Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE WHIP-POOR-WILL, by JOHN BANISTER TABB



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE WHIP-POOR-WILL, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: From yonder wooded hill
Last Line: The legend thou hast heard!
Alternate Author Name(s): Father Tabb
Subject(s): Birds; Whipporwills


From yonder wooded hill
I hear the whip-poor-will,
Whose mate or wandering echo answers him
Athwart the lowlands dim.

He calls not through the day;
But when the shadows gray
Across the sunset draw their lengthening veil,
He tells his twilight tale.

What unforgotten wrong
Haunts the ill-omened song?
What scourge of fate has left its loathed mark
Upon the cringing dark?

"Whip! Whip-poor-will!"
O sobbing voice, be still!
Tell not again, O melancholy bird,
The legend thou hast heard!





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net