Theme Timeline

Pick a theme and see how often it shows up across 50-year cohorts of V2Melody poets. Bars are normalised so small cohorts don't get drowned out by large ones.

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— none — world life love death beauty nature self social beloved divine memory desire spiritual heart grief power romantic suffering woman light soul dead loss body pain wind philosophical voice music landscape hope religious sorrow spring flowers children faith bird water rose mortality silence lover domestic presence childhood sound earth past consciousness truth women dream flower irish garden mind rain summer lovers

“music” across the centuries

Related terms Include related catalogue terms in the chart (each poem counted once per era, even if it has several tags).
musician 1 poem

Bar length = percentage of poems in that cohort whose critique surfaced this theme. Click an era to focus the poem list below.

pre-1500 0 / 29 BCE 1 / 12 1500s 1 / 10 1550s 8 / 89 1600s 16 / 176 1650s 1 / 57 1700s 0 / 34 1750s 2 / 163 1800s 18 / 684 1850s 16 / 939 1900s 38 / 1119 1950s 0 / 15

Sample poems · click an era above to focus

Ode II.11
Available versions

Ode II.11

by Quintus Horatius Flaccus · Latin

Quintus Horatius Flaccus portrait

8 December 65 BC - 27 November 8 BC (~38)

When shall my sorrowful sighing slake
Available versions

When shall my sorrowful sighing slake

by Thomas Tallis · English

Thomas Tallis portrait

c. 1505 - 23 November 1585 (~80)

If music be the food of love
Available versions

If music be the food of love

by William Shakespeare · English

William Shakespeare portrait

c. 23 April 1564 - 23 April 1616 (~52)

Short is my rest
Available versions

Short is my rest

by William Barley · English

William Barley portrait

c. 1565 - 1614 (~49)

Every bush new springing
Available versions

Every bush new springing

by Michaell Cavendish · English

Michaell Cavendish portrait

c. 1565 - c. 5 July 1628 (~63)

Come woeful Orpheus
Available versions

Come woeful Orpheus

by William Byrd · English

William Byrd portrait

c. 1540 - 4 July 1623 (~83)

Will you buy a fine dog?
Available versions

Will you buy a fine dog?

by Thomas Morley · English

Thomas Morley portrait

c. 1557 - October 1602 (~45)

Pearce did dance with Petronella
Available versions

Pearce did dance with Petronella

by Giles Farnaby · English

Giles Farnaby portrait

c. 1563 - November 1640 (~77)

To Music, to Becalm His Fever
Available versions

To Music, to Becalm His Fever

by Robert Herrick · English

Robert Herrick portrait

24 August 1591 - 15 October 1674 (~83)

Oft thou hast with greedy ear
Available versions

Oft thou hast with greedy ear

by John Cooper · English

John Cooper portrait

c. 1570 - c. 1626 (~56)

Shall a frown
Available versions

Shall a frown

by William Corkine · English

William Corkine portrait

c. 1580 - c. 1620 (~40)

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