The Dodder Bank (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

    When no flower is nigh, you might
    Spy a weed with deep delight;
    So, when far from saints and bliss,
    God might give a sin a kiss.

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

The Gombeen-Man (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

The Red Man's Wife

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

George's Street (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

Inis Fál

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.

Donnelly's Orchard (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

    He who locks a gate doth close
    Pity's heart against his woes;
    But who opens one shall find
    God is standing just behind.

James Stephens

Merrion Square (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

    Grey clouds on the tinted sky,
    A drifting moon, a quiet breeze
    Drooping mournfully to cry
    In the branches of the trees.

    The crying wind, the sighing trees,
    The ruffled stars, the darkness falling
    Down the sky, and on the breeze
    A belated linnet calling.

James Stephens

Portobello Bridge (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

    Silver stars shine peacefully,
    The Canal is silver, the
    Poplars bear with modest grace
    Gossamers of silver lace,
    And the turf bank wears with glee
    Black and silver filigree.

James Stephens

The Canal Bank (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

    I know a girl,
        And a girl knows me,
            And the owl says, what?
            And the owl says, who?
    But what we know
        We both agree
    That nobody else
        Shall hear or see,
    It's all between
        Herself and me:
            To wit? said the owl,
            To woo, said I,
        To-what, to-wit, to-woo!

James Stephens

Mount Street (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

    Here and there on the wings of night
    A fleck of blue and purple light,
    A scrap of cloud, a bird, a star,
    A comet hurrying afar
    On the abyss, and the moon
    Standing in her silver shoon.

    On the summit of the sky,
    Delicate and proud and high,
    The silver moon on a silver sea
    Spins her silver broidery
    While the stars send down a light
    Here and there on the wings of night.

James Stephens

Donnybrook (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

    I saw the moon so broad and bright
    Sailing high on a frosty night:

    And the air swung far and far between
    The silver disc and the orb of green:

    While here and there a wisp of white
    Cloud-film swam on the misty light:

    And crusted thickly on the sky,
    High and higher and yet more high,

    Were golden star-points dusted through
    The great, wide, silent vault of blue:

    Then I said to me, God is good
    And the world is fair, and where I stood

    I knelt me down and bent my head,
    And said my prayers, and went to bed.

James Stephens