The brook

Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)



I looked in the brook and saw a face -
Heigh-ho, but a child was I!
There were rushes and willows in that place,
And they clutched at the brook as the brook ran by;
And the brook it ran its own sweet way,
As a child doth run in heedless play,
And as it ran I heard it say:
"Hasten with me
To the roistering sea
That is wroth with the flame of the morning sky!"

I look in the brook and see a face -
Heigh-ho, but the years go by!
The rushes are dead in the old-time place,
And the willows I knew when a child was I.
And the brook it seemeth to me to say,
As ever it stealeth on its way -
Solemnly now, and not in play:
"Oh, come with me
To the slumbrous sea
That is gray with the peace of the evening sky!"

Heigh-ho, but the years go by -
I would to God that a child were I!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

51 sec read
34

Quick analysis:

Scheme ababcccddb aBabcccddb Bb
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 760
Words 172
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 10, 10, 2

Eugene Field

Eugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. more…

All Eugene Field poems | Eugene Field Books

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