Poetry by James Joyce (the best books of all time TXT) 📕

Poetry

By James Joyce.

Table of Contents Titlepage Imprint Chamber Music I: Strings in the Earth and Air II: The Twilight Turns from Amethyst III: At That Hour When All Things Have Repose IV: When the Shy Star Goes Forth in Heave V: Lean Out of the Window VI: I Would in That Sweet Bosom Be VII: My Love Is in a Light Attire VIII: Who Goes Amid the Green Wood IX: Winds of May, That Dance on the Sea X: Bright Cap and Streamers XI: Bid Adieu, Adieu, Adieu XII: What Counsel Has the Hooded Moon XIII: Go Seek Her Out All Courteously XIV: My Dove, My Beautiful One XV: From Dewy Dreams, My Soul, Arise XVI: O Cool Is the Valley Now XVII: Because Your Voice Was at My Side XVIII: O Sweetheart, Hear You XIX: Be Not Sad Because All Men XX: In the Dark Pine-Wood XXI: He Who Hath Glory Lost, Nor Hath XXII: Of That So Sweet Imprisonment XXIII: This Heart That Flutters Near My Heart XXIV: Silently She’s Combing XXV: Lightly Come or Lightly Go XXVI: Thou Leanest to the Shell of Night XXVII: Though I Thy Mithridates Were XXVIII: Gentle Lady, Do Not Sing XXIX: Dear Heart, Why Will You Use Me So? XXX: Love Came to Us in Time Gone By XXXI: O, It Was Out by Donnycarney XXXII: Rain Has Fallen All the Day XXXIII: Now, O Now, in This Brown Land XXXIV: Sleep Now, O Sleep Now XXXV: All Day I Hear the Noise of Waters XXXVI: I Hear an Army Charging Upon the Land Gas from a Burner Colophon Uncopyright Imprint

This ebook is the product of many hours of hard work by volunteers for Standard Ebooks, and builds on the hard work of other literature lovers made possible by the public domain.

This particular ebook is based on a transcription produced for Project Gutenberg and on digital scans available at Google Books.

The writing and artwork within are believed to be in the U.S. public domain, and Standard Ebooks releases this ebook edition under the terms in the CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. For full license information, see the Uncopyright at the end of this ebook.

Standard Ebooks is a volunteer-driven project that produces ebook editions of public domain literature using modern typography, technology, and editorial standards, and distributes them free of cost. You can download this and other ebooks carefully produced for true book lovers at standardebooks.org.

Chamber Music I Strings in the Earth and Air

Strings in the earth and air
Make music sweet;
Strings by the river where
The willows meet.

There’s music along the river
For Love wanders there,
Pale flowers on his mantle,
Dark leaves on his hair.

All softly playing,
With head to the music bent,
And fingers straying
Upon an instrument.

II The Twilight Turns from Amethyst

The twilight turns from amethyst
To deep and deeper blue,
The lamp fills with a pale green glow
The trees of the avenue.

The old piano plays an air,
Sedate and slow and gay;
She bends upon the yellow keys,
Her head inclines this way.

Shy thought and grave wide eyes and hands
That wander as they list⁠—
The twilight turns to darker blue
With lights of amethyst.

III At That Hour When All Things Have Repose

At that hour when all things have repose,
O lonely watcher of the skies,
Do you hear the night wind and the sighs
Of harps playing unto Love to unclose
The pale gates of sunrise?

When all things repose, do you alone
Awake to hear the sweet harps play
To Love before him on his way,
And the night wind answering in antiphon
Till night is overgone?

Play on, invisible harps, unto Love,
Whose way in heaven is aglow
At that hour when soft lights come and go,
Soft sweet music in the air above
And in the earth below.

IV When the Shy Star Goes Forth in Heave

When the shy star goes forth in heaven
All maidenly, disconsolate,
Hear you amid the drowsy even
One who is singing by your gate.
His song is softer than the dew
And he is come to visit you.

O bend no more in revery
When he at eventide is calling,
Nor muse: Who may this singer be
Whose song about my heart is falling?
Know you by this, the lover’s chant,
’Tis I that am your visitant.

V Lean Out of the Window

Lean out of the window,
Goldenhair,
I hear you singing
A merry air.

My book was closed,
I read no more,
Watching the fire dance
On the floor.

I have left my book,
I have left my room,
For I heard you singing
Through the gloom.

Singing and singing
A merry air,
Lean out of the window,
Goldenhair.

VI I Would in That Sweet Bosom Be

I would in that sweet bosom be
(O sweet it is and fair it is!)
Where no rude wind might visit me.
Because of sad austerities
I would in that sweet bosom be.

I would be ever in that heart
(O soft I knock and soft entreat her!)
Where only peace might be my part.
Austerities were all the sweeter
So I were ever in that heart.

VII My Love Is in a Light Attire

My love is in a light attire
Among the apple-trees,
Where the gay winds do most desire
To run in companies.

There, where the gay winds stay to woo
The young leaves as they pass,
My love goes slowly, bending to
Her shadow on the grass;

And where the sky’s a pale blue cup
Over the laughing land,
My love goes lightly, holding up
Her dress with dainty hand.