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Spider poems by famous poets explore the fascinating world of these eight-legged creatures.
Whether they are portrayed as creepy or captivating, spiders have inspired poets to weave together captivating verses that capture their intricate webs, unique physical features, and mysterious personalities.
From short and funny to famous and serious, poems about spiders offer a window into the rich world of poetry and nature.
Let’s get into them!
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Short Spider Poems
Short spider poems pack a punch in just a few words. They are perfect for capturing the essence of spiders in a concise and memorable way. Whether it’s a haiku or a short verse, these poems are sure to leave an impression.
1. Cobwebs
Little fairy kerchiefs
Spread on the grass to dry;
Little fairy hammocks
Swinging in branches high.
Funny fairy cables
Stretched through the airy sea;
Funny fairy bridges
Reaching from tree to tree.
Dainty fairy ladders
Scaling the garden wall,
Dainty net to catch them,—
If fairies ever fall!
Busy fairy workman,
Spider of gorgeous hue,
Should I steal your glue-pot,
What would the fairies do?
2. Cobwebs
by Emily Dickinson
The spider as an artist
Has never been employed
Though his surpassing merit
Is freely certified
By every broom and Bridget
Throughout a Christian land.
Neglected son of genius,
I take thee by the hand.
3. The Parlour and the Fly
by John B. Tabb
“Will you walk into the Spider?”
Said the Parlour to the Fly;
“He’s the emptiest little spider
That ever you did spy.
“And he covers me with cobweb;
So I want you to go in;
For—his lower chamber furnished—
He will have no room to spin.”
4. A Rainbow Foundation
by Anonymous
Once a spider built a cobweb on a rainbow bright and gay,
For she thought its brilliant colors would entice her lawful prey.
But, alas! the sun descended, and the bright bow was no more.
And the weeping, webless spider was left homeless as before.
“After this,” I heard her mutter to herself, “I’ll be content
With foundations not so showy, but more firm and permanent!”
5. The Itsy Bitsy Spider
by Anonymous
The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout.
Down came the rain
and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun
and dried up all the rain
and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
6. Range-Finding
by Robert Frost
The battle rent a cobweb diamond-strung
And cut a flower beside a ground bird’s nest
Before it stained a single human breast.
The stricken flower bent double and so hung.
And still the bird revisited her young.
A butterfly its fall had dispossessed
A moment sought in air his flower of rest,
Then lightly stooped to it and fluttering clung.
On the bare upland pasture there had spread
O’ernight ’twixt mullein stalks a wheel of thread
And straining cables wet with silver dew.
A sudden passing bullet shook it dry.
The indwelling spider ran to greet the fly,
But finding nothing, sullenly withdrew.
Funny Spider Poems
Funny spider poems take a lighthearted approach to these often-feared creatures. They use humor to showcase the quirky and amusing aspects of spiders, making them more relatable and less intimidating.
1. Spider and Wasp
by A. Vine Hall
A BIG black spider lived in a hole;
A terrible spider was he:
As big as your hand, and with hairy legs,
And a mouth as red as could be.
The beetles and flies at the sight of him fled,
And even the birds were afraid.
He had two great nippers, and eight wicked eyes;
How he ran ! and what leaps he made
I and all who lived in the garden knew
That terrible spider’s lair,
And told their little ones, under their breath:
‘0 never, 0 never go there!’
Those who were naughty and disobeyed,
By their mothers would not have been known,
For the spider had sucked their juicy parts—
Sucked them as dry as a bone.
One day when he crept quite out of his hole,
To pounce on a passer-by,
Buzz, buzz, came a wasp: the spider’s afraid—A spider afraid of a fly!
His poisoned nippers he opened wide,
And reared himself up to fight;
Round, round, and round, flew the wasp, then— down!
And stung him before he could bite.
He crumpled up, and was carried away,
And buried alive, to feed
The baby-wasps that were soon to be born.
2. The Redback on the Toilet Seat
by Slim Newton
There was a redback on the toilet seat
When I was there last night.
I didn’t see him in the dark,
But boy I felt his bite.
I jumped high up into the air
And when I hit the ground,
That crafty redback spider
Wasn’t nowhere to be found.
I rushed into the missus,
Told her just where I’d been bit.
She grabbed a cut-throat razor-blade
And I nearly took a fit.
I said, “Just forget what’s on your mind
And call a doctor please,
‘Cause I got a feeling that your cure
Is worse than the disease.”
There was a redback on the toilet seat
When I was there last night.
I didn’t see him in the dark,
But boy I felt his bite.
And now I’m here in hospital
A sad and sorry sight,
And I curse the redback spider
On the toilet seat last night.
I can’t lie down, I can’t sit up
And I don’t know what to do,
And all the nurses think it’s funny
But that’s not my point of view.
I tell you its embarassing,
And that’s to say the least,
That I’m too sick to eat a bit
While that spider had a feast.
And when I get back home again
I tell you what I’ll do,
I’ll make that redback suffer
For the pain I’m going through.
I’ve had so many needles
That I’m looking like a sieve,
And I promise you that spider
Hasn’t very long to live.
There was a redback on the toilet seat
When I was there last night.
I didn’t see him in the dark,
But boy I felt his bite.
But now I’m here in hospital
A sad and sorry sight,
And I curse the redback spider
On the toilet seat last night.
3. Little Miss Muffet
by Anonymous
Sat on her tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey,
Along came a spider
And sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
Famous Spider Poems
Spider poems by famous poets are those that have stood the test of time and continue to inspire and captivate readers today. Written by renowned poets, these works explore the deeper meanings and themes associated with spiders.
1. Spider Poem
by Emily Dickinson
A Spider sewed at Night
Without a Light
Upon an Arc of White
If Ruff it was of Dame
Or Shroud of Gnome
Himself himself inform.
Of Immortality
His Strategy
Was Physiognomy.
The Spider as an Artist
Has never been employed —
Though his surpassing Merit
Is freely certified
By every Broom and Bridget
Throughout a Christian Land —
Neglected Son of Genius
I take thee by the Hand —
2. Pity the Poor Spiders
by Don Marquis
i have just been reading
an advertisement of a certain
roach exterminator
the human race little knows
all the sadness it
causes in the insect world
i remember some weeks ago
meeting a middle aged spider
she was weeping
what is the trouble i asked
her it is these cursed
fly swatters she replied
they kill of all the flies
and my family and i are starving
to death it struck me as
so pathetic that i made
a little song about it
as follows to wit
twas an elderly mother spider
grown gaunt and fierce and gray
with her little ones crouched beside her
who wept as she sang this lay
curses on these here swatters
what kills off all the flies
for me and my little daughters
unless we eats we dies
swattin and swattin and swattin
tis little else you hear
and we ll soon be dead and forgotten
with the cost of living so dear
my husband he up and left me
lured off by a centipede
and he says as he bereft me
tis wrong but i ll get a feed
and me a working and working
scouring the streets for food
faithful and never shirking
doing the best i could
curses on these here swatters
what kills off all the flies
me and my poor little daughters
unless we eats we dies
only a withered spider
feeble and worn and old
and this is what
you do when you swat
you swatters cruel and cold
i will admit that some
of the insects do not lead
noble lives but is every
man’s hand to be against them
yours for less justice
and more charity
3. Incy Wincy Spider
by Anonymous
Incy Wincy spider went up the water spout,
Down came the rain and washed the spider out,
Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain,
And Incy Wincy spider climbed up the spout again.
4. Natural History
by E.B. White
The spider, dropping down from twig,
Unfolds a plan of her devising,
A thin premeditated rig
To use in rising.
And all that journey down through space,
In cool descent and loyal hearted,
She spins a ladder to the place
From where she started.
Thus I, gone forth as spiders do
In spider’s web a truth discerning,
Attach one silken thread to you
For my returning.
5. The Spider
by Gwyder
By the sluggish river Gwyder lived a wicked red-back spider
And he was just as vicious as could be
And the place that he was camped in, was a rusty Jones’s jam tin,
In the paddock by the showgrounds at Moree.
Near him lay a shearer snoozing, he’d been on the beer and boozing,
All the night before and all the day,
And the kooking of the kookers and the noisy showground spruikers,
Failed to raise him from the trance in which he lay.
When a crafty looking spieler with a dainty looking sheila,
Came along collecting wood to make a fire,
Said the spieler, “There’s a boozer, and he’s going to be a loser,
If he isn’t, you can christen me liar.
Wriggle round a keep nit honey, while I pan the mug for money,
And we’ll have some little luxuries for tea.”
But she answered, “Don’t be silly, you go back and boil the billy,
You can safely leave the mug to little me.”
She circled ever nearer, till she reached the dopey shearer,
With his pockets bulging, fast asleep and snug,
But she didn’t see the spider that was lurking there beside her,
For her mind was on the money and the mug.
Now the spider wanted dinner, he was daily growing thinner,
He’d been fasting, was as hollow as an urn,
She eyed the bulging pocket, he just darted like a rocket,
And bit the sheila on the stern.
Like a flash she raced off squealing, and her clothes began unpeeling,
While to hear her yell would make you feel folorn,
On the bite one hand was pressing, while the other was undressing,
And she reached the camp the same as she was born.
The shearer pale and haggard woke, and back to town he staggered,
He caught the train and gave the booze a rest,
But he’ll never know a spider that was camping at the Gwyder,
Had saved him sixty-seven of the best.
Spider Poems for Preschoolers
Spider poems for preschoolers are geared toward young children who are just starting to explore the world around them. These poems are simple, easy to understand, and often feature fun illustrations to engage young readers.
1. Guarding
by Anonymous
Spider sits upon her web
created with great care
in stillness she is hiding
guarding her silky lair
above her head,
the stars shine bright
A dazzling display
in a moonlit night.
shimmering lights
illuminating scene
A stunning backdrop
fits for this queen
she sits, she waits
patiently and still
until her prey arrives
coming in for the kill
then a strike
with lightning speed
her web trembles
prey cannot be freed
2. Leviathan in the Corner
by Anonymous
The leviathan in the corner;
dread legs spread—
latched
to peeled paint ripples.
Skyward god
watching its domain
3. Hello Mr Spider
by Anonymous
Your eight eyes do not intimidate me
Looking at your flat head for clues
Wondering about your cephalothorax
Do you jump or not?
Only your relatives and enemies know for sure
Until you willingly share your talents
4. The Spider and The Fly
by Anonymous
The spider beckoned to the fly,
‘why don’t we sit down you and I,
I’ve such an interesting yarn to spin,
please don’t worry – come right in’.
‘The threads you see upon the wall
are steps to climb – you cannot fall,
just place a foot upon the tread
or if you like leap on instead’.
‘I know that you’ll be held spellbound,
a more enticing yarn cannot be found
and as we chat I’ll gently weave,
I promise you won’t want to leave’.
The fly replied – ‘that’s very well,
but I do feel there’s more to tell,
I think that once you start to weave
you’re never going to let me leave’.
‘so in reply to your invite,
I think it’s best that I TAKE FLIGHT!
5. Four Friends Decide to Lease a House Together
by Anonymous
This is the story of the frog, the bee, the spider and the mouse
They decided to become roommates and purchase a small house.
First the bee got kicked out, and he began to grouse
They are unfair to bees, especially that danged mouse!
The next one out the door and off the lease was the mouse of course.
He called up his cousin and said “the frog was the source!
Frogs always have it out for me, he told his cousin.
I wish I could stomp on them by the dozen.”
The last one to go was the spider, kicked out by the frog.
He found a marvelous new place inside a log.
He hid inside it for days because of a big black dog.
Now the house is inhabited by only one selfish frog.
6. Arachne
by Anonymous
Weave and weave and weave
You shall never leave
We can start! here, behold my artistry!
Isn’t that a beautiful tapestry?
Oh, I love me a captive audience!
Won’t you agree that Athena never stood a chance?
Well? Don’t you think?
Okay, okay, enough dilly-dallying!
Final rating! Five? Oh, how thoughtful!
I wonder why others think I’m awful
Must be those jealous songs that some bards sing
I know, times up! Now you’ll feel a sting
Have to make you rest!
Hope you’ll enjoy the visit of my nest!
Weave and weave and weave
You shall never leave
Spider Poems for Kindergarten
Spider poems for kindergarten are similar to those for preschoolers, but with slightly more advanced language and concepts. These poems are designed to help children develop their reading and comprehension skills while still being fun and engaging.
1. The Spider and the Fly
by Mary Howitt
“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the spider to the fly.
“‘Tis the prettiest little parlous that ever you did spy.
“The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
“And I have many curious things to show you when you are there.”
“Oh, no, no,” said the little fly, “to ask me is in vain,
“For who goes up your winding stair can ne’er come down again.”
I have fought a grizzly bear,
Tracked a cobra to its lair,
Killed a crocodile who dared to cross my path,
But the thing I really dread
When I’ve just got out of bed
It to find that there’s a spider in the bath.
I’ve no fear of wasps or bees,
Mosquitoes only tease,
I rather like a cricket on the hearth;
But my blood runs cold to meet
In pyjamas and bare feet
With a great big hairy spider in the bath.
What a frightful looking beast –
Half and inch across at least –
It would frighten even Superman or Garth.
There’s contempt it can’t disguise
In the little beady eyes
Of the spider glowering in the bath.
Now it’s time for me to shave
Though my nerves will not behave,
And there’s bound to be a fearful aftermath;
So before I cut my throat
I shall leave this final note:
2. Driven to It – By the Spider in the Bath!
by Michael Flanders and Donald Swann
Spiders large, spiders small,
Spiders creeping up my wall.
Spiders with eight legs or more,
Slithering, sliding across my floor.
Spiders crawling on my head,
Spiders marching up my bed.
Spiders spinning a sticky web,
Swat, splat, them spiders is dead.
3. A Spider Visit
by Debbie Hasbrook
Sitting underneath a tree,
Much to my surprise.
A spider on a long thin string,
Came down to sit at my side.
I looked at her, she looked at me,
There wasn’t much to say.
As the wind began to gently blow,
the spider began to sway.
I guess she’d seen enough of me,
She climbed up and went away.
4. Dancing Spider Web Game
by Debbie Hasbrook
Spider webs are beautiful,
and oh so tricky,
Some of the strings are dry,
and some of the strings are sticky.
The spider has so many legs,
I don’t know what would happen,
If she forgot which string was what,
Always walk webs carefully.
5. If a Spider Invites You to Dinner
by Debbie Hasbrook
If a spider invites you for dinner,
And you are a bug or fly,
I would be so careful,
Or you may get a big surprise.
The spider will ask you to take a seat,
On a spider web nearby.
But you’ll be stuck, you’re out of luck.
Fly away and you’ll be fine.
Spider Poems for First Grade
Spider poems for first-grade build on the foundation laid by preschool and kindergarten poems. They introduce more complex ideas and themes while still being accessible to young readers.
1. Pretty is That Pretty Does
by Alice Cary
The spider wears a plain brown dress,
And she is a steady spinner;
To see her, quiet as a mouse,
Going about her silver house,
You would never, never, never guess
The way she gets her dinner.
She looks as if no thought of ill
In all her life had stirred her;
But while she moves with careful tread, And
while she spins her silken thread,
She is planning, planning, planning still
The way to do some murder.
My child, who reads this simple lay,
With eyes down-dropt and tender, Remember
the old proverb says
That pretty is which pretty does,
And that worth does not go nor stay
For poverty nor splendor.
‘Tis not the house, and not the dress,
That makes the saint or sinner.
To see the spider sit and spin,
Shut with her walls of silver in,
You would never, never, never guess
The way she gets her dinner.
2. A Cobweb Made to Order
by Aunt Effie
I.
A hungry Spider made a web
Of thread so very fine,
Your tiny fingers scarce could feel
The little slender line.
Round-about, and round-about,
And round-about it spun,
Straight across and back again,
Until the web was done.
II.
Oh, what a pretty shining web
It was, when it was done!
The little flies all came to see
It hanging in the sun.
Round-about, and round-about,
And round-about they danced,
Across the web and back again
They darted and they glanced.
III.
The hungry Spider sat and watched
The happy little flies;
It saw all round about its head,
It had so many eyes.
Round-about, and round-about,
And round-about they go,
Across the web and back again,
Now high—now low.
IV.
“I am hungry, very hungry,”
Said the Spider to a fly.
“If you were caught within the web,
You very soon should die.”
But round-about, and round-about,
And round-about, once more,
Across the web and back again
They flitted as before.
V.
For all the flies were much too wise
To venture near the Spider;
They flapped their little wings and flew
In circles rather wider.
Round-about, and round-about,
And round about went they,
Across the web and back again,
And then they flew away.
3. I Wish I Was A Spider
by Debbie Hasbrook
I wish I was a spider,
So tiny, yet so strong.
I would be an artist,
Making webs all day long.
On windy days I’d have some fun,
And sway within the breeze.
On sunny days I’d rest on my web,
And wait for bugs to eat.
4. Spiders Have Eight Legs
by Debbie Hasbrook
Most people have two legs,
Most animals have four,
Spiders have eight legs,
Let’s count to eight, no more.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
5. I’m Afraid of Spiders
by Debbie Hasbrook
I’m afraid of spiders,
Even though their small.
They move so very quickly,
And make no sound at all.
When I find a spider
in a place it shouldn’t be,
My Mommy puts it in a jar,
Outside she sets it free.
She says spiders are important,
They have a job to do.
They don’t want to hurt us.
They’re just passing through.
Spider Poems for Second Grade
Spider poems for 2nd grade continue to challenge young readers with more advanced language and themes. They encourage children to think deeply about spiders and their role in nature.
1. The Legend of the Spider and the Silken Thread Held in God’s Hand
by Anonymous
There’s an old Danish Legend with a lesson for us all
Of an ambitious spider and his rise and fall,
Who wove his sheer web with intricate care
As it hung suspended somewhere in midair,
Then in soft, idle luxury he feasted each day
On the small foolish insects he enticed as his prey.
Growing ever more arrogant and smug all the while
He lived like a ‘king’ in self-satisfied style –
And gazing one day at the sheer strand suspended
He said “I don’t need this” so he recklessly rended
The strand that had held his web in its place
And with sudden swiftness the web crumpled in space.
And that was the end of the spider who grew
So arrogantly proud that he no longer knew
That it was the strand that reached down from above
Like the chord of God’s grace and His infinite love
That links our lives to the great unknown.
For man cannot live or exist on his own.
And this old legend with simplicity told
Is a moral as true as the Legend is old.
2. A Noiseless Patient Spider
by Walt Whitman
A noiseless patient spider,
I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated,
Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding,
It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself,
Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you O my soul where you stand,
Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them,
Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold,
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.
3. What Do You Do for a Living?
by Anonymous
What do you do for a living? I asked him.
He said “I have to show you. It’s difficult to explain.”
His computer began dancing with color.
I had difficulty at first figuring out what it was.
“It is a jumping spider close up,” He said.
I was horrified; where does he find them?
Is his house full of jumping spiders?
Is there a living in this?
I was too afraid to ask.
4. Itsy Bitsy Spider
by Anonymous
The itsy bitsy spider
Went up the water spout,
fingers imitate a moving spider
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
fingers imitate falling rain
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
arms make a large circle
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again
fingers imitate a moving spider.
5. I’m a Little Spider
by Anonymous
I’m a little spider watch me spin
If you’ll be my dinner
I’ll let you come in
Then I’ll spin a web to hold you tight
And gobble you up in ONE BIG BITE!
6. Spiders
by Janet Bruno
Spiderlings hatch from eggs.
Each one has eight tiny legs.
A spider has more eyes than you.
Most have eight, and you have two.
A spider has two body parts.
Across its web it quickly darts.
From a spider’s spinnerets
Sticky spider silk jets.
Spiders feel the frantic tugs,
Of their favorite food; it’s bugs!
7. The Spider
by Anonymous
Watch the busy spider,
He’s helpful as can be,
Eating insects all day long
Now they won’t bite me.
8. Spider Webs
by Amy Goldman Koss
The spider weaves a sticky web
To capture bugs to eat.
What keeps the spider’s sticky web
From sticking to her feet?
Spider webs are very tricky
Because not all the strands are sticky.
Unlike the passing hapless fly,
The spider knows which strands are dry.
But if she accidentally stands
Upon one of the sticky strands,
She still would not get stuck, you see–
Her oily body slides off free.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, spider poems by famous poets offer a unique perspective on these fascinating creatures.
From short and funny to famous and serious, these works of poetry explore the many facets of spiders, from their physical features and behaviors to their symbolism in human culture.
Poems for spiders for young children are designed to make learning fun and engaging, while more advanced poems challenge older readers to think deeply about these creatures and their role in the world.
Through these poems, readers gain a deeper appreciation for the beauty and complexity of spiders, and the role they play in the intricate web of life.
