The Fireside by Marie Van Vorst
The poem contrasts the bitter cold, grey sky, sleet, and wind of the winter street with the warmth and brightness of a fireside. Sheltered together by red, cheerful flames, the speaker and the beloved are protected from the storm. The beloved’s warm hand in the speaker’s palm deepens the sense of calm, intimacy, and safety, as love and firelight enfold them.
By Marie Van Vorst · First published 1909 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Romantic Poetry · 126 words
First lines
Bitter cold the winter street, / Cold and grey the sky: / Bitter cold the veil of sleet / The winds drive by.
Warm and bright the fireside, / Red the flames with cheer; / What can winter's woe betide / Us, Dear?
On my hand I feel your palm / As a bird lie warm: / Oh the fireside is calm! / It hears no storm.
Bleak the winter street and cold; / Red the flames with cheer; / Love and firelight enfold / Us, Dear.
What this Textopian page supports
The Fireside is listed on Textopian as a poem by Marie Van Vorst, dated 1909 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Marie Van Vorst
- Date: 1909 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Winter Poetry, Domestic Poetry
- Length: 126 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Fireside by Marie Van Vorst
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Similar titles
- Winter by Marie Van Vorst
- Luce Adorabile by Marie Van Vorst
- Song by Marie Van Vorst
- Red Roses by Marie Van Vorst
- Fantasy by Marie Van Vorst
- Loiseau Des Bois by Marie Van Vorst
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a short, musical poem organized in quatrains, emphasizing mood, imagery, rhythm, and emotional expression rather than narrative development.
- Love Poetry — Its central subject is the intimate warmth shared by two lovers, whose physical closeness and affection provide shelter from the winter outside.
- Romantic Poetry — The poem idealizes love, domestic intimacy, firelight, and emotional refuge through vivid contrasts between a hostile natural world and a protected inner space.
- Winter Poetry — Cold streets, grey skies, sleet, wind, and storms establish winter as the poem's dominant external setting and symbolic opposition to warmth.
Tags
fiction · novel · early twentieth century · American literature · domestic drama · family relationships · romance · society · marriage · class differences · emotional conflict · social customs