Sleep

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



Thou drowsy god, whose blurred eyes, half awink
Muse on me--, drifting out upon thy dreams,
I lave my soul as in enchanted streams
Where revelling satyrs pipe along the brink,
And tipsy with the melody they drink,
Uplift their dangling hooves, and down the beams
Of sunshine dance like motes. Thy languor seems
An ocean-depth of love wherein I sink
Like some fond Argonaut, right willingly--,
Because of wooing eyes upturned to mine,
And siren-arms that coil their sorcery
About my neck, with kisses so divine,
The heavens reel above me, and the sea
Swallows and licks its wet lips over me.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

31 sec read
116

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBACDCDCC
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 585
Words 105
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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    "Sleep" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/21022/sleep>.

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    Who wrote the poem ״Invictus״?
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