No Songs in Winter
(from The Sisters’ Tragedy,with Other Poems, Lyrical and Dramatic: 1890)
I.
The robin and the oriole,
The linnet and the wren—
When shall I see their fairyships,
And hear their songs again?
II.
The wind among the poplar trees,
At midnight, makes its moan;
The slim red cardinal flowers are dead,
And all sweet things are flown!
III.
A great white face looks down from heaven,
The great white face of Snow;
I cannot sing or morn or even,
The demon haunts me so!
IV.
It strikes me dumb, it freezes me,
I sing a broken strain—
Wait till the robins and the wrens
And the linnets come again!
Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907)
American writer, poet, critic, and editor
Poems about snow take me back to my younger years when I lived in a more varied climate. I must confess, I like reading about it but I prefer where I live now.
ReplyDeleteI agree that reading about snow is more pleasant than actually having it. In my corner, we're having a very mild winter this year... and I'm spared cold and wet feet. ;-)
DeleteI love this poem as I often run away to the depths of the Himalaya to get a glimpse of the distant snow-covered peaks. I love watching snowfall. Nice poem.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a very scenic poem... which is why I picked it, of course.
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