Monday 22 January 2018

Poetry Revisited: No Songs in Winter by Thomas Bailey Aldrich

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

4 comments:

  1. 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.

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    Replies
    1. I 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. ;-)

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  2. I 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.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it's a very scenic poem... which is why I picked it, of course.

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