Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ALL SOULS' NIGHT, by DORA SIGERSON SHORTER


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ALL SOULS' NIGHT, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: O mother, mother, I swept the hearth, I set his chair and the white board
Last Line: Afraid to meet my dear.
Alternate Author Name(s): Sigerson, Dora; Shorter, Mrs. Clement
Variant Title(s): On All Souls' Night
Subject(s): All Souls' Night; Death, Return From; Superstition; All Hallows Night


O mother, mother, I swept the hearth, I set his chair and
white board spread,
I prayed for his coming to our kind Lady when Death's sad
doors would let out the dead;
A strange wind rattled the window-pane, and down the land a
dog howled on,
I called his name and the candle flame burnt dim, pressed a
hand the door-latch upon.
Deelish! Deelish! my woe forever that I could not sever
coward flesh from fear.
I called his name and the pale Ghost came; but I was afraid
to meet my dear.

O mother, mother, in tears I checked the sad hours past of
the year that's o'er,
Till by God's grace I might see his face and hear the sound
of his voice once more;
The chair I set from the cold and wet, he took when he came
from unknown skies
Of the land of the dead, on my bent brown head I felt the
reproach of his saddened eyes;
I closed my lids on my heart's desire, crouched by the
fire, my voice was dumb.
At my clean-swept hearth he had no mirth, and at my table
he broke no crumb.
Deelish! Deelish! my woe forever that I could not sever
coward flesh from fear,
His chair put aside when the young cock cried and I was
afraid to meet my dear.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


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