Thou Leanest to the Shell of Night

James Joyce 1882 (Rathgar) – 1941 (Zürich)



Thou leanest to the shell of night,
Dear lady, a divining ear.
In that soft choiring of delight
What sound hath made thy heart to fear?
Seemed it of rivers rushing forth
From the grey deserts of the north?

That mood of thine
Is his, if thou but scan it well,
Who a mad tale bequeaths to us
At ghosting hour conjurable -- -
And all for some strange name he read
In Purchas or in Holinshed.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

23 sec read
328

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXAXBB XCXCXA
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 396
Words 79
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 6, 6

James Joyce

ames Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century.  more…

All James Joyce poems | James Joyce Books

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    "Thou Leanest to the Shell of Night" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/20192/thou-leanest-to-the-shell-of-night>.

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