Midnight

James Stephens 1882 (Dublin) – 1950



And then I wakened up in such a fright;
  I thought I heard a movement in the room
But did not dare to look; I snuggled right
  Down underneath the bedclothes—then the boom
Of a tremendous voice said, 'Sit up, lad,
  And let me see your face.' So up I sat,
Although I didn't want to. I was glad
  I did though, for it was an angel that
Had called me, and he said, he'd come to know
  Was I the boy who wouldn't say his prayers
Nor do his sums, and that I'd have to go
  Straight down to hell because of such affairs.
... I said I'd be converted and do good
  If he would let me off—he said he would.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

38 sec read
81

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 598
Words 125
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

James Stephens

James Stephens was an Irish Republican and the founding member of an originally unnamed revolutionary organisation in Dublin on 17 March 1858, later to become known as the Irish Republican Brotherhood, also referred to as the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood by contemporaries. more…

All James Stephens poems | James Stephens Books

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