Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

HIDE AND SEEK by SARA TEASDALE

Poet Analysis

First Line: WHEN I WAS A CHILD WE PLAYED SOMETIMES IN THE DARK
Last Line: WHEN THE GAME IS OVER AND WE ARE PUT TO BED.
Subject(s): GAMES; LIFE; RECREATION; PASTIMES; AMUSEMENTS;
When I was a child we played sometimes in the dark;
Hide and seek in the dark is a terrible game,
With the nerves pulled tight in fear of the stealthy seeker,
With the brief exultance, and the blood in the veins like flame.

Now I see that life is a game in the dark,
A groping in shadows, a brief exultance, a dread
Of what may crouch beside us or lurk behind us,
A leaving of what we want to say unsaid,
Sure of one thing only, a long sleep
When the game is over and we are put to bed.



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