Dusk

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



The frightened herds of clouds across the sky
Trample the sunshine down, and chase the day
Into the dusky forest-lands of gray
And sombre twilight. Far and faint, and high,
The wild goose trails his harrow, with a cry
Sad as the wail of some poor castaway
Who sees a vessel drifting far astray
Of his last hope, and lays him down to die.
The children, riotous from school, grow bold
And quarrel with the wind whose angry gust
Plucks off the summer-hat, and flaps the fold
Of many a crimson cloak, and twirls the dust
In spiral shapes grotesque, and dims the gold
Of gleaming tresses with the blur of rust.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 28, 2023

34 sec read
81

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBACDCDCD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 600
Words 114
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

All James Whitcomb Riley poems | James Whitcomb Riley Books

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    "Dusk" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/20871/dusk>.

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    AA Milne wrote: "A bear, however hard he tries..."
    A "stinks and attracts the flies"
    B "has very very tired eyes"
    C "grows tubby with no exercise"
    D "can never stop telling lies"