Poems

Poems List

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James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Mr. Hammond's Parable--The Dreamer

Mr. Hammond's Parable--The Dreamer

I

He was a Dreamer of the Days:
Indolent as a lazy breeze
Of midsummer, in idlest ways

264
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

My Bride That Is To Be

My Bride That Is To Be

O soul of mine, look out and see
My bride, my bride that is to be!
Reach out with mad, impatient hands,
And draw a…

321
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

May I Not Weep With You

May I Not Weep With You

Let me come in where you sit weeping—aye,
Let me, who have not any child to die,
Weep with you for the little one whose l…

224
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Moon-Drowned

Moon-Drowned


'Twas the height of the fete when we quitted the riot,
And quietly stole to the terrace alone,
Where, pale as the lovers tha…

306
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Lullaby

Lullaby


The maple strews the embers of its leaves
O'er the laggard swallows nestled 'neath the eaves;
And the moody cricket falters in hi…

303
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Man's Devotion

Man's Devotion

A lover said, 'O Maiden, love me well,
For I must go away:
And should ANOTHER ever come to tell
Of love--What WILL you say…

326
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Lockerbie Street

Lockerbie Street

Such a dear little street it is, nestled away
From the noise of the city and heat of the day,
In cool shady coverts of whisperin…

333
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Little Orphant Annie

Little Orphant Annie

To all the little children: -- The happy ones; and sad ones;
The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones;
Th…

315
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Little Dick And The Clock

Little Dick And The Clock

When Dicky was sick
In the night, and the clock,
As he listened, said 'TickAtty--
tick-atty--tock!'
He s…

296
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Limitations Of Genius

Limitations Of Genius

The audience entire seemed pleased--indeed
_Extremely_ pleased. And little Maymie, freed
From her task of instructing, ran …

288
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Leedle Dutch Baby

Leedle Dutch Baby

Leedle Dutch baby haff come ter town!
Jabber und jump till der day gone down--
Jabber und sphlutter und sphlit hees jaws--

225
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Let Us Forget

Let Us Forget

Let us forget. What matters it that we
Once reigned o'er happy realms of long-ago,
And talked of love, and let our voices low,

293
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Knee-Deep in June

Knee-Deep in June

Tell you what I like the best -'
Long about knee-deep in June,
'Bout the time strawberries melts
On the vine, -- some af…

234
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Last Night-- And This

Last Night-- And This

Last night-- how deep the darkness was!
And well I knew its depths, because
I waded it from shore to shore,
Thinkin…

218
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

June At Woodruff

June At Woodruff

Out at Woodruff Place--afar
From the city's glare and jar,
With the leafy trees, instead
Of the awnings, overhead;

300
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Kingry's Mill

Kingry's Mill

On old Brandywine-- about
Where White's Lots is now laid out,
And the old crick narries down
To the ditch that splits the t…

278
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Johnson's Boy

Johnson's Boy

The world is turned ag'in' me,
And people says, 'They guess
That nothin' else is in me
But pure maliciousness!'
I g…

301
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Judith

Judith


O her eyes are amber-fine--
Dark and deep as wells of wine,
While her smile is like the noon
Splendor of a day of June.

310
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

John Alden And Percilly

John Alden And Percilly

We got up a Christmas-doin's
Last Christmas Eve--
Kindo' dimonstration
'At I railly believe
Give more sati…

269
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

John McKeen

John McKeen

John McKeen, in his rusty dress,
His loosened collar, and swarthy throat,
His face unshaven, and none the less,
His hearty la…

266
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Jack-In-The-Box

Jack-In-The-Box


_(Grandfather, musing.)_

In childish days! O memory,
You bring such curious things to me!--
Laughs to the …

289
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Jim

Jim


He was jes a plain ever'-day, all-round kind of a jour.,
Consumpted-Iookin'-- but la!
The jokeiest, wittiest, story-tellin', song-sin…

322
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Inscribed

Inscribed


To the Elect of Love,--or side-by-side
In raptest ecstasy, or sundered wide
By seas that bear no message to or fro
Betw…

338
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley

Iry And Billy Jo

Iry And Billy Jo

Iry an' Billy an' Jo!--
Iry an' Billy's _the boys_,
An' _Jo's_ their _dog_, you know,--
Their pictures took all in a row. …

307