Waking

John Le Gay Brereton 1871 (Sydney) – 1933



ABOVE us hangs the jewelled night;  
And how her restful cool caresses  
Make us forget the weary sight  
Of summer’s daily wildernesses!    
    O aching toil and hope deferred,          
The night has made a promise to me;  
She whispered, and a wonder stirred,  
And still the joy is thrilling through me.   
    Smooth water, shadow deeply still,  
I dare not move, you wait unsleeping          
—You share the breathless hopes that fill  
The watch my longing soul is keeping.  
    A fish is leaping in the bay;  
The shafts of yellow light are shaking.  
O glorious night and happy day,          
Beneath my silent heart she’s waking.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

31 sec read
29

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGFGF
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 640
Words 104
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

John Le Gay Brereton

John Le Gay Brereton was an Australian poet, critic and professor of English at the University of Sydney. He was the first president of the Fellowship of Australian Writers when it was formed in Sydney in 1928. more…

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