Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ETCHED IN FROST, by JAMES STEPHENS


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ETCHED IN FROST, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: The corn is down
Last Line: Makes merry within.
Subject(s): Winter


The corn is down,
The stooks are gone,
The fields are brown,
And the early dawn
Grows slowly behind
Where the mountains frown,
And a thin white sun
Is shivering down.

There isn't a leaf,
Nor anything green,
To aid belief
That summer has been;
And the puffed-up red-breast
(Ball o' Grief)
Hops at the window
For relief.

The cows are in byre,
The sheep in fold;
The mare and the sire
Are safe from cold;
The hens are sheltered,
In wood and wire,
And the sheep-dog snoozes
Before the fire.

The farmer can grin,
And rub his hands,
For his crops are in
From the resting lands;
And his wheat is stored
In the oaken bin,
And his buxom wife
Makes merry within.





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