Satirical Poems

“Wit with a purpose—irony, parody, and pointed critique in verse.”

TitleAuthorType of Poem
To The Common GolferThomas William Hodgson CroslandSatirical
To The Emperor William.Francis William Lauderdale AdamsSatirical
To The Emperor William.Francis William Lauderdale AdamsSatirical
To The MotoristThomas William Hodgson CroslandSatirical
To The Poet LaureateThomas William Hodgson CroslandSatirical
To The PopeThomas William Hodgson CroslandSatirical
To The Private MemberThomas William Hodgson CroslandSatirical
To The Reader Of 'University Notes'Robert Fuller MurraySatirical
To The Rev. John MMathRobert BurnsSatirical
To The Reverend ----. One Of The Sixteen Requisitionists Of NottinghamThomas MooreSatirical

Understanding Satirical Poetry

Satirical poems use wit, irony, exaggeration, and ridicule to expose folly—personal, social, or political. The aim isn’t just laughter: it’s critique that nudges readers toward insight or change.

Common characteristics of satirical poetry:

  • Targeted Critique: Focuses on specific behaviors, institutions, or ideas—often timely, sometimes timeless.
  • Tools of Irony: Uses sarcasm, parody, understatement, and hyperbole to sharpen the point.
  • Voice & Persona: Speakers may be unreliable or exaggerated to reveal contradictions and hypocrisy.
  • Form Flexibility: Appears in couplets, tercets, quatrains, blank verse, or free verse—music serves the mockery.
  • Moral Pressure: Beneath the humor lies ethical pressure—satire seeks reform, not merely amusement.
  • Public & Personal: Can lampoon public figures and trends or needle private vanities and everyday pretenses.

The best satire balances bite with craft: memorable lines that entertain while revealing the gap between how things are and how they ought to be.