I Sit up Here at Midnight
The poem captures a solitary midnight scene where the speaker observes the stormy weather outside. The wind and rain create a tumultuous atmosphere, with flickering street lamps and empty, wet streets. The speaker contrasts the thoughts of a fisher skipper at sea with those of a fisher woman at home, alone and anxious. The woman, filled with terror, listens intently to the storm, her heart tied to the fate of her loved one at sea. The poem explores themes of isolation, fear, and the emotional connection between those at sea and those waiting at home.
By Robert Louis Stevenson · First published 1885 · Genre: Gothic Poetry, Romantic, Narrative Poetry · 202 words
First lines
I sit up here at midnight, / The wind is in the street, / The rain besieges the windows / Like the sound of many feet.
I see the street lamps flicker, / I see them wink and fail; / The streets are wet and empty, / It blows an easterly gale.
Some think of the fisher skipper / Beyond the Inchcape stone; / But I of the fisher woman / That lies at home alone.
She raises herself on her elbow / And watches the firelit floor; / Her eyes are bright with terror, / Her heart beats fast and sore.
Genres
- Gothic Poetry — The work’s dark, eerie atmosphere and bleak nighttime imagery encapsulate the Gothic tradition.
- Romantic — It emphasizes the sublime power of nature and deep human emotion typical of Romantic literature.
- Narrative Poetry — The poem tells a story through verse, blending character observation with atmospheric description.
- Horror — The pervasive sense of dread and terror in the imagery aligns with elements found in horror literature.
Tags
nocturnal · gothic · melancholic · introspective · existential · psychological · mysterious · symbolic · solitude · isolation · contemplative · dark
What this Textopian page supports
I Sit up Here at Midnight is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, dated 1885 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
- Date: 1885 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Gothic Poetry, Romantic, Narrative Poetry, Horror, Dark Fantasy
- Length: 202 words
- Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for I Sit up Here at Midnight by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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More by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Treasure Island (1883)
- The Pavilion on the Links (1909)
- Olalla (1885)
- A Child's Garden of Verses (1885)
- Father Damien, An Open Letter To The Reverend Doctor Hyde Of Honolulu (1914)
- A Lowden Sabbath Morn (1916)
- Songs of Travel and Other Verses (1908)
- Prayers Written At Vailima (1916)
- All works by Robert Louis Stevenson