Life moves in a rhythm. There is light and dark. Work and rest. Joy and sorrow. Balance helps us move through each moment with awareness and grace. In poetry, balance is not only a theme—it is often a structure, a tone, or a quiet message hidden in the rhythm of the words. Poets across centuries have reflected on how to live with equilibrium, peace, and harmony. In this article, we explore twelve poems that speak about balance in life. Each one offers a different angle, whether spiritual, emotional, or philosophical. The poems remind us that balance is not about perfection. It is about movement, tension, and renewal.
12 Poems About Balance in Life
1. “A Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Source: Voices of the Night, 1839
Longfellow’s famous poem encourages action and purpose. He speaks to those who feel lost or still. His words seek a balance between dreaming and doing.
Excerpt:
“Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.”
Commentary:
Longfellow reminds us that life should not be passive. Yet, he does not deny death or sorrow. Instead, he accepts them and still chooses action. That is balance—knowing sorrow but choosing life.
2. “If—” by Rudyard Kipling
Source: Rewards and Fairies, 1910
This poem gives guidance on how to live with strength and grace. It describes how to stay centered amid chaos, doubt, and loss.
Excerpt:
“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same…”
Commentary:
Kipling names success and failure “impostors.” This shows wisdom. Balance comes from not clinging to victory or being crushed by defeat. True maturity, the poem says, comes from calm in both.
3. “The Guest House” by Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks)
Source: The Essential Rumi, 1995
Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet, uses metaphor to talk about emotions. The human being is like a guest house. Each feeling is a visitor.
Excerpt:
“This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness…
Welcome and entertain them all!”
Commentary:
Rumi teaches acceptance. Life is made of many moods. Balance is not blocking feelings. It is letting them come and go. This poem encourages presence and openness.
4. “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry
Source: The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry, 1998
Berry turns to nature for calm. He finds peace not in thinking, but in resting.
Excerpt:
“When despair for the world grows in me…
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief.”
Commentary:
Balance here means stepping away from the human world. Nature does not worry. It simply exists. Berry finds relief in this simplicity. The poem teaches stillness.
5. “Desiderata” by Max Ehrmann
Source: Public domain (written in 1927, published posthumously in 1948)
This prose-poem offers advice on how to live. It blends spiritual and practical wisdom.
Excerpt:
“Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.”
Commentary:
Ehrmann seeks harmony in everyday life. The poem tells us to speak our truth—but gently. To aim high—but stay humble. It promotes quiet confidence, a form of balance.
6. “Leisure” by W.H. Davies
Source: Songs of Joy and Others, 1911
Davies warns us not to rush through life. He says we miss beauty when we are too busy.
Excerpt:
“What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?”
Commentary:
The poem is short but powerful. Balance, it says, means pausing. Nature is beautiful, but we must be still to see it. This is a reminder to slow down.
7. “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
Source: And Still I Rise, 1978
Angelou writes about dignity and strength. She speaks for those who have been hurt, yet still rise with pride.
Excerpt:
“You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”
Commentary:
The poem is bold. But it is also balanced. Angelou does not deny the pain. She carries it—and still finds joy and hope. Rising is not rejection. It is transcendence.
8. “Balance” by Jane Hirshfield
Source: The Lives of the Heart, 1997
Hirshfield is a modern poet. Her poem “Balance” speaks quietly. It is about keeping hold and letting go.
Excerpt:
“Balance is everything, is the only
way to hold on.”
Commentary:
This poem is minimal. But it carries depth. Balance is both the means and the end. Hirshfield connects the idea to the body, breath, and life. Her tone is steady, like balance itself.
9. “Equilibrium” by Rita Dove
Source: Collected Poems: 1974–2004, 2016
Dove explores what it means to live in the middle. Her poem reflects both movement and pause.
Excerpt:
“No trembling lip, no sweaty palm—just
poise, the quiet knowing.”
Commentary:
“Equilibrium” is the state of calm strength. Dove gives us a picture of inner stillness, even under pressure. This is balance—not loud, but powerful. It holds the self together.
10. “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
Source: Mountain Interval, 1916
This well-known poem is often misunderstood. Frost writes about making a choice. But his tone is not one of triumph. It is reflective.
Excerpt:
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Commentary:
The poem explores decision. Each road means gain and loss. The speaker does not regret—but knows he cannot go back. Balance here is the courage to choose, and live with that choice.
11. “On Turning Ten” by Billy Collins
Source: The Art of Drowning, 1995
Collins reflects on growing up. The poem mixes innocence and sadness. It shows how we shift between joy and awareness.
Excerpt:
“It is time to say goodbye to my imaginary friends,
time to turn the first big number.”
Commentary:
This is a poem about transition. As the child grows, the world becomes less magical—but more real. The poem holds both sides. That is the heart of balance: change and memory side by side.
12. “Lines Written in Early Spring” by William Wordsworth
Source: Lyrical Ballads, 1798
Wordsworth sits in nature. He observes joy in the birds and flowers. But he feels sorrow in his heart.
Excerpt:
“I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sat reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.”
Commentary:
This poem reflects a mind in balance. Joy and sorrow mix together. Nature is beautiful, yet man has “made of man” something cruel. Wordsworth does not deny either feeling. He accepts both.
Conclusion
Balance is not a fixed state. It shifts. It breathes. These twelve poems give us many ways to understand it. Some, like Kipling and Angelou, speak of strength. Others, like Rumi and Berry, speak of stillness. All reflect moments of holding life in two hands. Poetry helps us see that balance is made of tension and calm. It lives in choice, change, and acceptance.
In our own lives, balance might mean listening more, pausing often, or forgiving ourselves. These poems give us language for that effort. They are not rules. They are reflections. Each one invites us to slow down, breathe, and consider what it means to live fully—not perfectly, but in harmony.
