The Old Man (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    An old man sat beneath a tree
        Alone;
    So still was he
        That, if he had been carved in stone,
    He could not be
        More quiet or more cold:
    He was an ancient man
        More than
    A thousand ages old.

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 Geraldine's Cloak

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

Deirdre

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

Grafton Street (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

Nancy Walsh

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.

When I Was Young (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    I will not know when I am dead
    If sun or moon is overhead;
    I'll stretch out flat without a sound
    Inside a box beneath the ground,
    And never rise again to see
    Branches lifting on a tree,
    Nor hear the song the finches sing
    In the spring.

    I'll not, while sunny ages go,
    Lift a hand or wag a toe;
    But in a wooden box will be
    Hidden for eternity
    From sea and sun, from sight and sound,
    From touch of people, voice of friend,
    From all that makes my heart to bound,
    Denying such an end:
    It is so strange, I wonder why
    People die!

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 Wood Of Flowers (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    I went to the Wood of Flowers
        (No one was with me);
    I was there alone for hours.
        I was happy as could be
    In the Wood of Flowers.

    There was grass on the ground,
        There were buds on the tree,
    And the wind had a sound
        Of such gaiety,
    That I was as happy
        As happy could be,
    In the Wood of Flowers.

James Stephens

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

Behind The Hill (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    Behind the hill I met a man in green
        Who asked me if my mother had gone out?
    I said she had.    He asked me had I seen
        His castle where the people sing and shout
    From dawn to dark, and told me that he had
        A crock of gold inside a hollow tree,
    And I could have it., I wanted money bad
        To buy a sword with, and I thought that he
    Would keep his solemn word; so, off we went.
        He said he had a pound hid in the crock,
    And owned the castle too, and paid no rent
        To any one, and that you had to knock
    Five hundred times.    I asked, "Who reckoned up?"
    And he said, "You insulting little pup!"

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