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The Greatest Poets of All Time

Updated September 12, 2020 1.0m votes 23.7k voters 173.2k views369 items

List RulesVote up the all time best poets

Who are the best poets of all time? It includes poets such as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, William Shakespeare, and Sylvia Plath. Poetry has captivated readers for thousands of years. Regardless of the time period during which they wrote, the great poets on this list have used their talents and ways with language to connect with readers of all ages.

Written works have the ability to make us feel. They make us want to believe, be inspired, and live vicariously through the stories on the page. Whether short or long form, poetry is often illusory, and full of rich imagery or hidden meaning. It is these elements which provoke readers to dig deeper. The best poems and poets are read throughout the ages. They are passed from generation to generation and taught throughout school to young students.

Poets and their poetry have the ability to take readers places and into worlds they've never imagined. Poets can often be tortured souls or great thinkers who allow readers a new view on the world which they never would have imagined. These greatest poets provide the kind of emotional connection to the written word that few can.

Vote up the all time best poets on the list below or add the poets you think are the greatest if they aren't already on the list.

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7,360
638
Vazha-Pshavela
Host and Guest
Birthplace: Georgia
Vazha-Pshavela (Georgian: ვაჟა-ფშაველა), simply referred to as Vazha (Georgian: ვაჟა) (26 July... more on Wikipedia
2
3,914
464
Galaktion Tabidze
Galaktion Tabidze (Georgian: გალაკტიონ ტაბიძე), simply referred to as Galaktioni (Georgian:... more on Wikipedia
3
3,186
663
José Emilio Pacheco
The Place Without Limits, The Castle of Purity
Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
Nationality: Mexico
José Emilio Pacheco Berny audio (June 30, 1939 – January 26, 2014) was a Mexican poet,... more on Wikipedia
4
2,841
583
Allen Tate
Hovering Fly and Other Essays, Collected Poems
Birthplace: Winchester, Kentucky
Nationality: United States of America
John Orley Allen Tate (November 19, 1899 – February 9, 1979), known professionally as Allen... more on Wikipedia
5
3,348
700
Nicanor Parra
Poesía política, Poemas y antipoemas
Birthplace: San Fabián de Alico, Chile
Nationality: Chile
Nicanor Segundo Parra Sandoval (5 September 1914 – 23 January 2018) was a Chilean poet,... more on Wikipedia
6
3,122
648
Rafael Cadenas
7
3,311
691
Christoph Martin Wieland
Oberon
Birthplace: Achstetten, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Christoph Martin Wieland (German: [ˈviːlant]; 5 September 1733 – 20 January 1813) was a German... more on Wikipedia

8
2,872
590
Giuseppe Ungaretti
Il taccuino del vecchio, 1952-1960
Birthplace: Alexandria, Egypt
Nationality: Italy
Giuseppe Ungaretti (Italian: [dʒuˈzɛppe uŋɡaˈretti]; 8 February 1888 – 2 June 1970) was an... more on Wikipedia
9
3,786
524
Nikoloz Baratashvili
Prince Nikoloz "Tato" Baratashvili (Georgian: ნიკოლოზ "ტატო" ბარათაშვილი; 4 December 1817 – 21... more on Wikipedia
10
2,569
519
Derek Walcott
Omeros, The Capeman
Birthplace: Castries, Saint Lucia
Nationality: Saint Lucia
Sir Derek Alton Walcott, KCSL, OBE, OCC (23 January 1930 – 17 March 2017) was a Saint Lucian... more on Wikipedia
More Derek Walcott
#938 of 1,172 The Best Writers of All Time#1747 of 2,443 The Most Influential People of All Time
11
3,648
769
Marina Tsvetaeva
Izbrannai͡a︡ proza v dvukh tomakh, Za vsekh-protivu vsekh!
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Nationality: Russian Empire, Soviet Union
Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva (Russian: Мари́на Ива́новна Цвета́ева; 8 October [O.S. 26 September]... more on Wikipedia
More
#73 of 233 The Best Female Authors of All Time#19 of 168 The Best Poets of the 20th Century
12
2,317
462
Delmira Agustini
Selected poetry of Delmira Agustini
Birthplace: Montevideo, Uruguay
Nationality: Uruguay
Delmira Agustini (October 24, 1886 – July 6, 1914) was an Uruguayan poet of the early 20th... more on Wikipedia
13
3,334
576
Paolo Iashvili
Paolo Iashvili (Georgian: პაოლო იაშვილი; 29 June 1894 – 22 July 1937) was a Georgian poet and... more on Wikipedia
14
2,833
581
Robert Brasillach
A translation of Notre avant-guerre/Before the war by Robert Brasillach
Birthplace: Perpignan, France
Nationality: France
Robert Brasillach (French pronunciation: [ʁɔbɛʁ bʁazijak] (listen)) (31 March 1909 – 6... more on Wikipedia
15
2,345
468
E. J. Pratt
Complete poems, Selected poems
Birthplace: Newfoundland Colony
Nationality: Canada
Edwin John Dove Pratt, (February 4, 1882 – April 26, 1964), who published as E. J. Pratt,... more on Wikipedia
16
2,501
503
William Dean Howells
The Rise of Silas Lapham, A Traveler from Altruria
Birthplace: Martins Ferry, Ohio
Nationality: United States of America
William Dean Howells (; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist novelist,... more on Wikipedia
17
3,193
664
Francisco de Quevedo
El Buscón, Sonetos de
Birthplace: Madrid, Spain
Nationality: Spain
Francisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas, KOS (Spanish pronunciation: [fɾanˈθisko ðe... more on Wikipedia
18
2,356
470
Yosa Buson
Haiku master Buson, Yosa no Buson
Birthplace: Settsu Province
Nationality: Japan
Yosa Buson or Yosa no Buson (与謝蕪村, 1716 – January 17, 1784) was a Japanese poet and painter... more on Wikipedia
19
3,214
669
Oliverio Girondo
Membretes =, Textos selectos
Birthplace: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nationality: Argentina
Oliverio Girondo (August 17, 1891 – January 24, 1967) was an Argentine poet. He was born in... more on Wikipedia
20
2,993
618
Theodore Roethke
My Papa's Waltz, I Knew a Woman
Birthplace: Saginaw, Michigan
Nationality: United States of America
Theodore Huebner Roethke ( RET-kee; May 25, 1908 – August 1, 1963) was an American poet.... more on Wikipedia
21
2,644
537
Ben Johnson
Luke & John, An evangelism primer
Birthplace: Elba, Alabama
Ben Johnson is a minister.
22
2,465
496
Hristo Botev
Hristo Botev selected works
Birthplace: Kalofer, Yuzhen tsentralen, Bulgaria
Nationality: Bulgaria
Hristo Botev (Bulgarian: Христо Ботев, also transliterated as Hristo Botyov) (6 January 1848... more on Wikipedia
23
2,903
597
Robinson Jeffers
The beginning & the end, and other poems
Birthplace: Allegheny, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nationality: United States of America
John Robinson Jeffers (January 10, 1887 – January 20, 1962) was an American poet, known for... more on Wikipedia
24
2,616
530
Delmore Schwartz
The fiction of William Faulkner, Delmore Schwartz and James Laughlin
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Nationality: United States of America
Delmore Schwartz (December 8, 1913 – July 11, 1966) was an American poet and short story... more on Wikipedia
25
3,136
650
Hartmann von Aue
Life & Doctrines of Jacob Boehme, Iwein
Birthplace: Germany
Nationality: Germany
Hartmann von Aue, also known as Hartmann von Ouwe, (born c. 1160–70, died c. 1210–20) was a... more on Wikipedia

Rafael Cadenas

Marina Tsvetaeva