The Deer Lay Down Their Bones

Robinson Jeffers 1887 (Allegheny) – 1962 (Carmel-by-the-Sea)



I followed the narrow cliffside trail half way up the mountain
Above the deep river-canyon. There was a little cataract crossed the path,
    flinging itself
Over tree roots and rocks, shaking the jeweled fern-fronds, bright bubbling
    water
Pure from the mountain, but a bad smell came up. Wondering at it I clam-
    bered down the steep stream
Some forty feet, and found in the midst of bush-oak and laurel,
Hung like a bird's nest on the precipice brink a small hidden clearing,
Grass and a shallow pool. But all about there were bones Iying in the grass,
    clean bones and stinking bones,
Antlers and bones: I understood that the place was a refuge for wounded
   deer; there are so many
Hurt ones escape the hunters and limp away to lie hidden; here they have
    water for the awful thirst
And peace to die in; dense green laurel and grim cliff
    
Make sanctuary, and a sweet wind blows upward from the deep gorge.--I
   wish my bones were with theirs.
But that's a foolish thing to confess, and a little cowardly. We know that life
Is on the whole quite equally good and bad, mostly gray neutral, and can
   be endured
To the dim end, no matter what magic of grass, water and precipice, and
    pain of wounds,
Makes death look dear. We have been given life and have used it--not a
    great gift perhaps--but in honesty
Should use it all. Mine's empty since my love died--Empty? The flame-
    haired grandchild with great blue eyes
That look like hers?--What can I do for the child? I gaze at her and wonder
    what sort of man
In the fall of the world . . . I am growing old, that is the trouble. My chil-
    dren and little grandchildren
Will find their way, and why should I wait ten years yet, having lived sixty-
   seven, ten years more or less,
Before I crawl out on a ledge of rock and die snapping, like a wolf
Who has lost his mate?--I am bound by my own thirty-year-old decision:
     who drinks the wine
Should take the dregs; even in the bitter lees and sediment
New discovery may lie. The deer in that beautiful place lay down their
    bones: I must wear mine.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 18, 2023

1:54 min read
153

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXXBCXXDBXXXEXXX XXXFXXXXEXXCFDAEXXAGXXG
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 2,072
Words 379
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 16, 23

Robinson Jeffers

John Robinson Jeffers was an American poet, known for his work about the central California coast. more…

All Robinson Jeffers poems | Robinson Jeffers Books

2 fans

Discuss the poem The Deer Lay Down Their Bones with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Deer Lay Down Their Bones" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/32873/the-deer-lay-down-their-bones>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    19
    hours
    48
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    "Lady, make a note of this: One of you is lying."
    A Dorothy Parker
    B Ogden Nash
    C Bill Collins
    D May Sarton