Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850 - 1919)

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (November 5, 1850–October 30, 1919) was an American author and poet. Her best-known work was Poems of Passion, and her autobiography, The Worlds and I was published in 1918 shortly before her death.

A popular rather than a literary poet, her poems express sentiments of cheer and optimism in plainly written, rhyming verse. Her world view is expressed in the title of her poem “Whatever Is—Is Best” (suggesting an echo of Pope’s “Whatever is, is right.”). None of her work was included by F. O. Matthiesen in The Oxford Book of American Verse, but Hazel Felleman chose no less than thirteen of her poems for Best Loved Poems of the American People, while Martin Gardner selected “Solitude” and “The Winds of Fate” for Best Remembered Poems.

She is frequently cited in parody collections (Pegasus Descending, others). Sinclair Lewis indicates Babbitt’s lack of literary sophistication by having refer to a piece of verse as “one of the classic poems, like ‘If’ by Kipling, or Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s ‘The Man Worth While'”.

Poems By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Miscellaneous

“It Might Have Been” (No Comments »)
A Baby In The House (No Comments »)
A Fallen Leaf (No Comments »)
A Golden Day (No Comments »)
A Grey Mood (1 Comment »)
A Holiday (No Comments »)
A Leaf (No Comments »)
A Lovers’ Quarrel (No Comments »)
A Maiden To Her Mirror (No Comments »)
A Maiden’s Secret (No Comments »)
A March Snow (1 Comment »)
A Marine Etching (No Comments »)
A Song Of Life (No Comments »)
A Suggestion (No Comments »)
A trusting little leaf of green, (No Comments »)
A Waif (No Comments »)
A Waltz-Quadrille (No Comments »)
A Woman’s Love (No Comments »)
A yacht from its harbour ropes pulled free, (No Comments »)
Ad Finum (3 Comments »)
Advice (No Comments »)
After the Engagement (No Comments »)
All Roads That Lead To God Are Good (1 Comment »)
All That Love Asks (No Comments »)
Ambition’s Trail (No Comments »)
An Answer (No Comments »)
An Empty Crib (No Comments »)
An Inspiration (No Comments »)
An Old Man To His Sleeping Young Bride (No Comments »)
Angel Or Demon (1 Comment »)
Answered (No Comments »)
Answered Prayers (No Comments »)
Are you Loving Enough? (1 Comment »)
Arise (No Comments »)
Art And Love (No Comments »)
Artist’s Life (No Comments »)
As You Go Through Life (No Comments »)
At an Old Drawer (No Comments »)
At Bay (No Comments »)
At The Hop (No Comments »)
At The Window (No Comments »)
Attraction (No Comments »)
Be Not Weary (No Comments »)
Begin The Day (No Comments »)
Beppo (No Comments »)
Beyond (No Comments »)
Bird Of Hope (No Comments »)
Bohemia (No Comments »)
By-And-Bye (1 Comment »)
Carlos (No Comments »)
Change (No Comments »)
Christ Crucified (No Comments »)
Christmas Fancies (No Comments »)
Coleur de Rose (No Comments »)
Communism (1 Comment »)
Completion (No Comments »)
Contentment (No Comments »)
Contrasts (No Comments »)
Conversion (No Comments »)
Custer (No Comments »)
Daft (No Comments »)
Delilah (3 Comments »)
Denied (No Comments »)
Desolation (1 Comment »)
Does It Pay? (2 Comments »)
Earthly Pride (No Comments »)
Fading (No Comments »)
Fading* (No Comments »)
Fame (No Comments »)
Father (No Comments »)
Finis (No Comments »)
Fleeing Away (No Comments »)
Foes (No Comments »)
Friendship After Love (3 Comments »)
Go Plant a Tree (No Comments »)
Going Away (2 Comments »)
Guerdon (1 Comment »)
Here And Now (No Comments »)
High Noon (No Comments »)
I Am (No Comments »)
I Love You (No Comments »)
I Told You (No Comments »)
I Will Be Worthy Of It (No Comments »)
Idler’s Song (No Comments »)
If (No Comments »)
Impatience (No Comments »)
In Faith (No Comments »)
In The Garden (No Comments »)
In the Long Run (No Comments »)
Independence Ode (No Comments »)
Individuality (No Comments »)
Inspiration (No Comments »)
Introductory Verses (No Comments »)
It All Will Come Out Right (No Comments »)
Joy (1 Comment »)
Kingdom of Love (No Comments »)
Last Love (No Comments »)
Lay It Away (No Comments »)
Leudeman’s-on-the-River (No Comments »)
Life (No Comments »)
Life Is A Privilege (No Comments »)
Life’s Harmonies (No Comments »)
Life’s Scars (1 Comment »)
Limitless (No Comments »)
Lines from (No Comments »)
Listen! (No Comments »)
Little Queen (No Comments »)
Lost (No Comments »)
Love (1 Comment »)
Love is Enough (8 Comments »)
Love Much (1 Comment »)
Love Song (No Comments »)
Love Thyself Last (No Comments »)
Love Will Wane (No Comments »)
Love’s Coming (No Comments »)
Love’s Language (No Comments »)
Love’s Supremacy (No Comments »)
Momus, God Of Laughter (No Comments »)
Moon And Sea (No Comments »)
Morning Prayer (No Comments »)
Mother’s Loss (1 Comment »)
Music In The Flat (No Comments »)
My Comrade (No Comments »)
My Home (No Comments »)
My Ships (No Comments »)
My Vision (No Comments »)
New And Old (No Comments »)
Noblesse Oblige (1 Comment »)
Not Quite The Same (No Comments »)
Old And New (No Comments »)
Old Times (No Comments »)
One Of Us Two (No Comments »)
Only A Slight Flirtation (No Comments »)
Only Dreams (No Comments »)
Our Blessings (No Comments »)
Over The Alley (No Comments »)
Over the Banisters (No Comments »)
Pardoned Out (No Comments »)
Penalty (No Comments »)
Perished (No Comments »)
Philosophy (1 Comment »)
Platonic (3 Comments »)
Possession (No Comments »)
Poverty And Wealth (No Comments »)
Preaching Vs Practice (1 Comment »)
Preparation (No Comments »)
Presumption (No Comments »)
Progress (No Comments »)
Realisation (No Comments »)
Recompense (No Comments »)
Refuted (No Comments »)
Resolve (No Comments »)
Reunited (1 Comment »)
River And Sea (No Comments »)
Searching (No Comments »)
Sestina (No Comments »)
Settle The Question Right (No Comments »)
Sing To Me (No Comments »)
Smiles (2 Comments »)
Smoke (No Comments »)
So Long In Coming (No Comments »)
Song Of The Spirit (No Comments »)
Sorrow’s Uses (1 Comment »)
Sorry (No Comments »)

Custer and Other Poems

. Thanksgiving (1 Comment »)