5 Beautiful Poems Exploring the Magic of Books

There are many subjects that capture the imagination and creativity of poets. But perhaps there is one topic that unifies the poetic mind most of all – the topic of literature. Here are five poems that capture the magic of books and literature from different angles.

There is No Frigate Like a Book by Emily Dickinson

There is no Frigate like a Book

To take us Lands away,

Nor any Coursers like a Page

Of prancing Poetry –

This Traverse may the poorest take

Without oppress of Toll –

How frugal is the Chariot

That bears the Human soul –

There is an intensity to Emily Dickinson’s work, but there is a beauty too. We can find both in this poem, as the poet engages with the power of books. Books can, after all, transport us to new lands more effectively than any other type of vehicle.

There Is a Land by Leland B. Jacobs

There is a land –

A marvelous land –

Where trolls and giants dwell;

Where witches

With their bitter brew

Can cast a magic spell;

Where mermaids sing,

Where carpets fly,

Where, in the midst of night,

Brownies dance

To cricket tunes;

And ghosts, all shivery and white,

Prowl and moan.

There is a land

Of magic folks and deeds,

And anyone

Can visit there

Who reads and reads and reads.

In There is a Land, Leland B. Jacobs explores similar ground to Emily Dickinson. Only, rather than a mode of transport, Jacobs is talking about the land itself, the very terrain upon which the reader treads.

The melding of fantasy and accessibility makes this poem truly special. Jacobs describes flying carpets and mermaids, and ghosts and giants, and then, right at the end, opens the door to us all.

The Secret by Denise Levertov

Two girls discover

the secret of life

in a sudden line of

poetry.

I who don’t know the

secret wrote

the line. They

told me

(through a third person)

they had found it

but not what it was

not even

what line it was. No doubt

by now, more than a week

later, they have forgotten

the secret,

the line, the name of

the poem. I love them

for finding what

I can’t find,

and for loving me

for the line I wrote,

and for forgetting it

so that

a thousand times, till death

finds them, they may

discover it again, in other

lines

in other

happenings.

And for

wanting to know it,

for

assuming there is

such a secret, yes,

for that

most of all.

When Denise Levertov writes about “a secret,” she’s writing about something universal. There is a secret contained in all books and in the act of reading. It’s a secret that can sustain us throughout our whole lives, as we gain a more profound understanding of the world around us with every line we lead.

But there’s even more to Levertov’s wonderful poem than this. “No doubt/ by now, more than a week/ later, they have forgotten/ the secret,” she writes. And then, “a thousand times, till death/ finds them, they may/ discover it again, in other/ lines.”

With this, Levertov captures the transient, yet transformative, nature of reading and literature.

Book-Lover by Ralph Bergengren

My Pop is always buying books;

So that Mom says his study looks

Just like an old book store.

The book shelves are so full and tall

They hide the paper on the wall,

And there are books just everywhere,

On table, window seat, and chair,

And books right on the floor.

And every little while he buys

More books, and brings them home and tries

To find a place where they will fit,

And has an awful time of it.

Once when I asked him why he got

So many books, he said, “Why not?”

I’ve puzzled over that a lot.

Ralph Bergengren’s work was characterized by a smart, gentle, sly wit. And we can see this wit represented here, in the poet’s examination of an age-old problem – just what do we do about all those books?

Well, these days, just like we did in Bergengren’s time, and in times before, we pile them up. We surround ourselves with books that “hide the paper on the wall”… “on the table, window seat, and chair.”

And maybe, if we’re lucky, we might even get the chance to read them.

Picture-Books in Winter by Robert Louis Stevenson

Summer fading, winter comes—

Frosty mornings, tingling thumbs,

Window robins, winter rooks,

And the picture story-books.

Water now is turned to stone

Nurse and I can walk upon;

Still we find the flowing brooks

In the picture story-books.

All the pretty things put by,

Wait upon the children’s eye,

Sheep and shepherds, trees and crooks,

In the picture story-books.

We may see how all things are,

Seas and cities, near and far,

And the flying fairies’ looks,

In the picture story-books.

How am I to sing your praise,

Happy chimney-corner days,

Sitting safe in nursery nooks,

Reading picture story-books?

Here, the Treasure Island novelist presents us with memories that will be familiar to many – the memory of youth, of changing seasons, and a measured retreat into the world of books and literature.

As we grow older, and hopefully wiser, those same pleasures remain. When the weather just gets too inhospitable, books can be our saviors.

A Rich Treasure Trove of Poetry

Choosing only five poems about books and literature is an almost impossible task. There are countless other examples that I’ve missed, and I’ve probably overlooked some of your favorites too. This is such a rich area of subject matter for poets, and there is simply so much to be said on the topic of book literature – I’ve no doubt there will be plenty more great works in this area in the future.