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.

Choose a theme

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

“religious” across the centuries

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 / 28 BCE 0 / 12 1500s 0 / 9 1550s 1 / 89 1600s 6 / 176 1650s 0 / 57 1700s 2 / 34 1750s 10 / 161 1800s 16 / 683 1850s 40 / 937 1900s 17 / 1115 1950s 0 / 15

Sample poems · click an era above to focus

If you prick us, do we not bleed?
Available versions

If you prick us, do we not bleed?

by William Shakespeare · English

William Shakespeare portrait

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

Batter my heart, three-person'd God
Available versions

Batter my heart, three-person'd God

by John Donne · English

John Donne portrait

1572 - 31 March 1631 (~59)

The Will
Available versions

The Will

by John Donne · English

John Donne portrait

1572 - 31 March 1631 (~59)

Loves Exchange
Available versions

Loves Exchange

by John Donne · English

John Donne portrait

1572 - 31 March 1631 (~59)

What God is like to him I serve
Available versions

What God is like to him I serve

by Anne Bradstreet · English

Anne Bradstreet portrait

1612 - 16 September 1672 (~60)

To Roses in the Bosome of Castara
Available versions

To Roses in the Bosome of Castara

by William Habington · English

William Habington portrait

4 November 1605 - 30 November 1654 (~49)

The Child's Complaint
Available versions

The Child's Complaint

by Isaac Watts · English

Isaac Watts portrait

17 July 1674 - 25 November 1748 (~74)

The Lamb
Available versions

The Lamb

by William Blake · English

William Blake portrait

28 November 1757 - 12 August 1827 (~70)

The Angel
Available versions

The Angel

by William Blake · English

William Blake portrait

28 November 1757 - 12 August 1827 (~70)

To the Poor
Available versions

To the Poor

by Anna Lætitia Barbauld · English

Anna Lætitia Barbauld portrait

20 June 1743 - 9 March 1825 (~82)

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