My Favorite 10 Timeless Poems for Mothers

Mother’s Day is more than just a date on the calendar—it’s a chance to honor the women who’ve loved us, shaped us, and held us together through life’s ups and downs. Over the years, poets have put into words what so many of us feel but struggle to say: the gratitude, the awe, and the deep, quiet love that motherhood inspires.

Whether you’re looking for the perfect verse to share with your mom or simply want to soak in the beauty of these tributes, here are 10 unforgettable poems—some centuries-old, some modern—that capture the heart of what it means to be a mother.

“The lullabies she sang through tears—
now my own voice trembles singing them.”

Dive into these timeless lines and let them remind you of the extraordinary woman (or women) who made you who you are.

You will also like: 20-famous-quotes-about-mothers

P.S. Need more poetic inspiration? Browse our full collection of Poems in English for more moving verses.

1. “To My Mother” – Edgar Allan Poe (Poems for Mothers)

Because I feel that, in the Heavens above,
The angels, whispering to one another,
Can find, among their burning terms of love,
None so devotional as that of “Mother,”
Therefore by that dear name I long have called you-
You who are more than mother unto me,
And fill my heart of hearts, where Death installed you
In setting my Virginia’s spirit free.
My mother- my own mother, who died early,
Was but the mother of myself; but you
Are mother to the one I loved so dearly,
And thus are dearer than the mother I knew
By that infinity with which my wife
Was dearer to my soul than its soul-life.

~ To My Mother by Edgar Allan Poe

Poe’s tender poem is a beautiful ode to a mother’s unwavering love—one that lingers even beyond life itself. Though best known for his haunting tales, Edgar Allan Poe penned this moving tribute to his mother-in-law, a woman who became more than family to him.

In these verses, Poe pours out his gratitude for her boundless care, especially in the way she watched over his beloved wife, Virginia, even after death. To him, no love was purer than a mother’s, and he cherished her not just for the comfort she gave him, but for the love she showed the woman who held his heart.

It’s a rare glimpse into Poe’s softer side—a testament to the enduring power of a mother’s love, whether by blood or by bond.

2. “Mother o’ Mine” – Rudyard Kipling (Poems for Mothers)

If I were hanged on the highest hill,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!
I know whose love would follow me still,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!

If I were drowned in the deepest sea,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!
I know whose tears would come down to me,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!

If I were damned of body and soul,
I know whose prayers would make me whole,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!

~ Mother o’ Mine by Rudyard Kipling

There’s something about a mother’s love that feels like the one constant in life—no matter how far we stray, how deep we fall, or how lost we become. Kipling captures this perfectly in “Mother o’ Mine,” a short but powerful tribute to the kind of love that defies logic, distance, and even fate.

Imagine the worst trials: facing death, drowning in despair, or feeling utterly broken. Through it all, Kipling says, a mother’s love would still find you—her tears would reach the depths of the ocean, her prayers would chase away the darkest shadows. It’s a love that doesn’t waver, even when all else fails.

This poem isn’t just sweet words; it’s a reminder of the quiet, fierce devotion mothers carry in their hearts. Whether you’re a son, daughter, or someone who’s been loved like this, Kipling’s lines will strike a chord.

3. “Songs My Mother Taught Me” – Adolf Heyduk (Translated by Natalie Macfarren)

“Songs My Mother Taught Me” was originally a musical composition by Antonín Dvořák, part of his Gypsy Songs (Op. 55, No. 4). The lyrics were adapted from a poem by Adolf Heyduk and later translated into English by Natalie Macfarren.

Songs my mother taught me,
In the days long vanished;
Seldom from her eyelids
Were the teardrops banished.
Now I teach my children,
Each melodious measure.
Oft the tears are flowing,
Oft they flow from my memory’s treasure.

~ “Songs My Mother Taught Me” Translated by Natalie Macfarren

There’s something magical about the songs our mothers teach us. They’re more than just melodies—they’re keepsakes of love, woven with memories and emotions that time can’t erase.

This tender poem (later transformed into Dvořák’s hauntingly beautiful “Gypsy Melodies”) captures that bittersweet moment when a child, now grown, sings their mother’s songs anew. The same tunes that once cradled them to sleep now bring their own children comfort—yet with each note comes the weight of memory.

You can almost picture it:

• A mother singing softly, her voice catching with emotion
• Years later, her child—now a parent—repeats the same lyrics, feeling that same swell of love and loss
• The circle continues, unbroken

It’s extraordinary how a simple melody can bridge generations, carrying forward not just words and notes, but the very essence of who we are and where we come from. This poem reminds us that the most precious inheritances aren’t material—they’re the songs sung with love, the ones that linger in our hearts long after the last note fades.

Fun fact: While Czech poet Adolf Heyduk wrote the original verses, it was Dvořák’s musical adaptation that made these words immortal. The perfect marriage of poetry and melody—just like those lullabies we never forget.

4. “Only One Mother” – George Cooper (Poems for Mothers)

Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,
Hundreds of shells on the shore together,
Hundreds of birds that go singing by,
Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather.

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the wide world over.

~ Only One Mother by George Cooper

The world overflows with beauty—skies full of stars, fields of flowers, the endless murmur of waves and birdsong. Nature gives us these gifts in abundance, repeating them like a favorite refrain.

But a mother’s love? That’s the universe’s rarest masterpiece.

George Cooper’s gentle poem reminds us that while we might count a hundred butterflies or a thousand dewdrops, there’s no replacing the woman who kissed our scraped knees, stayed up through our fevers, and loved us with a fierceness no one else could replicate.

It’s in the contrast that the truth shines: the world offers many wonders, but mothers? Those come one to a customer—precious, irreplaceable, and unlike anything else under the sun.

Perfect for:

A reminder that some things—like her love—truly are one-of-a-kind

A Mother’s Day card that says more than just “I love you”

Anyone who’s ever tried (and failed) to find words big enough for Mom

5. “Rock Me to Sleep” – Elizabeth Akers Allen (Poems for Mothers)

There comes a moment in every adult life when the weight of the world feels too heavy to carry alone. Elizabeth Akers Allen gave voice to that deep, human longing in this achingly vulnerable poem—a plea to return to the simplest, purest comfort we’ve ever known: our mother’s arms.

The imagery is visceral:

• A grown woman, exhausted by life’s battles, craving the sanctuary of childhood
• The memory of gentle hands smoothing hair, a lullaby hummed in the dark
• That desperate wish to trade grown-up independence for one more moment of being mothered

What makes this poem so enduring isn’t just its nostalgia—it’s the universal truth it reveals. No matter how old we get or how capable we seem, there are days when we’d give anything to be small again, to have someone else take the weight while we rest. Allen reminds us that this isn’t weakness; it’s the indelible mark of a love so profound it leaves us forever homesick for its comfort.

Fun Fact: The poem became so popular in 1860s America that multiple composers set it to music—proof that this yearning for maternal comfort transcends generations.

6. “Mother” – Lola Ridge (Poems for Mothers)

Your love was like moonlight
turning harsh things to beauty,
so that little wry souls
reflecting each other obliquely
as in cracked mirrors . . .
beheld in your luminous spirit
their own reflection,
transfigured as in a shining stream,
and loved you for what they are not.

You are less an image in my mind
than a luster
I see you in gleams
pale as star-light on a gray wall . . .
evanescent as the reflection of a white swan
shimmering in broken water.

~ “Mother” Poem by Lola Ridge

There comes a moment in every adult life when the weight of the world feels too heavy to carry alone. Elizabeth Akers Allen gave voice to that deep, human longing in this achingly vulnerable poem—a plea to return to the simplest, purest comfort we’ve ever known: our mother’s arms.

The imagery is visceral:

• A grown woman, exhausted by life’s battles, craving the sanctuary of childhood
• The memory of gentle hands smoothing hair, a lullaby hummed in the dark
• That desperate wish to trade grown-up independence for one more moment of being mothered

What makes this poem so enduring isn’t just its nostalgia—it’s the universal truth it reveals. No matter how old we get or how capable we seem, there are days when we’d give anything to be small again, to have someone else take the weight while we rest. Allen reminds us that this isn’t weakness; it’s the indelible mark of a love so profound it leaves us forever homesick for its comfort.

Fun Fact: The poem became so popular in 1860s America that multiple composers set it to music—proof that this yearning for maternal comfort transcends generations.

7. “A Mother’s Love” – Helen Steiner Rice (Poems for Mothers)

A Mother’s love is something
that no on can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendoured miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God’s tender guiding hand.

~ “A Mother’s Love” Poem by Helen Steiner Rice

Helen Steiner Rice didn’t just write poems—she stitched tapestries of the heart. In this beloved tribute, she captures what generations have felt but struggled to articulate: that a mother’s love operates by its own sacred physics.

What Makes This Poem Timeless?

1. The Divine Paradox – It presents maternal love as both human and heavenly, tender yet unbreakable
2. Sacred Ordinary – Finds holiness in midnight feedings, scraped-knee kisses, and silent worries
3. Quiet Heroism – Honors the uncelebrated battles mothers fight daily with patience as their armor

The genius lies in how Rice takes the invisible labor of motherhood—the folded laundry, the bitten tongue, the prayers whispered over sleeping children—and reveals it as the closest thing to divine light we’ll ever witness firsthand.

“It is endless and unselfish
and enduring, come what may…”

These lines don’t just describe love—they blueprint the architecture of sacrifice. Whether you’re a mother, have a mother, or owe your life to a mother-figure, Rice’s words land with the weight of shared truth.

Perfect For:
✓ Mother’s Day reflections
✓ Baby shower letters
✓ Anyone needing to remember they’re loved

This isn’t just poetry—it’s a love letter to the first love we ever knew.

8. “My Mother” – Ann Taylor (Poems for Mothers)

Who sat and watched my infant head
When sleeping on my cradle bed,
And tears of sweet affection shed?
My Mother.

When pain and sickness made me cry,
Who gazed upon my heavy eye,
And wept for fear that I should die?
My Mother.

Who taught my infant lips to pray
And love God’s holy book and day,
And walk in wisdom’s pleasant way?
My Mother.

And can I ever cease to be
Affectionate and kind to thee,
Who wast so very kind to me,
My Mother?

Ah, no! the thought I cannot bear,
And if God please my life to spare
I hope I shall reward they care,
My Mother.

When thou art feeble, old and grey,
My healthy arm shall be thy stay,
And I will soothe thy pains away,
My Mother.

~ “My Mother” by Ann Taylor

“Who fed me from her gentle breast,
And hushed me in her arms to rest?”

Before Hallmark cards existed, there was Ann Taylor’s “My Mother”—a deceptively simple nursery rhyme that contains multitudes. Written in 1804, this poem traces the arc of maternal love across a lifetime, revealing how the hands that rock the cradle end up shaping the soul.

Why This Humble Poem Still Resonates After 200+ Years:

1. The Full Circle Journey
   • Infant → cared for at mother’s breast
   • Child → comforted through fevers
   • Adult → becomes the caretaker
     (A timeless cycle Taylor captures in just 12 lines)
2. The Quiet Curriculum
   Mothers don’t just raise children—they teach:
   • How to be loved (through lullabies)
   • How to endure (through sickbed vigils)
   • How to give (by example)
3. The Unspoken Contract
   That sacred promise: “I’ll care for you as you cared for me”—
   not out of obligation, but because love, once received,
   naturally flows backward when needed most.

“And when I see thee hang thy head,
‘Twill be my turn to watch thy bed…”

These lines gut me every time. Taylor reminds us that becoming someone’s “rock” is the highest honor—a chance to return, in some small way, the infinite debt we all owe to the women who loved us first.

Perfect For:

• Anyone who understands love is spelled T-I-M-E
• New mothers (as a mirror of their future impact)
• Adult children caring for aging parents

9. “A Prayer for a Mother’s Birthday” – Henry Van Dyke (Poems for Mothers)

“Ah, hold her by the hand,
As once her hand held mine…”

Henry Van Dyke’s birthday blessing isn’t just a poem—it’s a sacred conversation between a grateful child and God, using the intimate language only mothers and their children truly understand. Written as a prayer, it traces the arc of a lifetime of love in just eight stanzas.

What Makes This Prayer-Poem So Special?

1. The Reverse Lullaby
   Where mothers once sang over cradles, now the child sings back—
   Not with childish rhymes, but with holy petitions:
   Protect her… comfort her… lead her…
2. The Bookends of Love
   • Then: Her hands steadying tiny first steps
   • Now: God’s hand guiding her through life’s autumn
3. Wisdom in the Asking
   The most mature line comes midway:
   “And even if Thou must refuse…”
   Recognizing that true love sometimes says no—
   Just as mothers themselves learn to do

The Hidden Gift:
Van Dyke gives readers both a poem and a ready-made tradition—
why merely buy flowers when you could tuck this prayer into a birthday card?

“I cannot pay my debt…”

That’s the gut-punch truth of mother-love:
It’s the one debt we joyfully spend our lives trying to repay,
knowing full well we never truly can.

Why This Works Today:

• Quiet Comfort – Offers peace about life’s “winding ways” we can’t control
• Timeless Structure – Works equally well for 30th or 80th birthdays
• Sacred Ordinary – Elevates daily mother-child moments to holy ground

10. “Mother’s Hands” – Marian Jonnes (Poems for Mothers)

Hands that rocked the cradle
From the moment of my birth,
Their tender touch remembered
By those still on this earth.

Soft as silk those hands
That taught me how to pray,
Banishing childhood fears;
They soothed each one away.

When I grew much older
And troubles came my way,
Those hands caressing mine
Did more than words could say.

Mother’s hands were gentle,
They’re missed so very much,
I’d give the world to feel once more
Their warm and tender touch.

Those hands were full of comfort
Now they lie at rest,
But memory holds them close
To the ones they served the best.

~ “Mother’s Hands” by Marian Jonnes

This touching poem paints a vivid picture of a mother’s hands—gentle, strong, and always there. From soothing a child’s fears to guiding them through life, her hands symbolize unconditional love and care. It’s a beautiful tribute to the quiet strength and constant presence of a mother’s love.

“A Prayer for a Mother’s Birthday” by Henry Van Dyke
This poem feels like a heartfelt prayer whispered from a child’s soul. It’s full of gratitude and deep love, asking God to watch over a beloved mother on her special day. The poet reflects on how even Jesus understood a mother’s love—and with that understanding, asks for blessings, peace, and joy for the woman who’s given so much. It’s not just a prayer; it’s a way of saying thank you, and a hope that God will keep her safe, now and always.

Final Thoughts – 10 Timeless Poems for Mothers

These poems beautifully capture a mother’s love, sacrifice, and unwavering support. Whether you share them with your mother or simply reflect on their meaning, they serve as a heartfelt tribute on this special day.

Would you like to add any personal reflections or Hindi poems to this post? 😊

List of Poets in Alphabetical Order

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