The Night-Swans Poem by Walter de la Mare

The Night-Swans

Rating: 5.0


'Tis silence on the enchanted lake,
And silence in the air serene,
Save for the beating of her heart,
The lovely-eyed Evangeline.

She sings across the waters clear
And dark with trees and stars between,
The notes her fairy godmother
Taught her, the child Evangeline.

As might the unrippled pool reply,
Faltering an answer far and sweet,
Three swans as white as mountain snow
Swim mantling to her feet.

And still upon the lake they stay,
Their eyes black stars in all their snow,
And softly, in the glassy pool,
Their feet beat darkly to and fro.

She rides upon her little boat,
Her swans swim through the starry sheen,
Rowing her into Fairyland-
The lovely-eyed Evangeline.

'Tis silence on the enchanted lake,
And silence in the air serene;
Voices shall call in vain again
On earth the child Evangeline.

'Evangeline! Evangeline!'
Upstairs, downstairs, all in vain.
Her room is dim; her flowers faded;
She answers not again.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Carla Sweeney 10 May 2022

Kind of creepy if you look at it closely

1 0 Reply
Robbie 12 September 2022

Yes, underneath the beautiful imagery there's something dark going on. Death and loss. The death of a child. A bereaved family.

0 0
Ruta Mohapatra 10 July 2018

A classic de la Mare! Mysterious and enchanting!

2 1 Reply
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