Classic Literature:
* "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" by William Shakespeare (Sonnet 130): This sonnet is known for its use of hyperbole to playfully downplay the traditional romantic tropes of beauty. Lines like "Coral is far more red than her lips' red" and "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" are clear examples of exaggeration.
* "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe: This poem uses hyperbole to create an atmosphere of intense dread and despair. Lines like "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary" and "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before" emphasize the narrator's emotional state through exaggeration.
* "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats: This poem uses hyperbole to express the poet's deep admiration for the nightingale's song. Lines like "My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains / My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk" and "Away! away! for I will fly to thee, / Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards, / But on the viewless wings of Poesy" express an overwhelming desire to escape reality.
Modern Poetry:
* "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot: This poem employs hyperbole to create a sense of alienation and isolation. Lines like "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons" and "I grow old ... I grow old ... / I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled" highlight the protagonist's feelings of insignificance and anxieties about aging.
* "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost: This poem uses hyperbole to create a sense of significance about the choices we make in life. Lines like "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood" and "I shall be telling this with a sigh / Somewhere ages and ages hence" exaggerate the impact of a simple choice on one's destiny.
* "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas: This poem employs hyperbole to express a defiant refusal to accept death. Lines like "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" and "Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright / Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, / Rage, rage against the dying of the light" use strong language and repetition to emphasize the speaker's fierce resistance to death.
These are just a few examples, and there are many other poems that use hyperbole effectively. Hyperbole is a powerful tool that poets can use to create vivid imagery, express strong emotions, and emphasize important themes. It can also be used to create humor and irony.