The Secret (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    I was frightened, for a wind
        Crept along the grass to say
    Something that was in my mind
        Yesterday,

    Something that I did not know
        Could be found out by the wind,
    I had buried it so low
        In my mind.

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

One And One

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

Westland Row (The Rocky Road To Dublin)

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

The Apology

James Stephens, Simple Poetry

O'Connell Bridge (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.

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 White Window (The Adventures Of Seumas Beg)

    The moon comes every night to peep
        Through the window where I lie,
    And I pretend to be asleep;
        But I watch the moon as it goes by,
    And it never makes a sound.

    It stands and stares, and then it goes
        To the house that's next to me,
    Stealing on its tippy-toes,
        To peep at folk asleep maybe;
    And it never makes a sound.

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

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

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 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