Skip to content

PalaeoPoems

Palaeopoems is a project that brings together the world’s palaeontology poetry in one place for the first time. We seek out poetry by real palaeontologists and share them with short biographies of the authors, natural history context, and original artwork.

  • Home
  • The Poems
  • Guest art
  • SciComm
  • #PalaeoPoemsPrompt
  • About
  • Contact

Tag: victorian

featured

Frozen Mammoths by John Stuart Blackie

Frozen Mammoths - by John Stuart Blackie This excerpt from "A Song of Geology" is an evocative tale of finding frozen mammoth remains in icy Siberia. This verse reflects the mid-1800s push to find frozen mammoths and study them. Guest artwork by Ida Kalsta

March 10, 2022fossil, ice age, mammoth, scottish, Siberia, victorian
Uncategorized

The Giant Birds of Old by Anon.

The Giant Birds of Old - by Anon. This poem by an anonymous tutor was written about the same fossil trackways featured in "The Sandstone Bird" by Edward Hitchcock, but with a much lighter tone. Guest artwork by Erin Bethell

January 27, 2022March 10, 2022bird, birds, fossil, fossil footprints, ichnofossil, sandstone, theropod, trackways, victorian
Uncategorized

The Megatherium by J. V. von Scheffel

The Megatherium - by Joseph Victor von Scheffel, translated by Charles G. Leland This moralizing poem is about the dangers of acting like a giant ground sloth. Don't be slow or lazy and you won't go extinct. Guest artwork by Zélie.

December 10, 2021January 26, 2022fossil, german, ground sloth, ice age, megatherium, pleistocene, sloth, victorian1 Comment
Uncategorized

Untitled by George Mercer Dawson

Untitled - by George Mercer Dawson Another Victorian poem full of drama and melancholy! This poem from a famous early Canadian geologist is about fossil shells and ancient oceans. Guest artwork by Dr. Hillary Maddin

August 18, 2021September 29, 2021canada, canadian, fossil, ocean, victorian
Uncategorized

Observation to a Whail by Julia Pepper

Observation to a Whail - by Julia Pepper In the mid-1800s, a beluga skeleton was dug up, near Charlotte, Vermont. This was a source of wonder for the locals, and quickly became an attraction at the State House. Julia Pepper wrote this poem in honour of the whale. Guest artwork by John Meszaros.

February 26, 2021April 7, 2021beluga, fossil, mammal, victorian, whale, womeninscience
Uncategorized

The Joy and Sorrow of the Olden Times by J. V. von Scheffel

Die Lust und Leid aus Alter Zeit - by Joseph Victor von Scheffel This German geologist drinking song features many of the most famous fossils of the 1800s, all engaged in indulgent and apparently deplorable behaviour. None survive until the end of the poem. Guest artwork by Katrin Emery.

January 28, 2021December 22, 2021fossil, german, ichthy, ichthyosaurus, iguanodon, pterodactyl, victorian
Botany

The Petrified Fern by Mary Bolles Branch

The Petrified Fern - by Mary Bolles Branch This Palaeo-Botany poem is about how context may change the meaning of fossils. This poem also fits into the capitalist and colonial mentality that everything and everyone must be useful in some way, and that finding that use is a noble cause. Guest artwork by Fatema.

September 26, 2019January 30, 2020Botany, branch, Palaeobotany, victorian, womeninscience
featured

Ode to a trilobite by Timothy Abbott Conrad

Ode to a Trilobite - by Timothy Abbott Conrad Timothy Conrad was known for both scientific mind and "melancholic" demeanor. Today, we might have said he had depression. Timothy poured himself into science and literature, and this poem is a product of his love for both. Guest artwork by John Meszaros.

May 31, 2019September 1, 2021conrad, fossil, trilobite, victorianLeave a comment
featured

Oldhamia antiqua by John Joly

Oldhamia antiqua - by John Joly This poem is about a type of trace fossil from the Cambrian, and dramatically muses on how fossils must feel about deep time. Guest artwork by Brigid Christison.

April 25, 2019December 1, 2021ichnofossil, joly, oldhamia, trace fossil, victorian
featured

Untitled by Thomas C. Weston

Untitled - by Thomas Chesmer Weston This was the first poem ever found for Palaeopoems. Published in Thomas' 1899 memoirs, it's about one of the earliest fossil-hunting expeditions to western Canada and reflects Victorian ideas about dinosaurs. Guest artwork by Katrin Emery.

March 28, 2019August 12, 2021dinosaur, primaeval, slime, victorian, weston

Search poems

Recent Posts

  • Frozen Mammoths by John Stuart Blackie March 10, 2022
  • The Giant Birds of Old by Anon. January 27, 2022
  • The Megatherium by J. V. von Scheffel December 10, 2021
  • Gingko Fossil Tea by Susannah Lydon & Robin Lamboll November 3, 2021
  • The Unpetrified Forest by Margaret Matthew Colbert September 29, 2021
Follow PalaeoPoems on WordPress.com

The research and work that goes in to Palaeopoems takes place on the traditional and unceded territories of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People.

One-time donation

C$1.00

Follow Us

  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Buy us a Kofi

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com
Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
  • Follow Following
    • PalaeoPoems
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • PalaeoPoems
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...