deep dark poetry

Dark Poems are entertaining, passionate and intriguing – prose dipped in darkness, then filled with expression that strikes fear into your heart. (Dark Poems regularly added below)

Dark poetry is all about visiting a world where so many fear to tread. It opens the doors to beauty on the other side of light. It would also be a novel idea to say that Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds made dark poetry popular with their “Murder Ballads” album, but in fact it has been spawning from some of the earlier poets.

If you thought that dark poetry was a result of heavy metal or rock then think again. Attempts to find the origins of dark poetry would be cynical, but it’s safe to say it’s nothing new. Mental instabilities, love and religion are most probably the cause of this unique literature and here is a taste of some of the great poets who enjoyed stepping into the sinister side of the life and who weren’t scared to dig a little deeper into the darkness.


Edgar Allan Poe

A man who was responsible for numerous literary movements and one of the first writers who was hell-bent on making a living from writing alone, American poet Edgar Allan Poe was born in January 1809. He only reached the age of 40 and what finally killed him is still a mystery. Given that he didn’t make a living through a typical job, he found himself in constant financial trouble. Nevertheless, Poe has produced some of the darkest and scariest poetry the world has seen. Examples of these are “The Raven” and “Spirits of the Dead”. The former tells a story about a man who is mourning the loss of Lenore, the love of his life, while a talking raven pays him a visit. However, the raven only says one word every time the man asks a question, which is “Nevermore”. The poem unfolds as the man slowly drifts into madness while conversing with the raven. It is one of the most famous poems ever written. The latter poem “Spirits of the Dead” sees a dead man talking to another man who is visiting his grave. The spirit conveys how the people that are close to you while alive still surround you after you die. 


Lord Byron

Byron was an eccentric character to say the least, and he is still regarded as one of the most influential poets in history. He had numerous love affairs, fought in wars and even exiled himself. He was born in England, January 1788 and at the tender age of 36 he died due to a high fever. Apparently he was a sweet little boy who loved silent rages and revenge. One of his darkest poems, simply titled “The Darkness”, was written in 1816. This was also a year when the sun was literally blotted out by volcano ash, but they didn’t know that. Everyone thought it was the apocalypse, causing riots, suicide and mayhem. The poem is based on this event, although it doesn’t have a happy ending like in the book of Revelations. Instead, Byron emphasises literal pain and torture from hell without the thousand years of peace that follows. “My Soul is Dark” is also something to look for.


Frank Bidart

Bidart is still with us and he is an American born poet who studied at the University of California. Born in May 1939, Bidart has gained a lot of credibility as an academic and poet. Indeed, he has written some interesting poems and “Herbert White” is definitely one of them, seeing as he wrote it from the viewpoint of a psychopath. However, the poem “Dark Night” might be especially appealing to those who prefer the night time. Bidart turns the night and darkness into a something positive, as supposed to something typically associated with fear and evil. It speaks of how the mystery of darkness leads to liberation, even though the narrator isn’t sure what he’s going to find. 


Elinor Morton Wylie

Elinor struck the world with her beauty and talent for writing poetry. Yet another American poet, Elinor was born in September 1885. Her poems are filled with sensual passion and her multiple affairs and marriages can definitely be seen in her work. Apart from her romantic pieces, she had some dark spells as well. “Poor Earth” is a good example of this, but “Death and the Maiden” along with “Peregrine” really brings it home. “Death and the Maiden” has a nice balance of youth and beauty while implementing Sir Death and terror. In “Demon Lovers” she even refers to herself as Lucifer. 


Alfred, Lord Tennyson

One of the most quoted writers according to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Tennyson is responsible for phrases like “Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all”. Born in England on 6 August 1809, Tennyson was a renowned poet although the plays he wrote never really generated any success. What is nice to see is that a romantic poet such as this could write pieces like “Tears Idle Tears”. It is thoroughly depressing, dark, almost apocalyptic and it paints the picture of “friends” from the underworld rising up to greet us. 


HorrorPalace

Possibly due to technological advances, dark poetry and literature hasn’t been as popular as it used to be in the times of Lord Byron and Edgar Allan Poe. However, there are still many who ravish the thought of exploring verse and phrase through darker eyes.

Using a variety of old and new language styles, even foreign phrases, in a freestyle structure, HorrorPalace is becoming the haven for new age dark poems. Blending basics of the classics, Horror Palace transforms Dark Poetry with more graphic and darker levels filled with the beauty of fear, blood, demons and darkness.  Making the poems more involving, they are accompanied by visual effects such as paintings, grisly pictures, or performed by by characters both on video and by voice –  luring the mind even more.

HorrorPalace brings Dark Poetry back to a life where the contrast of romance and demise sit around the same table, where heavenly maidens and demons become soul mates and blood is the wine drank from veins instead of cups. It carries the torch for those seeking comfort in torment and sexuality within the dark shades. HorrorPalace is the path on which light will fear to tread…