The Siren by Payson Sibley Wild
A dialect poem in which the speaker, having ridden sixteen miles with Bill and a load of soy beans, describes a flooded river near the bottoms after rain—yellow fields, a chocolate-colored snakelike current, and a vivid blue sky—while Bill, overcome, seems to feel the siren's lure that sings after rain.
By Payson Sibley Wild · First published 1905 · Genre: Poetry, Pastoral Literature, Nature Writing · 408 words
First lines
They's a hull snarl o' potes hez driveled 'bout Joon / With its leefyness, freshness an' greenth; / 'N' if I was anuther, I s'pose-which I ain't- / I'd be the four umpty an' steenth.
Ez regards ter the Skillet-wal, pardner, b'leeve me, / It's right in its prime, buggosh; / Yew kin talk all yer wanter, it's fine ter jes' sawnter / An' look at ol' Nacher a-slosh.
Similar titles
- On The Gorgeous Hills Of Morning by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Spring Call by Thomas Hardy
- Evening Primroses by Helen Gray Cone
- A Humming Bird by Helen Gray Cone
- In Autumn When The Woods Are Red by Robert Louis Stevenson
- My House I Say But Hark To The Sunny Doves by Robert Louis Stevenson
Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse with rhyming couplets and metrical patterns, employing line breaks and rhythmic language characteristic of poetic form.
- Pastoral Literature — Idealizes rural life and natural landscapes, celebrating countryside scenery, rivers, and fields with romantic reverence for agrarian experience and outdoor life.
- Nature Writing — Strong emphasis on sensory observation and detailed description of natural phenomena including weather patterns, vegetation, water bodies, and seasonal conditions.
- Romantic Poetry — Expresses emotional and transcendent response to nature's beauty, emphasizing feeling and sensation over reason, with nature's 'siren's call' as the central metaphor.
Tags
dialect poem · vernacular poetry · colloquial voice · folk narrative · American rural · river landscape · flooded river · floodplain · agricultural setting · summer setting · after rain · siren
What this Textopian page supports
The Siren is listed on Textopian as a poem by Payson Sibley Wild, dated 1905 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Payson Sibley Wild
- Date: 1905 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Pastoral Literature, Nature Writing, Romantic Poetry, Vernacular Literature
- Length: 408 words
- Structure: 1 section, 8 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Siren by Payson Sibley Wild
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