Heat-Lightning by James Whitcomb Riley
The poem explores the fleeting nature of life and love through a metaphorical comparison to heat lightning. It describes how brief and elusive these experiences are, much like the flash of heat lightning that appears and disappears quickly in the summer sky. The speaker reflects on the transience of human connections and the inevitability of loss and separation.
By James Whitcomb Riley · First published 1887 · Genre: Poetry, Philosophical, Religious · 655 words
First lines
There was a curious quiet for a space / Directly following: and in the face / Of one rapt listener pulsed the flush and glow / Of the heat-lightning that pent passions throw / Long ere the crash of speech. -- He broke the spell -- / The host: -- The Traveler's story, told so well, / He said, had wakened there within his breast / A yearning, as it were, to know _the rest_ -- / That all unwritten sequence that the Lord / Of Righteousness must write with flame and sword, / Some awful session of His patient thought -- / Just then it was, his good old mother caught / His blazing eye -- so that its fire became / But as an ember -- though it burned the same.
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse form, utilizing rhyme and meter, which are characteristic of poetry.
- Philosophical — The text explores themes of divine intent and human understanding, reflecting on existential and moral questions.
- Religious — There are references to divine judgment and righteousness, indicating a religious or spiritual dimension.
- Humor — The narrative includes humorous elements, such as the poet's self-deprecating remarks and the children's reaction to the poem.
Tags
Poetry · American Literature · 19th Century · Nature Imagery · Symbolism · Imagery · Figurative Language · Metaphor · Simile · Personification · Free Verse · Regionalism
What this Textopian page supports
Heat-Lightning is listed on Textopian as a poem by James Whitcomb Riley, dated 1887 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: James Whitcomb Riley
- Date: 1887 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Philosophical, Religious, Humor, Family
- Length: 655 words
- Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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