Welcome to our collection of Poems About Twelfth Night. This anthology explores the magic, mystery, and merriment of the Twelfth Night, a tradition that marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Epiphany.
These poems capture the essence of this festive occasion, from the revelry and masquerades to the quiet reflection it inspires. Whether you’re a fan of Shakespeare’s famous play or simply charmed by the age-old customs associated with this night, these verses will transport you to a world of wassail, jesters, and star-lit skies.
So, sit back, pour yourself a cup of mulled wine, and delve into the rich tapestry of Twelfth Night, as told through the evocative power of poetry. Enjoy the journey!
Related: For more, check out our Poems About Richard III here.
Five Free Verse Poems About Twelfth Night
1. The Final Feast
Beneath the winter sky’s icy gaze,
a feast is laid – the twelfth night’s blaze.
Laughter echoes, glasses clink,
in the heart of winter, we find our link.
Shadows dance on frosted panes,
as merriment drowns out winter’s pains.
A final toast to the yule-tide cheer,
before we embrace another year.
By Dan Higgins 2024
2. The Jester’s Song
On this night, when jesters rule,
and fools are kings in every Yule.
The world turns topsy-turvy, wild and free,
on the twelfth night, we find our glee.
In motley garb, with bells that chime,
the jester sings of a time
when love and laughter forever intertwine,
on this, the twelfth night’s merry rhyme.
By Dan Higgins 2024
3. Starlit Epiphany
Stars twinkle like distant dreams,
illuminating the night with their gentle gleams.
On the twelfth night, they seem to say,
“Let your light guide the way.”
In the quiet hush of the winter’s night,
we find our epiphany in their light.
A reminder that even in the deepest dark,
hope can ignite a spark.
By Dan Higgins 2024
4. The Twelfth Night’s Kiss
Underneath the mistletoe’s lingering spell,
secrets of the heart we tell.
With a twelfth night’s kiss, soft and sweet,
the dance of love is complete.
As the clock chimes the midnight hour,
we feel love’s transcendent power.
In the glow of the twelfth night’s bliss,
we find magic in a kiss.
By Dan Higgins 2024
5. Dawn of Epiphany
As dawn breaks on the twelfth day’s morn,
a new year, anew, is born.
With hearts full and spirits bright,
we bid farewell to the twelfth night.
In the silence of the morning’s hush,
we feel the epiphany’s gentle brush.
A promise that as long as stars shine bright,
we’ll always have the twelfth night.
By Dan Higgins 2024
Related: For more, check out our Poems About The Tempest here.
Five Haiku Poems About Twelfth Night
1. Winter’s Embrace
Cold night, stars so bright,
Twelfth Night’s feast in winter’s light.
Endings birth new sight.
By Dan Higgins 2024
2. Jester’s Jingle
Bells chime, jesters play,
On this merry, topsy day.
Twelfth Night’s joyful fray.
By Dan Higgins 2024
3. Starry Epiphany
Stars twinkle above,
Guiding us to light and love.
Twelfth Night’s peaceful dove.
By Dan Higgins 2024
4. Mistletoe Magic
Mistletoe’s sweet kiss,
In Twelfth Night’s blissful abyss.
Love’s enchanting wisp.
By Dan Higgins 2024
5. Dawn’s Promise
Twelfth Night fades to dawn,
A new year is gently drawn.
Hope is never gone.
By Dan Higgins 2024
Related: For more, check out our Poems About Julius Caesar here.
Five Limerick Poems About Twelfth Night
1. The Feast of Folly
On the night that’s known as Twelfth,
We all let loose, forget our self.
With a feast and song,
We dance along,
In joy that’s better than wealth.
By Dan Higgins 2024
2. The Jester’s Jamboree
A jester in motley attire,
Set the Twelfth Night’s revels on fire.
With his antics and jest,
He was simply the best,
Of all the court’s jolly choir.
By Dan Higgins 2024
3. The Starry Epiphany
On the Twelfth Night under the stars,
Away from the world’s noisy bars,
An epiphany came,
Like a soft-spoken name,
Whispered on winds from afar.
By Dan Higgins 2024
4. The Mistletoe’s Magic
Beneath the mistletoe’s sway,
On the magical Twelfth Night’s day,
Two lovers did meet,
Their kiss oh-so-sweet,
In love’s enchanting ballet.
By Dan Higgins 2024
5. The Dawn of New Beginnings
As the Twelfth Night gave way to dawn,
A new year’s day was softly drawn.
With hope in our hearts,
And a love that imparts,
We greeted the morn with a yawn.
By Dan Higgins 2024
Related: For more, check out our Poems About King Lear here.
Five Tanka Poems About Twelfth Night
1. The Winter’s Feast
Twelfth Night’s feast aglow,
Beneath the winter’s cold show.
Laughter echoes loud,
In the chilly night’s proud shroud,
A year ends with a bow.
By Dan Higgins 2024
2. The Jester’s Dance
Jester dances free,
On Twelfth Night’s merry spree.
Bells chime, laughter rings,
In the heart, happiness sings,
In the season’s glee.
By Dan Higgins 2024
3. Starlight Epiphany
Stars twinkle so bright,
On the calm Twelfth Night.
In their gentle gleam,
Dreams weave a silent theme,
Guiding us to light.
By Dan Higgins 2024
4. Mistletoe Moments
Under mistletoe,
Twelfth Night’s love begins to grow.
A kiss, soft and sweet,
Where two longing hearts meet,
In the moon’s tender glow.
By Dan Higgins 2024
5. Dawn of the New
As Twelfth Night takes flight,
Dawn breaks with soft light.
New year gently stirs,
As the old one blurs,
Hope burns ever bright.
By Dan Higgins 2024
Related: For more, check out our Poems About A Midsummer Night’s Dream here.
Five Sonnet Poems About Twelfth Night
1. The Masquerade of Twelfth Night
In Illyria, twelfth night does unfold,
Where identities are masked, hearts are bold.
A shipwreck starts the tale, twins torn apart,
Each thinking the other lost, a broken heart.
Viola in disguise, a man she becomes,
To Duke Orsino’s court, as Cesario, she runs.
Unintended love triangles take stage,
As characters get caught in love’s cage.
Malvolio dreams of higher class,
Fooled by a letter, falls on his ass.
Feste the fool, true wisdom he holds,
In the chaos of love, the story unfolds.
Twelfth night, a comedy of delight,
Underneath the stars, love takes flight.
By Dan Higgins 2024
2. Love’s Folly
In Twelfth Night, love’s folly takes the lead,
Desire, deception, and disguises indeed.
Duke loves Olivia, who loves Cesario,
But he is Viola, causing scenario.
In each character, a folly of love,
As tangled as the stars above.
Yet in their foolishness, truth is found,
In love’s sweet folly, they are bound.
Malvolio, self-love his downfall,
In yellow stockings, he does appall.
Twelfth Night, a mirror to our own,
The follies of love, in light, are shown.
By Dan Higgins 2024
3. The Jester’s Truth
In Twelfth Night, the jester holds the truth,
Amongst the chaos, his wisdom uncouth.
Feste, the wise, though fool by name,
His insight, the others’ games inflame.
He sees through disguises, through love’s deceit,
His jests and songs, their follies repeat.
In a world turned upside down,
Feste’s truth is the only sound.
Twelfth Night, a jester’s realm,
Where folly and wisdom overwhelm.
Through Feste’s eyes, we see clear,
The absurdities of love, near and dear.
By Dan Higgins 2024
4. The Shipwreck of Love
Twelfth Night begins with a shipwreck at sea,
A metaphor for love’s uncertainty.
Viola and Sebastian, twins apart,
Their journey of love, they must start.
In the tempest of love, we all are lost,
Tossed and turned, at great cost.
Yet from the wreckage, love can bloom,
Even in the most unlikely room.
Twelfth Night, a tale of love’s storm,
Of unexpected forms, outside the norm.
In the shipwreck of love, we find,
The truest connections, of heart and mind.
By Dan Higgins 2024
5. Twelfth Night’s End
As Twelfth Night draws to its close,
Love’s true form it finally shows.
Disguises dropped, identities revealed,
Wounds of the heart, by love, healed.
Viola and Duke, Olivia and Sebastian,
Find their match, in love’s grand fashion.
Even Malvolio, his pride set aside,
In self-love’s folly, he did confide.
Twelfth Night, a comedy’s end,
Love’s true nature, it does commend.
In laughter and love, we see,
The joyous chaos of humanity.
By Dan Higgins 2024
Related: For more, check out our Poems About Hamlet here.
Five Ode Poems About Twelfth Night
1. Ode to the Twelfth Night
Oh, Twelfth Night, thou art a tale of jest,
Where love’s true form is put to the test.
In Illyria’s land, under moon’s soft light,
Unfolds a story of love’s delight.
Oh, how Viola in disguise does tread,
In man’s attire, by love she’s led.
And Orsino, with his heart ablaze,
Falls for his page in the strangest of ways.
Oh, Twelfth Night, in thy comic guise,
Thou dost reveal love’s sweet surprise.
By Dan Higgins 2024
2. Ode to Feste
Feste, thou fool, yet wisest of all,
In Twelfth Night’s court, thou dost enthrall.
With wit and song, thou dost reveal,
The follies of love, they cannot conceal.
Oh, Feste, in thy jester’s cap,
Thou dost expose love’s mishap.
Through thy jests, the truth unfolds,
In Twelfth Night’s tale, it’s thee who holds.
Oh, Feste, thou art a mirror clear,
Reflecting love’s folly for all to hear.
By Dan Higgins 2024
3. Ode to Viola
Viola, brave heroine of the night,
In man’s apparel, thou art a sight.
In Twelfth Night’s tale, thou dost show,
The lengths to which love will go.
Oh, Viola, in thy disguise,
Thou dost set a love triangle’s rise.
Yet in thy heart, true love resides,
For Orsino, thy love, thou canst not hide.
Oh, Viola, thou art love’s true face,
In Twelfth Night’s comedy, thou hast grace.
By Dan Higgins 2024
4. Ode to Malvolio
Malvolio, thou art a sight,
In thy yellow stockings, so bright.
In Twelfth Night, thou art the fool,
Yet in thy folly, thou art the tool.
Oh, Malvolio, with thy dreams of high,
Thou dost show how pride can fly.
Yet in thy fall, we find a truth,
Love’s not found in vanity’s booth.
Oh, Malvolio, in thy comic plight,
Thou dost add to Twelfth Night’s delight.
By Dan Higgins 2024
5. Ode to Love’s Folly
Oh, Love’s Folly, thou art clear,
In Twelfth Night’s tale, thou art near.
Through each character, thy form we see,
Bound by love’s sweet mystery.
Oh, Love’s Folly, thou art a jest,
Yet in thy folly, love’s truth is best.
In disguise, in dreams, in song,
Thou dost show where love belongs.
Oh, Love’s Folly, in Twelfth Night’s light,
Thou dost reveal love’s true might.
By Dan Higgins 2024
Related: For more, check out our Poems About Romeo And Juliet here.
Five Villanelle Poems About Twelfth Night
1. The Jester’s Dance
In the heart of a Twelfth Night’s tale,
Where jesters dance and lovers fail,
A tale of love unfolds, so frail.
Malvolio dreams, to no avail,
In yellow stockings, cross-gartered, pale.
In the heart of a Twelfth Night’s tale.
Olivia’s beauty, beyond the veil,
Cesario’s heart begins to assail,
A tale of love unfolds, so frail.
Beneath the moonlight, cold and stale,
Sebastian’s ship begins to sail,
In the heart of a Twelfth Night’s tale.
Viola’s disguise begins to wail,
In love’s confusion, we all flail,
A tale of love unfolds, so frail.
So ends this Shakespearean travail,
In laughter, love, and ale so hale,
In the heart of a Twelfth Night’s tale,
A tale of love unfolds, so frail.
By Dan Higgins, 2024
2. The Dusk of Revelry
As the Twelfth Night falls, the revelry begins,
The moon in the sky, where the tale spins,
Love’s sweet folly, in disguise it grins.
Feste’s song echoes, as the plot thins,
In the court of love, who wins?
As the Twelfth Night falls, the revelry begins.
Brother lost, and found again, kin to kins,
The night is young, let the games begin,
Love’s sweet folly, in disguise it grins.
Sir Toby drinks, as Maria spins,
A prank so cruel, yet everyone grins,
As the Twelfth Night falls, the revelry begins.
Orsino’s heart, Olivia wins,
In the dance of love, the world spins,
Love’s sweet folly, in disguise it grins.
As dawn breaks, the new day begins,
The Twelfth Night ends, love wins,
As the Twelfth Night falls, the revelry begins,
Love’s sweet folly, in disguise it grins.
By Dan Higgins, 2024
3. The Masquerade of Love
On the Twelfth Night, the masquerade of love,
Under the starlit sky, the moon above,
In the dance of love, the dove coos to the dove.
Viola in disguise, a hand in glove,
Orsino’s heart, she dreams of,
On the Twelfth Night, the masquerade of love.
Olivia’s heart, a fluttering dove,
Cesario’s charm, she can’t shove,
In the dance of love, the dove coos to the dove.
Sebastian arrives, a push comes to shove,
In the confusion of love, who to love?
On the Twelfth Night, the masquerade of love.
Feste sings, wisdom from above,
In the game of love, who to reprove?
In the dance of love, the dove coos to the dove.
As dawn breaks, a sign from above,
The masquerade ends, love is all they have,
On the Twelfth Night, the masquerade of love,
In the dance of love, the dove coos to the dove.
By Dan Higgins, 2024
4. The Fool’s Wisdom
The Twelfth Night echoes, the fool’s wisdom,
In the court of love, where hearts succumb,
Feste’s song, to the beat of a different drum.
Viola’s secret, under her thumb,
Orsino’s heart, it does strum,
The Twelfth Night echoes, the fool’s wisdom.
Malvolio fooled, by Maria’s conundrum,
In yellow stockings, he does come,
Feste’s song, to the beat of a different drum.
Sebastian’s arrival, the plot does sum,
In love’s confusion, who to become?
The Twelfth Night echoes, the fool’s wisdom.
As dawn breaks, the night is done,
In love’s folly, they have won,
Feste’s song, to the beat of a different drum.
The fool’s wisdom, under the sun,
Twelfth Night ends, the tale spun,
The Twelfth Night echoes, the fool’s wisdom,
Feste’s song, to the beat of a different drum.
By Dan Higgins, 2024
5. Love’s Folly
In the Twelfth Night’s folly, love’s game,
In disguise and confusion, who to blame?
In the dance of love, no two steps the same.
Viola’s love, a burning flame,
Orsino’s heart, she aims to claim,
In the Twelfth Night’s folly, love’s game.
Olivia’s heart, in Cesario’s name,
In love’s confusion, it’s not the same,
In the dance of love, no two steps the same.
Sebastian arrives, to Olivia’s acclaim,
In the game of love, who to tame?
In the Twelfth Night’s folly, love’s game.
As dawn breaks, love’s flame,
In the end, love is their aim,
In the dance of love, no two steps the same.
Twelfth Night ends, love’s aim,
In the folly of love, no one to defame,
In the Twelfth Night’s folly, love’s game,
In the dance of love, no two steps the same.
By Dan Higgins, 2024
As we wrap up this poetic journey through the Twelfth Night, we hope these verses have painted a vivid picture of the enchantment and charm that this occasion holds. From the lively jesters’ dances to the poignant love stories, each poem reflects a unique facet of the Twelfth Night tradition.
These poems by Dan Higgins have sought to capture the essence of the night’s revelry, mystery, and merriment, encapsulating the spirit of this historic celebration. Whether you’ve been transported to the heart of Shakespeare’s Illyria or found yourself amidst age-old Epiphany customs, we trust these verses have brought you joy and reflection.
So as the star-lit skies of Twelfth Night fade into the dawn of a new day, may the warmth and magic of these poems linger on in your hearts and minds. Until next time, keep the wassail flowing, and the spirit of the Twelfth Night alive!
