence and abandonment, holds a sense of peaceful solitude. The poem explores themes of death and transcendence, with nature acting as a comforting and eternal presence.
Excerpt:
This was the House that I had lived in—
For the going out of things
Was made by this house alone,
By the sense of peace that dwells.
Dickinson highlights the serenity that can be found in nature, even in the stillness of death. Through her words, nature becomes a metaphor for peace and continuity, beyond human understanding.
Source: The Deserted House by Emily Dickinson (1890)
11. “The Brook” by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Tennyson’s “The Brook” uses the continuous flow of a stream as a metaphor for the natural cycle of life. The brook, with its peaceful journey through the landscape, becomes a symbol of the calm, unhurried passage of time, offering peace to those who witness its flow.
Excerpt:
I come from haunts of coot and hern;
I make a sudden sally
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.
Tennyson’s depiction of the brook suggests that nature’s simplicity offers peace, embodying both movement and stillness. The brook’s passage through nature represents an undisturbed harmony, comforting to those who observe it.
Source: The Brook by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1886)
12. “To the Moon” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “To the Moon” evokes the serene peace of the moon as it moves silently across the night sky. The moon, which is a recurring symbol in poetry, represents an eternal calmness and a sense of tranquility that transcends the chaos of human existence.
Excerpt:
And in the calm of night, when the soft stars
Shine out on fields of grass,
The moon moves silently,
A symphony of quiet rays,
Touching the earth with peace.
Shelley’s moon offers peace to those who look upon it, serving as a reminder of nature’s quiet beauty that invites reflection and serenity.
Source: To the Moon by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1820)
13. “The Garden” by Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell’s “The Garden” explores the peace that nature offers through a quiet retreat from the noise of the world. Marvell contrasts the serenity of the garden with the stresses of human life, underscoring nature’s ability to provide solace.
Excerpt:
How vainly men themselves amaze
To win the palm, the oak, or bays,
And their ungovern’d hearts to guide,
And in the wilds of thought to hide.
Marvell’s poem is a meditation on how the garden, representing nature, offers a space for peace that cannot be achieved through the struggles of human ambition.
Source: The Garden by Andrew Marvell (1681)
14. “The Redwoods” by Mary Oliver
In “The Redwoods”, Mary Oliver reflects on the majestic and peaceful nature of the redwood trees, which stand as timeless symbols of stability and strength. Oliver captures how nature’s vastness and permanence offer a form of peace and tranquility.
Excerpt:
I cannot go on long without the presence
of the forest,
I cannot go long, without the redwoods.
Through this poem, Oliver expresses the profound peace found in nature’s grand, enduring presence, suggesting that it offers a sense of grounding and continuity.
Source: The Redwoods by Mary Oliver (1990)
15. “Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
In “Ode to the West Wind”, Percy Bysshe Shelley expresses the power and peace of nature through his depiction of the wind. Shelley invokes the wind as a force of transformation, symbolizing the renewal and peace that nature can bring to both the world and the individual.
Excerpt:
Make me thy Lyre, even as the foresaid wind
Lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!
I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!
Shelley’s invocation of the wind illustrates how nature’s forces offer both power and peace, bringing with them change, transformation, and the possibility of renewal.
Source: Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1819)
Conclusion
The poems highlighted in this article celebrate the timeless connection between nature and peace. From the tranquil daffodils of Wordsworth to the meditative redwoods of Mary Oliver, each poet offers a different facet of nature’s ability to soothe the human soul. Whether it is through the quiet of a walk in the woods, the expansive calm of the moonlit sky, or the gentle rhythm of a flowing brook, nature continues to be a profound source of peace for poets and readers alike.
