Though they are a far cry from the happy love poems of Valentine’s Day or the celebratory religious poems of Christmas, the most famous poems associated with Halloween carry with them their own (somewhat frightening!) appeal. Poets throughout history have taken this haunting holiday as inspiration for some of their most widely-read pieces, and for just as long, readers have been spooked by their words. And speaking of words, how well do you know your Halloween poetry? Try matching the following quotes to the poem and poet they come from. Come across one that you don’t know! Check out the full piece online and discover some of the classic Halloween poems to share with your fellow trick-or-treaters this year!
Quotes
1.) “Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”
2.) “By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only”
3.) “All houses wherein men have lived and died
Are haunted houses. Through the open doors
The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make no sound upon the floors.”
4.) “They slept on the abyss without a surge—
The waves were dead; the tides were in their grave.”
5.) “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before.”
Poets and Poems
A.) “Darkness,” Lord Byron
B.) Macbeth, “The Witches’ Spell,” William Shakespeare
C.) “Dream-Land,” Edgar Allan Poe
D.) “The Raven,” Edgar Allan Poe
E.) “Haunted Houses,” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Want to take a stab at your own Halloween poem? Consider the themes that these famous poems discuss: darkness, dreams, ghosts, fear, and death. Like what you end up writing? Submit your poems to our poetry contest and show your work to the world!
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Answer Key: 1b, 2c, 3e, 4a, 5d