The best examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles

Famous villanelle examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles

When people ask for examples of examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles, the same title almost always pops up first: Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night.” It’s the gateway villanelle. The one that shows up in high school textbooks, college workshops, and way too many dramatic movie scenes.

Thomas uses the repeating lines like a chant: “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” These refrains hammer home grief, defiance, and love for his dying father. If you want a textbook example of how a villanelle can feel both musical and emotionally raw, this is it. You can read it in context of his life and work through resources like the Poetry Foundation (poetryfoundation.org).

But stopping there would be like saying the best examples of movies are just Star Wars and calling it a day. The villanelle has a wider, weirder, and more varied history.

Classic examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles

When you start building your mental gallery of examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles, a few heavy hitters always hang in the front room.

Dylan Thomas – Raging against the light

We’ve already name-dropped Thomas, but he deserves his own corner. “Do not go gentle into that good night” is the best example of a villanelle used as an elegy and a protest. The repeating lines work like emotional pressure points. Each stanza twists the refrain slightly, so the meaning keeps turning, like a prism catching new light.

Teachers love this poem because it’s easy to spot the pattern: 19 lines, two refrains, and a strict rhyme scheme. If you’re studying form in a literature or creative writing class, you’ll likely see it referenced in course materials from universities like the University of North Carolina or similar programs listed in the U.S. Department of Education’s databases (ed.gov).

Elizabeth Bishop – One Art and the art of losing

If Thomas is rage, Elizabeth Bishop is restraint. Her villanelle “One Art” is one of the best examples of how the form can do quiet heartbreak instead of loud defiance. The repeating line “The art of losing isn’t hard to master” starts out almost playful, like a life-hack for misplacing keys.

By the final stanza, though, the tone has cracked. The villanelle structure forces Bishop to repeat that line even as the speaker clearly doesn’t believe it anymore. This friction between form and feeling is exactly why “One Art” is such a powerful example of a modern villanelle. You can find it taught in many American literature syllabi, often archived by universities like Harvard (harvard.edu) and other educational sites.

W.H. Auden – If I Could Tell You

W.H. Auden’s “If I Could Tell You” is another favorite when people want examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles in the 20th century. It’s more meditative and philosophical, using the refrains “Time will say nothing but I told you so” and “If I could tell you, I would let you know.”

This poem shows how the villanelle can handle big abstract topics—time, fate, uncertainty—without turning into a lecture. The repetition feels like circling a problem you can’t solve, which is a pretty solid example of how the structure mirrors human thought.

Dark and intense examples include Plath and Roethke

If you like your poetry a little haunted, the examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles get even more interesting.

Sylvia Plath – Mad Girl’s Love Song

Sylvia Plath’s “Mad Girl’s Love Song” is an early poem, but it’s a fan favorite. The refrain “I think I made you up inside my head” hits like a recurring intrusive thought. This villanelle is a real example of how repetition can mimic obsession, mental spirals, and emotional instability.

The poem has become hugely popular online, especially in the 2010s and 2020s, as readers share it on social platforms and in mental health discussions. While it’s not a clinical text, you’ll sometimes see it mentioned in college psychology and literature courses as a cultural artifact when talking about mood disorders and creativity—areas that broader health organizations like the National Institutes of Health (nih.gov) research from a scientific perspective.

Theodore Roethke – The Waking

Roethke’s “The Waking” might be one of the gentlest examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles. The famous line “I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow” turns the poem into a kind of spiritual breathing exercise. The repetitions feel like steps in a walking meditation.

If Plath’s villanelle shows the mind in crisis, Roethke’s shows the mind trying to live with uncertainty. It’s a best example of a villanelle that feels contemplative rather than dramatic.

Contemporary examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles (2000s–2020s)

The villanelle is not a museum piece. If you’re looking for real examples from the 21st century, there are plenty of poets still playing with (and sometimes breaking) the pattern.

A.E. Stallings – Formal with a pulse

A.E. Stallings is often cited when teachers want modern examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles that still respect traditional meter and rhyme. Her work appears in venues like Poetry and The New Yorker, and she’s known for using old forms to talk about contemporary life—parenting, politics, technology.

Her villanelles show that the form can absolutely survive the age of smartphones and streaming. They’re real examples for writers who like structure but don’t want their poems to sound like they were teleported from the 1800s.

Marilyn Hacker – Queer, political, and formal

Marilyn Hacker’s villanelles are another set of best examples for the modern era. She uses the form to talk about identity, illness, love, and politics. The tension between strict structure and intense subject matter gives her poems a coiled energy.

Hacker’s work often appears in college syllabi in courses on contemporary poetry, queer literature, and formal verse. If you’re a student searching for examples of how a villanelle can carry openly political or personal content, she’s a go-to.

Terrance Hayes – Bending forms, including the villanelle

Terrance Hayes is famous for inventing his own form, the “American sonnet,” but he has also written villanelles and villanelle-adjacent pieces that push at the edges of the pattern. His work is a real example of how a poet can treat form as a starting point, not a prison cell.

In many MFA programs and advanced workshops, Hayes is used as an example of a writer who respects poetic tradition while experimenting with it. If you’re writing your own villanelles and wondering how far you can stretch the rules, his work is a good compass.

Why these are the best examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles

So what makes these particular poems the best examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles, instead of just random entries in an anthology?

First, they show range. If you line them up, you get:

• Grief and defiance (Thomas)
• Controlled heartbreak (Bishop)
• Philosophical uncertainty (Auden)
• Mental spirals and obsession (Plath)
• Gentle spiritual reflection (Roethke)
• Contemporary life, identity, and politics (Stallings, Hacker, Hayes)

Second, they’re widely taught and discussed. You’ll find them referenced in:

• University course pages and open syllabi on sites like Harvard and other .edu domains
• Literary organizations such as the Poetry Foundation and the Academy of American Poets (poets.org)
• Critical essays and guides that use them as examples of how the villanelle works in practice

Third, they’re memorable. A good villanelle sticks because of the refrains, and every poem listed here has at least one line that tends to lodge in readers’ heads. That earworm effect is part of why these are often used as real examples when someone asks for “the classic villanelles I should know.”

Using these real examples to write your own villanelle

If you’re not just reading but also writing, these examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles double as a toolkit.

• Use Thomas to study intensity. How does he escalate emotion each time the refrain returns?
• Use Bishop to study tone shifts. Notice how the repeated line changes meaning as the stakes rise.
• Use Plath to study voice. The villanelle becomes a character’s inner monologue, not just a pattern.
• Use Roethke to study rhythm. The poem feels like walking or breathing—helpful if you’re trying to keep your own lines musical.
• Use Stallings and Hacker to study how contemporary detail fits into an old form.

For many writers, repetition can feel awkward at first. Looking at examples of successful villanelles shows how the best poets hide the seams. You stop noticing the pattern and start feeling the emotion.

If you’re in a writing workshop or self-studying, you might pair these poems with formal craft guides from university writing centers, such as those often hosted by institutions like the University of North Carolina or Purdue. These sites (frequently linked from .edu domains) give technical breakdowns, while the poems themselves are the living, breathing examples include section.

Villanelles in 2024–2025: where the form is showing up now

In 2024 and 2025, villanelles are still popping up in:

• Online literary magazines that feature formal poetry alongside free verse
• Social media writing communities, where poets post villanelles on grief, climate anxiety, and relationships
• College and high school classrooms, where teachers use examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles to show how repetition shapes meaning

You’ll also see more hybrid and experimental takes: poets mixing the villanelle with spoken word pacing, or loosening the rhyme while keeping the refrains. These aren’t always textbook-perfect, but they’re real examples of how living writers are adapting the form.

If you’re researching or teaching, pairing these newer pieces with older standards gives students a clearer sense of continuity: the same spine, different clothing.

FAQ: examples of villanelles and notable poets

Q: What are some of the best examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles?
A: Classic examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles include Dylan Thomas (“Do not go gentle into that good night”), Elizabeth Bishop (“One Art”), W.H. Auden (“If I Could Tell You”), Sylvia Plath (“Mad Girl’s Love Song”), and Theodore Roethke (“The Waking”). More recent examples include A.E. Stallings, Marilyn Hacker, and Terrance Hayes, who all use or adapt the form in contemporary contexts.

Q: Can you give an example of a villanelle about grief?
A: Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night” is the standout example of a villanelle about grief and resistance. It’s often taught as one of the best examples of how the villanelle’s repeating lines can intensify emotional impact.

Q: Are there modern, real examples of villanelles, not just older poems?
A: Yes. Real examples appear in recent literary journals and collections by poets like A.E. Stallings and Marilyn Hacker. These writers show that the villanelle can address very current themes—gender, politics, family, technology—while still using traditional repetition and rhyme.

Q: Where can I read reliable background information on these poets and forms?
A: For biographical and critical context, look at educational and nonprofit sites like the Poetry Foundation, the Academy of American Poets, and university literature departments. For broader academic support and writing resources, major institutions such as Harvard University (harvard.edu) and U.S. education sites like ed.gov host materials and links that can guide your research.

Q: How should I use these examples when learning to write villanelles?
A: Treat them the way musicians treat classic recordings. Read them out loud. Mark the refrains. Notice where the poet surprises you despite the pattern. These examples of notable poets who wrote villanelles give you models for pacing, tone, and emotional build. Once you’ve studied them, try writing your own villanelle using a line you can imagine repeating without getting bored of it—because you’re going to see it a lot.