For readers

The library

The library is a collection of classic and contemporary poems selected by editors. Every poem in it is written by humans. You can read it without an account.

How to find poems

  • Smart Search. Describe in your own words what you feel or what you are looking for, and we will find matching poems. The website limits how many of these requests you can make each week. In the Poems by Mood app, Smart Search is always available.
  • Moods. Every poem in the library has one of eight moods, from sad to cheerful.
  • Collections. Poems on a single theme curated by editors.
  • Topics. Poems by keywords: love, autumn, home, and hundreds of others.
  • Authors. Classic and contemporary poets.
  • Search. By line or title, with filters for language, author, mood, keywords, and available audio.
  • Poem of the day — on the home page.

On the poem page

  • Summary and analysis — available for many poems in the library.
  • Audio. The "Listen to the poem" button appears when a poem has a recording. Some poems have a reading video: "Watch the reading".
  • Mood and topics lead to similar poems. Below are more poems by the author, poems in the same mood, and poems on the same topic.
  • Share — via a link or through your phone menu.
  • Save — the heart icon adds the poem to My collection.
  • Learn by heart — in the practice tool on the site or in the Learn Poems app.
  • Questions & comments. Anyone can read them. Members with a confirmed email can write.

By heart

The practice tool helps you learn a poem by heart: first getting familiar with the text and audio, then stanza by stanza with missing words, then the full poem, and finally a test. It prompts you to review what you learned after 1, 3, 7, and 14 days. It works right in your browser, no account needed.

The Learn Poems app makes it easier and does more: review reminders, recording your own voice, learning your own text.

My collection

Poems marked with a heart, your memorization progress, and your Smart Search history stay in this browser. You do not need an account for this, but they do not transfer to another device.

Account

You need an account with a confirmed email to comment, report a poem, and publish your own poems. You can sign up with email or through Google, and confirm your email after signing up. You can delete your account in Settings: your poems and comments are deleted along with it.

Member poems

In addition to the library, members publish their own poems on the site. A member poem accepted into the library is marked "PoemShip author". Other member poems are not part of the library: you can open them via a link and on profile and author pages, and site members also see them in general lists and search. If you think a poem belongs to someone else or was written by AI, click "Report this poem".

Apps

  • Poems by Mood (iPhone and Android, free): poems by mood, topic and author, audio, Smart Search, poem of the day with a reminder, favourites and offline reading. You can record your own reading of a poem and send it as a voice card. No account needed.
  • Learn Poems (iPhone and Android, free): a trainer with a poem catalogue. You can paste your own text, record your voice and set reminders. You can record your own reading of a poem and send it as a voice card. Your progress is stored on your device.

If a poem is published without consent

If you are an author, heir, or copyright holder, please write to us as described in Poem removal.