The twilight is sad and cloudy,
The wind blows wild and free,
And like the wings of sea-birds
Flash the white caps of the sea.
But in the fisherman’s cottage
There shines a ruddier light,
And a little face at the window
Peers out into the night.
Close, close it is pressed to the window,
As if those childish eyes
Were looking into the darkness,
To see some form arise.
And a woman’s waving shadow
Is passing to and fro,
Now rising to the ceiling,
Now bowing and bending low.
What tale do the roaring ocean,
And the night-wind, bleak and wild,
As they beat at the crazy casement,
Tell to that little child?
And why do the roaring ocean,
And the night-wind, wild and bleak,
As they beat at the heart of the mother,
Drive the color from her cheek?
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
More Poetry from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poems based on Topics: Night, Light, Woman, Mothers, Madness- The Golden Legend: VI. The School Of Salerno (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poems)
- The Golden Legend: V. A Covered Bridge At Lucerne (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poems)
- The Golden Legend: Prologue & 1. (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poems)
- By The Seaside : The Building Of The Ship (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poems)
- Coplas De Manrique (From The Spanish) (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poems)
- The Blind Girl Of Castel-Cuille. (From The Gascon of Jasmin) (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Night Poems, Light Poems, Woman Poems, Mothers Poems, Madness PoemsBased on Keywords: ruddier
- The Wild Knight (Gilbert Keith Chesterton Poems)
- Mogg Megone - Part I. (John Greenleaf Whittier Poems)
- Alma; or, The Progress of the Mind. In Three Cantos. - Canto I. (Matthew Prior Poems)
- Palestine; A Prize Poem, Recited In The Theatre, Oxford (Reginald Heber Poems)
- The Island: Canto IV. (Lord George Gordon Byron Poems)