Silence (Sonnets) by James Whitcomb Riley
The collection of sonnets explores themes of love, loss, and the passage of time. It is characterized by a focus on nature imagery and a melancholic tone. The poems often express a sense of longing and nostalgia for a past era or lost love.
By James Whitcomb Riley · First published 1916 · Genre: Poetry, Philosophical, Imagist · 167 words
First lines
Thousands of thousands of hushed years ago, / Out on the edge of Chaos, all alone / I stood on peaks of vapor, high upthrown / Above a sea that knew nor ebb nor flow, / Nor any motion won of winds that blow, / Nor any sound of watery wail or moan, / Nor lisp of wave, nor wandering undertone / Of any tide lost in the night below.
So still it was, I mind me, as I laid / My thirsty ear against mine own faint sigh / To drink of that, I sipped it, half afraid / 'Twas but the ghost of a dead voice spilled by / The one starved star that tottered through the shade / And came tiptoeing toward me down the sky.
What this Textopian page supports
Silence (Sonnets) is listed on Textopian as a poem by James Whitcomb Riley, dated 1916 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: 1916 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Philosophical, Imagist, Symbolism, Romantic
- Length: 167 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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- Work identity for Silence (Sonnets) by James Whitcomb Riley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured as a sonnet, a form of poetry, and employs poetic devices such as meter, rhyme, and imagery.
- Philosophical — The themes explore existential concepts and the nature of silence and chaos, reflecting a philosophical inquiry.
- Imagist — The vivid imagery and focus on visual and sensory details align with the principles of the Imagist movement.
- Symbolism — The use of symbols such as 'Chaos,' 'vapor,' and 'star' suggests deeper meanings beyond their literal sense.
Tags
Poetry · Collection · Sonnets · American Literature · 19th Century · Nature · Love · Loss · Mortality · Spirituality · Philosophy · Existentialism