Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE NIGHT BIRD; A MYTH, by CHARLES KINGSLEY


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE NIGHT BIRD; A MYTH, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: A floating, a floating
Last Line: "ere thou hast sailed them through."
Variant Title(s): A Myth
Subject(s): Birds


A FLOATING, a floating
Across the sleeping sea,
All night I heard a singing bird
Upon the topmost tree.

"Oh came you off the isles of Greece,
Or off the banks of Seine;
Or off some tree in forests free,
Which fringe the western main?"

"I came not off the old world
Nor yet from off the new --
But I am one of the birds of God
Which sing the whole night through."

"Oh sing, and wake the dawning --
Oh whistle for the wind;
The night is long, the current strong,
My boat it lags behind."

"The current sweeps the old world,
The current sweeps the new;
The wind will blow, the dawn will glow
Ere thou hast sailed them through."





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net