The Apple Tree (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    I was hiding in the crooked apple tree,
        Scouting for Indians, when a man came;
    I thought it was an Indian, for he
        Was running like the wind., There was a flame
    Of sunlight on his hand as he drew near,
        And then I saw a knife gripped in his fist.
    He panted like a horse; his eyes were queer,
        Wide-open, staring frightfully, and, hist!
    His mouth stared open like another eye,
        And all his hair was matted down with sweat.
    I crouched among the leaves for fear he'd spy
        Where I was hiding, so he did not get
    His awful eyes on me, but like the wind
    He fled as if he heard something behind.

James Stephens

James Stephens was an Irish novelist and poet, whose literary output includes many retellings of Irish myths and fairy tales. He was born on February 9, 1880, and passed away on December 26, 1950. Notable works include 'The Crock of Gold' and 'The Demi-Gods'. Stephens also wrote several well-regarded collections of poetry, including 'The Hill of Vision' and 'Insurrections'. His work is characterized by a blend of myth, fantasy, and modernism, capturing the spirit and culture of Ireland.

James Stephens

White Fields (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

Women

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

The Daisies

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

Katty Gollagher (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

English

Suggested Poems

Explore a curated selection of verses that share themes, styles, and emotional resonance with the poem you've just read.

In The Orchard (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    There was a giant by the Orchard Wall
        Peeping about on this side and on that,
    And feeling in the trees: he was as tall
        As the big apple tree, and twice as fat:
    His beard was long, and bristly-black, and there
    Were leaves and bits of grass stuck in his hair.

    He held a great big club in his right hand,
        And with the other felt in every tree
    For something that he wanted.    You could stand
        Beside him and not reach up to his knee
    So mighty big he was, I feared he would
    Turn round, and trample down to where I stood.

    I tried to get away, but, as I slid
        Under a bush, he saw me, and he bent
    Far down and said, "Where is the Princess hid?"
        I pointed to a place, and off h...

James Stephens

Check (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    The night was creeping on the ground;
    She crept and did not make a sound
    Until she reached the tree, and then
    She covered it, and stole again
    Along the grass beside the wall.

    I heard the rustle of her shawl
    As she threw blackness everywhere
    Upon the sky and ground and air,
    And in the room where I was hid:
    But no matter what she did
    To everything that was without,
    She could not put my candle out.

    So I stared at the night, and she
    Stared back solemnly at me.

James Stephens

The Appointment (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    Tree! you are years standing there,
        Gripping tight to the side of the hill,
    And your branches are spread on the air,
        While you stand so sad and so still,
            And you do not complain
            When you're wet with the rain,
        Though I think you have often been ill.

    I would like (but it could not be done,
        So you must not keep me to my word)
    To take you away when the sun
        Goes down, and the breezes are stirred,
            And hug you in bed
            With myself, till you said
    That to sleep on a hill was absurd.

    O beautiful tree! when the night
        Is dark, and the winds come and scold,
    I would love then to cuddle you tight,
        For I fear you will die of the co...

James Stephens

The Coral Island (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    His arms were round a chest of oaken wood,
        It was clamped with brass and iron studs, and seemed
    An awful weight.    After a while he stood
        And I stole near to him., His white eyes gleamed
    As he peeped secretly about; he laid
        The oaken chest upon the ground, then drew
    A great knife from his belt, and stuck the blade
        Into the ground and dug.    The clay soon flew
    In all directions underneath a tree,
        And when the hole was deep he put the box
    Down there, and threw the clay back cunningly,
        Stamping the ground quite flat; then like a fox
    He crept among the trees....    I went next day
    To dig the treasure up, but I lost my way.

James Stephens

The Turn Of The Road (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    I was playing with my hoop along the road
        Just where the bushes are, when, suddenly,
    There came a shout., I ran away and stowed
        Myself beneath a bush, and watched to see
    What made the noise, and then, around the bend,
        I saw a woman running.    She was old
    And wrinkle-faced, and had big teeth., The end
        Of her red shawl caught on a bush and rolled
    Right off her, and her hair fell down., Her face
        Was awful white, and both her eyes looked sick,
    And she was talking queer.    "O God of Grace!"
        Said she, "where is the child?" and flew back quick
    The way she came, and screamed, and shook her hands;
        ... Maybe she was a witch from foreign lands.

James Stephens

A Visit From Abroad (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    A speck went blowing up against the sky
        As little as a leaf: then it drew near
    And broadened. "It's a bird," said I,
        And fetched my bow and arrows. It was queer!
    It grew up from a speck into a blot,
    And squattered past a cloud; then it flew down
    All crumply, and waggled such a lot
        I thought the thing would fall., It was a brown
    Old carpet where a man was sitting snug
        Who, when he reached the ground, began to sew
    A big hole in the middle of the rug,
        And kept on peeping everywhere to know
    Who might be coming, then he gave a twist
        And flew away....    I fired at him but missed.

James Stephens