Goblin Men - Christina Rossetti
I probably get too many of my favourite poems from hearing them referenced in movies, TV shows, and books. I do make a point of looking up the whole poem though. A lot of the poems are only quoted in part and when I read the whole poem I find lots of other parts that are just as good as the quoted part, or that the whole poem has so much more depth than a single quote could encapsulate. For example, Dr. Who references the section of the Goblin Men by Christina Rossetti that is listed below.
But the whole of the poem is a really interesting story of sisterly devotion. It is a fun read and the whole poem can be read on PoetryFoundation.org. One of my favourite sections is how well the last section sums up the whole of the poem.
“For there is no friend like a sister
In calm or stormy weather;
To cheer one on the tedious way,
To fetch one if one goes astray,
To lift one if one totters down,
To strengthen whilst one stands.”