Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE HOUR BEFORE DAWN, by JOHN COWPER POWYS


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE HOUR BEFORE DAWN, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: When the people and horses have gone
Last Line: It whispers the world-secret.
Subject(s): Dawn; Night; Roads; Silence; Soul; Stars; Sunrise; Bedtime; Paths; Trails


When the people and horses have gone
And silence has fallen,
The lonely road wakes;
And all night,
Under Cassiopeia and the Pleiades
It sighs for its lost travellers.
But at the hour before dawn,
When the stars are cold,
It whispers the world-secret.

When the ships have passed,
And their tracks have melted,
And the white horses have sunk,
The lonely sea wakes;
And all night,
Under Aldebaran and Arcturus,
It moans for its lost soul.
But at the hour before dawn,
When the stars are cold,
It whispers the world-secret.

When the camels have swept by,
And the caravan has vanished,
The lonely Desert wakes;
And all night,
Under Cygnus and Perseus,
It wails for its dead kings.
But at the hour before dawn,
When the stars are cold,
It whispers the world-secret.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net