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The Watchman and Other Poems
Lucy Maud Montgomery, (always called "Maud" by family and friends) and publicly known as L. M. Montgomery, (1874-1942) was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables (1908). In 1893, following the completion of her grade school education in Cavendish, she attended Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown. Completing a two year program in one year, she obtained her teaching certificate. In 1895 and 1896 she studied literature at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After working as a teacher in various island schools, in 1898 Montgomery moved back to Cavendish. For a short time in 1901 and 1902 she worked in Halifax for the newspapers Chronicle and Echo. She returned to live with and care for her grandmother in 1902. Montgomery was inspired to write her first books during this time on Prince Edward Island. Her works The Story Girl (1911), Chronicles of Avonlea (1912), The Golden Road (1913), Anne of the Island (1915), Anne's House of Dreams (1917), Rainbow Valley (1919), Further Chronicles of Avonlea (1920) and Rilla of Ingleside (1921).
104 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1916
4 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
L.M. Montgomery
1,861 books13.2k followersLucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908.
Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. She died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.
Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. She died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 15, 2020
Albeit that I have always tended to consider L.M. Montgomery as primarily a writer of prose, I do realise that she also and actually even first and foremost seemed to consider herself as a poet, as a writer of lyrical verses. And indeed, after having read her 1916 book of compiled poetry, The Watchman and Other Poems (and with this here Kindle edition having cost me no more than one Canadian dollar) I do rather if not even totally agree. For even though I have of course not enjoyed all ninety odd presented inclusions equally (and have indeed absolutely NOT liked The Watchman, finding it strangly unlyrical and yes, also too much based on the New Testament and Jesus Christ), especially L.M. Montgomery's presented sea poems and her verses describing the lyrical, delicate beauty and charm of Prince Edward Island's hills, woods, rivers and the glory of the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, yes, these are one and all absolutely delightful and give an aesthetically solid (painting like) poetic and very much loving portrait of both the magical bond of the sea and the delight of Prince Edward Island as earthbound, as a solid but yet imaginative sparkling gem of eternal beauty and spiritual sustenance.
And while I have n fact only perused The Watchman and the poems which L.M. Montgomery in The Watchmand and Other Poems lists under the heading of Miscellaneous generally but one time, ALL of her featured ocean and (inland) island natural beauty songs/poems, I do regularly and with ever expanding and togetherness increasing pleasure read and reread, with The Sea Spirit probably (no actually and indeed totally) being my hands down favourite, as the poem both simply and sweetly wondrously and lyrically represents the sea as everlastingly enticing, beautiful and that once the spirit of the ocean, of the sea has taken hold of you, you are delightfully and gloriously bound forever by its magic, by its charm and grace. Highly recommended is The Watchman and Other Poems (but with the in my opinion necessary caveat that an appreciation and yes perhaps even an active love of and for nature and sea/ocean themed poetry is most definitely an asset, and in fact that if you are not all that much a fan of the latter type of verses, you might well not all that much enjoy and appreciate L.M. Montgomery's poetry either, as I would definitely consider a sizeable majority of The Watchman and Other Poems as having nature and the ocean as main themes).
And while I have n fact only perused The Watchman and the poems which L.M. Montgomery in The Watchmand and Other Poems lists under the heading of Miscellaneous generally but one time, ALL of her featured ocean and (inland) island natural beauty songs/poems, I do regularly and with ever expanding and togetherness increasing pleasure read and reread, with The Sea Spirit probably (no actually and indeed totally) being my hands down favourite, as the poem both simply and sweetly wondrously and lyrically represents the sea as everlastingly enticing, beautiful and that once the spirit of the ocean, of the sea has taken hold of you, you are delightfully and gloriously bound forever by its magic, by its charm and grace. Highly recommended is The Watchman and Other Poems (but with the in my opinion necessary caveat that an appreciation and yes perhaps even an active love of and for nature and sea/ocean themed poetry is most definitely an asset, and in fact that if you are not all that much a fan of the latter type of verses, you might well not all that much enjoy and appreciate L.M. Montgomery's poetry either, as I would definitely consider a sizeable majority of The Watchman and Other Poems as having nature and the ocean as main themes).
July 21, 2017
Not quite my cup of tea but definitely worth to check out if you like her
Read
October 6, 2022Not even L.M. Montgomery can get me to like poetry.
September 4, 2020
............
The Watchman and Other Poems
............
DEDICATION
""TO THE MEMORY OF THE GALLANT
CANADIAN SOLDIERS WHO HAVE LAID
DOWN THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY
AND THEIR EMPIRE.""
Lofty, only until before the third line.
............
The Watchman and Other Poems
The author's writing is poetic when she writes prose describing nature, which she does often. Her poetry, going by the first one, is another matter. Perhaps the waxing eloquent about beauty of nature comes in other poems, later.
But the first one is as obviously racist as the dedication, above, is obliquely so. One has to wonder, was the author aware her beliefs were not only racist, they were founded on false information too?
That first poem, as powerful as it is, destroys the idyllic world built in one's mind by having read the author - rest of the books in the Anne Stories compilation - until now, of a world so genteel, beautiful, safe and secure. It brings us back to the lies propagated by most churches, lies that led to a holocaust shortly after, the said holocaust not unknown to most of western powers but nevertheless not stopped when they could easily have done so.
But the rest are largely about the author's forte - beauty of nature, ocean and skies, stars and hills, and more. One wonders if she sat looking at a harbour, every day, inspired to write verses about the beauty of it all, so varied the verses about the scenes same every day and yet fresh. Then one reflects, Monet was a contemporary and painted various subjects over and over, and one is never tired of looking at them as and when one finds the possibility, and stand enraptured for hours. Montgomery has a similar quality when she writes about the ocean and skies, orchards and wildflowers, and in stories, people.
............
THE WATCHMAN
It begins with a man asking his woman to love him, and then goes on to what he's been up to, what he's witnessed, becoming suddenly a powerful poem.
"Down in Jerusalem they slew a man,
"Or god— it may be that he was a god—
"Those mad, wild Jews whom Pontius Pilate rules.
"Thou knowest Pilate, Claudia— a vain man,
"Too weak to govern such a howling horde
"As those same Jews.
"This man they crucified.
"I knew nought of him— had not heard his name
"Until the day they dragged him to his death;
"Then all tongues wagged about him and his deeds;
"Some said that he had claimed to be their King,
"Some that he had blasphemed their deity;
"'Twas certain he was poor and meanly born,
"No warrior he, nor hero; and he taught
"Doctrines that surely would upset the world;
"And so they killed him to be rid of him—
"Wise, very wise, if he were only man,
"Not quite so wise if he were half a god!"
Discoveries later, of gospels supposedly destroyed by church centuries ago but had survived hidden in desert caves, and research leading to Holy Blood, Holy Trail that began by questioning various suppositions and teaching and events, was still in future when the lines above were written; but slavery had been banished, sympathy and horror regarding treatment of slaves in confederate states was not unknown in Canada, and yet the lines about Jews subjugated by Roman empire are entirely as devoid of any such sympathy as only the rulers of the then British empire could have regarding their subjects of non European ancestry. Rabbit proof fences were a fact, as were whitewashing of indigenous by force and destroying families thereby, and official preference under British for racist and other castes of British caste system, imposed throughout empire.
One only wonders, what kind of disgusting people go massacring a whole race, only because they worship one they - inheritors of Roman empire - murdered, and he belonged to that race? Well, as per knowledge that has since been exposed, they - the church - went after his descendants, too, attempting to murder every single one, so massacring the whole race must seem like a non sequitur
The poem is powerful, speaks of a level of spiritual experience uncommon to say the least, and yet racism taught by church - church that is no more than Roman empire, after all - pervades on and on.
"Never was such a conqueror! Yet no pride
"Was in it— nought but love and tenderness,
"Such as we Romans scoff at; and his eyes
Bespake him royal. Oh, my Claudia,
"Surely he was no Jew but very god!"
Very god, all very well, but why the no Jew bit, that too with a surely? Because Jews being unholy must be the unwritten assumption of all that is civilised as per definition by Roman empire? And this, because Jews are after all an Asiatic race, like all those from India, China, ...... and in fact anything not of origin of ancestry from dark Nordic latitudes?
Oh, Montgomery! To destroy the idyllic world you created in your writings, making PE into a haven on earth, only to hit a reader with this hammer of a racist hatred so ingrained for centuries!
And yet it's civilisations of Egypt and India, China and Persia - and of Mayan and others - that far precede anything of Europe, including perhaps Greece but definitely Rome!
Here's clinching finale -
"I cannot even hate those Jews; my lips
"Speak harshly of them, but within my heart
"I feel a strange compassion; and I love
"All creatures, to the vilest of the slaves
"Who seem to me as brothers! Claudia,
"Scorn me not for this weakness; it will pass—
"Surely 'twill pass in time and I shall be
"Maximus strong and valiant once again,
"Forgetting that slain god! and yet— and yet—
"He looked as one who could not be forgot!"
Surely it's slaveowners that must be vile?
August 31, 2020.
............
............
SONGS OF THE SEA
............
............
RAIN ALONG SHORE
Lovely contrast between storming seas and winds that force fishing villages to perforce enjoy a respite with their loved ones.
September 01, 2020.
............
SEA SUNSET
Beautiful description of a sunset on ocean! The author has given similar descriptions, albeit a tad briefly, all through her PE stories.
September 01, 2020.
............
WHEN THE DARK COMES DOWN
Nicely correlated, the darkening of skies with fishing boats returning to shore, homes lighting up, and more.
September 01, 2020.
............
HARBOR MOONRISE
Another favourite of the author, often lyrically described in her stories, here she gives it a free rein.
September 01, 2020.
............
BEFORE STORM
Well put, the concerns of those at home with someone dear still on sea.
September 01, 2020.
............
ON THE BAY
Very beautifully written, about seas and shore, boats and skies, from dawn to dark.
September 01, 2020.
............
SHORE TWILIGHT
"Oh, what a poignant rapture thus to be
"Lingering at twilight by the ancient sea!"
Indeed.
September 01, 2020.
............
SONG OF THE SEA-WIND
"I scatter the dawn across the sea
"Like wine of amber flung
"From a crystal goblet all far and fine
"Where the morning star is hung;
"I blow from east and I blow from west
"Wherever my longing be—
"The wind of the land is a hindered thing
"But the ocean wind is free!"
September 01, 2020.
............
MORNING ALONG SHORE
"Who would drowze in dull devotion
"To his ease when dark is done,
"And upon its breast the ocean
"Like a jewel wears the sun?"
September 01, 2020.
............
OFF TO THE FISHING GROUND
"We are the heirs of its tingling strife,
"Its courage and liberty.
"Sing as the white sails cream and fill,
"And the foam in our wake is long,
"Sing till the headlands black and grim
"Echo us back our song!
"Oh, 'tis a glad and heartsome thing
"To wake ere the night be done
"And steer the course that our fathers steered
"In the path of the rising sun."
September 01, 2020.
............
IN PORT
"Shipmates, furl we our sails— we have left the seas behind us,
"Gladly finding at last our homes and our loves once more."
September 01, 2020.
............
THE GULLS
Nice.
September 01, 2020.
............
SUNRISE ALONG SHORE
"Across the ocean, wan and gray,
"Gay fleets of golden ripples come,
"For at the birth-hour of the day
"The roistering, wayward winds are dumb.
"The rocks that stretch to meet the tide
"Are smitten with a ruddy glow,
"And faint reflections come and go
"Where fishing boats at anchor ride."
Beautiful.
"One boat alone beyond the bar
"Is sailing outward blithe and free,
"To carry sturdy hearts afar
"Across those wastes of sparkling sea;
"Staunchly to seek what may be won
"From out the treasures of the deep,
"To toil for those at home who sleep
"And be the first to greet the sun."
Really nice.
September 01, 2020.
............
THE SEA SPIRIT
Here said in verse form, this thought recurs through the writings of the author, quite often.
"And if one for love of me
"Gives to my call an ear,
"I will woo him and hold him dear,
"And teach him the way of the sea,
"And my glamor shall ever over him be;
"Though he wander afar in the cities of men
"He will come at last to my arms again."
September 01, 2020.
............
HARBOR DAWN
"There's a hush and stillness calm and deep,
"For the waves have wooed all the winds to sleep
"In the shadow of headlands bold and steep;
"But some gracious spirit has taken the cup
"Of the crystal sky and filled it up
"With rosy wine, and in it afar
"Has dissolved the pearl of the morning star."
Really beautiful, followed by more -
"With the first red sunlight on mast and spar
A ship is sailing beyond the bar,"
And
"Fortune and favor the ship shall win
"That crosses the bar when the dawn comes in."
The author makes it come alive.
September 01, 2020.
............
MY 'LONGSHORE LASS
Difficult to believe this was written by a woman, not a sailor waxing eloquent, about his girl's bright eyes and other charms, comparing them with the light, wind, stars and ocean.
But then again, women notice beauty of other women, of course, and feelings of the men - and while a sailor may feel it, it takes a poet to pen it, so skilfully wielding her words forming verses and rhymes, so variant.
September 01, 2020.
............
WHEN THE FISHING BOATS GO OUT
"Salt is the breath of ocean slopes and fresher blows the breeze,
"And swifter still each bounding keel cuts through the combing seas,
"Athwart our masts the shadows of the dipping sea-gulls float,
"And all the water-world's alive when the fishing boats go out."
September 01, 2020.
............
THE BRIDAL
"Last night a pale young Moon was wed
"Unto the amorous, eager Sea;
"Her maiden veil of mist she wore
"His kingly purple vesture, he.
"With her a bridal train of stars
"Walked sisterly through shadows dim,
"And, master minstrel of the world,
"The great Wind sang the marriage hymn.
"Thus came she down the silent sky
"Unto the Sea her faith to plight,
"And the grave priest who wedded them
"Was ancient, sombre-mantled Night."
Exquisite!!!
September 01, 2020.
............
THE SEA TO THE SHORE
"Tell me how I may win thee, tell me how I must woo.
"Shall I creep to thy white feet, in guise of a humble lover?
"Shall I croon in mild petition, murmuring vows anew?
"Shall I stretch my arms unto thee, biding thy maiden coyness,
"Under the silver of morning, under the purple of night?
"Taming my ancient rudeness, checking my heady clamor—
"Thus, is it thus I must woo thee, oh, my delight?
"Nay, 'tis no way of the sea thus to be meekly suitor—
"I shall storm thee away with laughter wrapped in my beard of snow,
"With the wildest of billows for chords I shall harp thee a song for thy bridal,
"A mighty lyric of love that feared not nor would forego!
"With a red-gold wedding ring, mined from the caves of sunset,"
Amazing!
September 01, 2020.
............
THE VOYAGERS
"We shall launch our shallop on waters blue from some dim primrose shore,
"We shall sail with the magic of dusk behind and enchanted coasts before,
"Over oceans that stretch to the sunset land where lost Atlantis lies,
"And our pilot shall be the vesper star that shines in the amber skies."
"And at last, on some white and wondrous dawn, we shall reach the fairy isle
"Where our hope and our dream are waiting us, and the to-morrows smile;
"With song on our lips and faith in our hearts we sail on our ancient quest,
"And each man shall find, at the end of the voyage, the thing he loves the best."
So true to the spirit of voyages!
September 01, 2020.
............
............
SONGS OF THE HILLS AND WOODS
In this section, especially in the very first poem, it's another recurring theme, much loved of the author, familiar to a reader who's read her prose.
............
............
TWILIGHT AND I WENT HAND IN HAND
"I could have lingered now and then
"By gates of moonrise that might lead
"To some forgotten, spiceried mead,
"Or in some mossy, cloistered glen,
"Where silence, very still and deep,
"Seemed fallen in enchanted sleep.
"But Twilight ever led me on,
"As lovers walk, until we came
"To hills where sunset's shaken flame
"Had paled to ashes dead and wan;
"And there, with footsteps stolen-light
"She left me to the lure of night."
September 01, 2020.
............
COME, REST AWHILE
Takes one to that other world!
"The wayward chimes of memory's pensive bells,
"Wind-blown o'er misty hills and curtained dells.
"One step aside and dewy buds unclose
"The sweetness of the violet and the rose;
"Song and romance still linger in the green,
"Emblossomed ways by you so seldom seen,"
September 01, 2020.
............
AN APRIL NIGHT
This one is bound to remind one of a young Anne.
September 01, 2020.
............
RAIN ON THE HILL
Lovely.
September 01, 2020.
............
FOR LITTLE THINGS
Nice.
September 01, 2020.
............
SPRING SONG
Beautiful.
September 01, 2020.
............
A DAY OFF
If one could....
September 01, 2020.
............
THE WIND
Of life, love and death.
September 01, 2020.
............
THE WOOD POOL
Another favourite theme, known to those familar with Anne.
September 01, 2020.
............
DOWN STREAM
"While the world's tired children sleep we bend to our oars with faces
"Set in our eager gladness towards the morning's gate;
"Lo, 'tis the sweet of the day! On, comrades mine, for beyond us
"All its dower of beauty, its glory and wonder, wait."
September 02, 2020.
.............
ECHO DELL
One could quote much of this poem that paints a lovely picture, one that is like a caleidoscopic combination of several that are familiar to readers of Anne series, of a discovered dell and echo and woods and hills and more. But quoting a part won't do.
September 02, 2020.
............
THE ROVERS
"Other delights may pall, but the joy of the open never"
September 02, 2020.
............
AMONG THE PINES
"If it be night, the moonlight will wander winsomely with us,
"If it be hour of dawn, all heaven will bloom,
"If it be sunset, it's glow will enfold and pursue us.
"To the remotest valley of purple gloom.
"Lo! the pine wood is a temple where the days meet to worship,"
September 02, 2020.
............
A DAY IN THE OPEN
"Where the sea evermore
"Surgeth over the gray reef, and drowns
....
The Watchman and Other Poems
............
DEDICATION
""TO THE MEMORY OF THE GALLANT
CANADIAN SOLDIERS WHO HAVE LAID
DOWN THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY
AND THEIR EMPIRE.""
Lofty, only until before the third line.
............
The Watchman and Other Poems
The author's writing is poetic when she writes prose describing nature, which she does often. Her poetry, going by the first one, is another matter. Perhaps the waxing eloquent about beauty of nature comes in other poems, later.
But the first one is as obviously racist as the dedication, above, is obliquely so. One has to wonder, was the author aware her beliefs were not only racist, they were founded on false information too?
That first poem, as powerful as it is, destroys the idyllic world built in one's mind by having read the author - rest of the books in the Anne Stories compilation - until now, of a world so genteel, beautiful, safe and secure. It brings us back to the lies propagated by most churches, lies that led to a holocaust shortly after, the said holocaust not unknown to most of western powers but nevertheless not stopped when they could easily have done so.
But the rest are largely about the author's forte - beauty of nature, ocean and skies, stars and hills, and more. One wonders if she sat looking at a harbour, every day, inspired to write verses about the beauty of it all, so varied the verses about the scenes same every day and yet fresh. Then one reflects, Monet was a contemporary and painted various subjects over and over, and one is never tired of looking at them as and when one finds the possibility, and stand enraptured for hours. Montgomery has a similar quality when she writes about the ocean and skies, orchards and wildflowers, and in stories, people.
............
THE WATCHMAN
It begins with a man asking his woman to love him, and then goes on to what he's been up to, what he's witnessed, becoming suddenly a powerful poem.
"Down in Jerusalem they slew a man,
"Or god— it may be that he was a god—
"Those mad, wild Jews whom Pontius Pilate rules.
"Thou knowest Pilate, Claudia— a vain man,
"Too weak to govern such a howling horde
"As those same Jews.
"This man they crucified.
"I knew nought of him— had not heard his name
"Until the day they dragged him to his death;
"Then all tongues wagged about him and his deeds;
"Some said that he had claimed to be their King,
"Some that he had blasphemed their deity;
"'Twas certain he was poor and meanly born,
"No warrior he, nor hero; and he taught
"Doctrines that surely would upset the world;
"And so they killed him to be rid of him—
"Wise, very wise, if he were only man,
"Not quite so wise if he were half a god!"
Discoveries later, of gospels supposedly destroyed by church centuries ago but had survived hidden in desert caves, and research leading to Holy Blood, Holy Trail that began by questioning various suppositions and teaching and events, was still in future when the lines above were written; but slavery had been banished, sympathy and horror regarding treatment of slaves in confederate states was not unknown in Canada, and yet the lines about Jews subjugated by Roman empire are entirely as devoid of any such sympathy as only the rulers of the then British empire could have regarding their subjects of non European ancestry. Rabbit proof fences were a fact, as were whitewashing of indigenous by force and destroying families thereby, and official preference under British for racist and other castes of British caste system, imposed throughout empire.
One only wonders, what kind of disgusting people go massacring a whole race, only because they worship one they - inheritors of Roman empire - murdered, and he belonged to that race? Well, as per knowledge that has since been exposed, they - the church - went after his descendants, too, attempting to murder every single one, so massacring the whole race must seem like a non sequitur
The poem is powerful, speaks of a level of spiritual experience uncommon to say the least, and yet racism taught by church - church that is no more than Roman empire, after all - pervades on and on.
"Never was such a conqueror! Yet no pride
"Was in it— nought but love and tenderness,
"Such as we Romans scoff at; and his eyes
Bespake him royal. Oh, my Claudia,
"Surely he was no Jew but very god!"
Very god, all very well, but why the no Jew bit, that too with a surely? Because Jews being unholy must be the unwritten assumption of all that is civilised as per definition by Roman empire? And this, because Jews are after all an Asiatic race, like all those from India, China, ...... and in fact anything not of origin of ancestry from dark Nordic latitudes?
Oh, Montgomery! To destroy the idyllic world you created in your writings, making PE into a haven on earth, only to hit a reader with this hammer of a racist hatred so ingrained for centuries!
And yet it's civilisations of Egypt and India, China and Persia - and of Mayan and others - that far precede anything of Europe, including perhaps Greece but definitely Rome!
Here's clinching finale -
"I cannot even hate those Jews; my lips
"Speak harshly of them, but within my heart
"I feel a strange compassion; and I love
"All creatures, to the vilest of the slaves
"Who seem to me as brothers! Claudia,
"Scorn me not for this weakness; it will pass—
"Surely 'twill pass in time and I shall be
"Maximus strong and valiant once again,
"Forgetting that slain god! and yet— and yet—
"He looked as one who could not be forgot!"
Surely it's slaveowners that must be vile?
August 31, 2020.
............
............
SONGS OF THE SEA
............
............
RAIN ALONG SHORE
Lovely contrast between storming seas and winds that force fishing villages to perforce enjoy a respite with their loved ones.
September 01, 2020.
............
SEA SUNSET
Beautiful description of a sunset on ocean! The author has given similar descriptions, albeit a tad briefly, all through her PE stories.
September 01, 2020.
............
WHEN THE DARK COMES DOWN
Nicely correlated, the darkening of skies with fishing boats returning to shore, homes lighting up, and more.
September 01, 2020.
............
HARBOR MOONRISE
Another favourite of the author, often lyrically described in her stories, here she gives it a free rein.
September 01, 2020.
............
BEFORE STORM
Well put, the concerns of those at home with someone dear still on sea.
September 01, 2020.
............
ON THE BAY
Very beautifully written, about seas and shore, boats and skies, from dawn to dark.
September 01, 2020.
............
SHORE TWILIGHT
"Oh, what a poignant rapture thus to be
"Lingering at twilight by the ancient sea!"
Indeed.
September 01, 2020.
............
SONG OF THE SEA-WIND
"I scatter the dawn across the sea
"Like wine of amber flung
"From a crystal goblet all far and fine
"Where the morning star is hung;
"I blow from east and I blow from west
"Wherever my longing be—
"The wind of the land is a hindered thing
"But the ocean wind is free!"
September 01, 2020.
............
MORNING ALONG SHORE
"Who would drowze in dull devotion
"To his ease when dark is done,
"And upon its breast the ocean
"Like a jewel wears the sun?"
September 01, 2020.
............
OFF TO THE FISHING GROUND
"We are the heirs of its tingling strife,
"Its courage and liberty.
"Sing as the white sails cream and fill,
"And the foam in our wake is long,
"Sing till the headlands black and grim
"Echo us back our song!
"Oh, 'tis a glad and heartsome thing
"To wake ere the night be done
"And steer the course that our fathers steered
"In the path of the rising sun."
September 01, 2020.
............
IN PORT
"Shipmates, furl we our sails— we have left the seas behind us,
"Gladly finding at last our homes and our loves once more."
September 01, 2020.
............
THE GULLS
Nice.
September 01, 2020.
............
SUNRISE ALONG SHORE
"Across the ocean, wan and gray,
"Gay fleets of golden ripples come,
"For at the birth-hour of the day
"The roistering, wayward winds are dumb.
"The rocks that stretch to meet the tide
"Are smitten with a ruddy glow,
"And faint reflections come and go
"Where fishing boats at anchor ride."
Beautiful.
"One boat alone beyond the bar
"Is sailing outward blithe and free,
"To carry sturdy hearts afar
"Across those wastes of sparkling sea;
"Staunchly to seek what may be won
"From out the treasures of the deep,
"To toil for those at home who sleep
"And be the first to greet the sun."
Really nice.
September 01, 2020.
............
THE SEA SPIRIT
Here said in verse form, this thought recurs through the writings of the author, quite often.
"And if one for love of me
"Gives to my call an ear,
"I will woo him and hold him dear,
"And teach him the way of the sea,
"And my glamor shall ever over him be;
"Though he wander afar in the cities of men
"He will come at last to my arms again."
September 01, 2020.
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HARBOR DAWN
"There's a hush and stillness calm and deep,
"For the waves have wooed all the winds to sleep
"In the shadow of headlands bold and steep;
"But some gracious spirit has taken the cup
"Of the crystal sky and filled it up
"With rosy wine, and in it afar
"Has dissolved the pearl of the morning star."
Really beautiful, followed by more -
"With the first red sunlight on mast and spar
A ship is sailing beyond the bar,"
And
"Fortune and favor the ship shall win
"That crosses the bar when the dawn comes in."
The author makes it come alive.
September 01, 2020.
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MY 'LONGSHORE LASS
Difficult to believe this was written by a woman, not a sailor waxing eloquent, about his girl's bright eyes and other charms, comparing them with the light, wind, stars and ocean.
But then again, women notice beauty of other women, of course, and feelings of the men - and while a sailor may feel it, it takes a poet to pen it, so skilfully wielding her words forming verses and rhymes, so variant.
September 01, 2020.
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WHEN THE FISHING BOATS GO OUT
"Salt is the breath of ocean slopes and fresher blows the breeze,
"And swifter still each bounding keel cuts through the combing seas,
"Athwart our masts the shadows of the dipping sea-gulls float,
"And all the water-world's alive when the fishing boats go out."
September 01, 2020.
............
THE BRIDAL
"Last night a pale young Moon was wed
"Unto the amorous, eager Sea;
"Her maiden veil of mist she wore
"His kingly purple vesture, he.
"With her a bridal train of stars
"Walked sisterly through shadows dim,
"And, master minstrel of the world,
"The great Wind sang the marriage hymn.
"Thus came she down the silent sky
"Unto the Sea her faith to plight,
"And the grave priest who wedded them
"Was ancient, sombre-mantled Night."
Exquisite!!!
September 01, 2020.
............
THE SEA TO THE SHORE
"Tell me how I may win thee, tell me how I must woo.
"Shall I creep to thy white feet, in guise of a humble lover?
"Shall I croon in mild petition, murmuring vows anew?
"Shall I stretch my arms unto thee, biding thy maiden coyness,
"Under the silver of morning, under the purple of night?
"Taming my ancient rudeness, checking my heady clamor—
"Thus, is it thus I must woo thee, oh, my delight?
"Nay, 'tis no way of the sea thus to be meekly suitor—
"I shall storm thee away with laughter wrapped in my beard of snow,
"With the wildest of billows for chords I shall harp thee a song for thy bridal,
"A mighty lyric of love that feared not nor would forego!
"With a red-gold wedding ring, mined from the caves of sunset,"
Amazing!
September 01, 2020.
............
THE VOYAGERS
"We shall launch our shallop on waters blue from some dim primrose shore,
"We shall sail with the magic of dusk behind and enchanted coasts before,
"Over oceans that stretch to the sunset land where lost Atlantis lies,
"And our pilot shall be the vesper star that shines in the amber skies."
"And at last, on some white and wondrous dawn, we shall reach the fairy isle
"Where our hope and our dream are waiting us, and the to-morrows smile;
"With song on our lips and faith in our hearts we sail on our ancient quest,
"And each man shall find, at the end of the voyage, the thing he loves the best."
So true to the spirit of voyages!
September 01, 2020.
............
............
SONGS OF THE HILLS AND WOODS
In this section, especially in the very first poem, it's another recurring theme, much loved of the author, familiar to a reader who's read her prose.
............
............
TWILIGHT AND I WENT HAND IN HAND
"I could have lingered now and then
"By gates of moonrise that might lead
"To some forgotten, spiceried mead,
"Or in some mossy, cloistered glen,
"Where silence, very still and deep,
"Seemed fallen in enchanted sleep.
"But Twilight ever led me on,
"As lovers walk, until we came
"To hills where sunset's shaken flame
"Had paled to ashes dead and wan;
"And there, with footsteps stolen-light
"She left me to the lure of night."
September 01, 2020.
............
COME, REST AWHILE
Takes one to that other world!
"The wayward chimes of memory's pensive bells,
"Wind-blown o'er misty hills and curtained dells.
"One step aside and dewy buds unclose
"The sweetness of the violet and the rose;
"Song and romance still linger in the green,
"Emblossomed ways by you so seldom seen,"
September 01, 2020.
............
AN APRIL NIGHT
This one is bound to remind one of a young Anne.
September 01, 2020.
............
RAIN ON THE HILL
Lovely.
September 01, 2020.
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FOR LITTLE THINGS
Nice.
September 01, 2020.
............
SPRING SONG
Beautiful.
September 01, 2020.
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A DAY OFF
If one could....
September 01, 2020.
............
THE WIND
Of life, love and death.
September 01, 2020.
............
THE WOOD POOL
Another favourite theme, known to those familar with Anne.
September 01, 2020.
............
DOWN STREAM
"While the world's tired children sleep we bend to our oars with faces
"Set in our eager gladness towards the morning's gate;
"Lo, 'tis the sweet of the day! On, comrades mine, for beyond us
"All its dower of beauty, its glory and wonder, wait."
September 02, 2020.
.............
ECHO DELL
One could quote much of this poem that paints a lovely picture, one that is like a caleidoscopic combination of several that are familiar to readers of Anne series, of a discovered dell and echo and woods and hills and more. But quoting a part won't do.
September 02, 2020.
............
THE ROVERS
"Other delights may pall, but the joy of the open never"
September 02, 2020.
............
AMONG THE PINES
"If it be night, the moonlight will wander winsomely with us,
"If it be hour of dawn, all heaven will bloom,
"If it be sunset, it's glow will enfold and pursue us.
"To the remotest valley of purple gloom.
"Lo! the pine wood is a temple where the days meet to worship,"
September 02, 2020.
............
A DAY IN THE OPEN
"Where the sea evermore
"Surgeth over the gray reef, and drowns
....
July 9, 2022
L.M. Montgomery's poetry is sentimental and romantic, where her poems about forests contain references to 'the little people' and her tributes to the sea are filled with wind and sun. Her use of imagery is really the reason for the poems, and she is very good at painting the picture that results in sympathetic feelings in the reader. Her poetry would not be widely respected today, except by fans of "Anne" (of Green Gables) who would likely feel that it's the kind of lyric poetry that Anne would have written. The old-fashioned style is reminiscent of another time when romantic description of a place, or a feeling of love was all the rage. But taken together, and despite the repetition of certain metaphors, her poems about nature speak to a reverence for the outside world that is beautiful, and, as she would say, result in a 'prayerful' attitude. Montgomery didn't explore her consciousness in the way of modern poetry, but by leaving herself out of the poems, she highlighted natural settings with a childlike enthusiasm and gave nature its due, without dragging self-consciousness into it. It was refreshing.
"The Watchman" was also a good narrative poem, told from the perspective of a Roman guard at Christ's tomb, and how the events of the three days after the crucifixion changed him forever. Montgomery had a few religious poems in the collection, but I think 'The Watchman' was the best, and representative of the talent that Montgomery had. She didn't have the genius to write prophetically or outside of her time, like Coleridge or Shelley, but she did have the genius to take what she knew and write about common experiences that would always matter, always touch the human heart.
"The Watchman" was also a good narrative poem, told from the perspective of a Roman guard at Christ's tomb, and how the events of the three days after the crucifixion changed him forever. Montgomery had a few religious poems in the collection, but I think 'The Watchman' was the best, and representative of the talent that Montgomery had. She didn't have the genius to write prophetically or outside of her time, like Coleridge or Shelley, but she did have the genius to take what she knew and write about common experiences that would always matter, always touch the human heart.
March 31, 2018
I like the diversity and contrasts that the author incorporates into her poetry.
September 21, 2020
Lyrical, sensuous.
April 28, 2022
Montgomery is one of my favorite authors, so I felt that I really needed to read this collection. I have to admit that I'm not generally a fan of poetry, and often find it difficult to grasp or get into. This reading experience was a reflection of that. There were some poems that I really liked, and others that just felt like flowery page-filler, like I was reading a slight variation of a poem that I read on the previous page. I'd say about 30% of the poems in this collection were ones that I connected with, and there are handful of them I'd go back and read again. My favorite poems were the ones with a clear narrative and characters. I also liked some of the descriptive nature pieces that flowed nicely. I sometimes got annoyed by Montgomery's word choices or rhyming schemes, and some of her poems were a bit one-dimensional without any meaning beneath the surface. Even though I didn't love this poetry collection as much as her novels, I'm glad I read it. And I found a few gems in here that I can go back to later!
September 25, 2020
I am not a fan of poetry and poems. Alas, I am still not. Although an enjoyable read, this is something I struggle with. Out of these, the poems of the sea were the better of the set.
I gave this the rating I did, because, not only is it important to read outside of your comfort zone and to read the full works of an author. But also, I did not want to mark the poems down due to my personal bias. I can say I have read these poems, they were ok at best.
What was very nice about these works and, is reflected in the starred rating is that Montgomery will ALWAYS be known for Anne of Green Gables, so, this was a truly joyous read to have read works I would NOT have associated with her.
I gave this the rating I did, because, not only is it important to read outside of your comfort zone and to read the full works of an author. But also, I did not want to mark the poems down due to my personal bias. I can say I have read these poems, they were ok at best.
What was very nice about these works and, is reflected in the starred rating is that Montgomery will ALWAYS be known for Anne of Green Gables, so, this was a truly joyous read to have read works I would NOT have associated with her.
October 31, 2024
Learning to love poetry has been a very long and tedious journey for me but I’m very thankful for my journey.
Poetry has been so hard for me to enjoy and I hated it because I didn’t understand it. Finally, with the help of LitLife I’m not only learning to understand it but I’m also learning that when I don’t that’s okay. I can still feel and love the poem even if the meaning is confusing or lost to me.
I first read poetry by Montgomery in the Blythes are Quoted and knew I needed more. Her poetry is so beautiful and has put words to so much of my one feelings and thoughts. The perfect first full anthology for me to start with in this learning to love poetry journey I’m on.
Poetry has been so hard for me to enjoy and I hated it because I didn’t understand it. Finally, with the help of LitLife I’m not only learning to understand it but I’m also learning that when I don’t that’s okay. I can still feel and love the poem even if the meaning is confusing or lost to me.
I first read poetry by Montgomery in the Blythes are Quoted and knew I needed more. Her poetry is so beautiful and has put words to so much of my one feelings and thoughts. The perfect first full anthology for me to start with in this learning to love poetry journey I’m on.
July 2, 2021
I like poetry and I like her but the two didn't mesh well for me here. I found most of it old-fashioned and too rhymey, stodgy, and flowery for my taste. I mean, it IS old, to give it credit, fashions in poetry like everything change. There were a few I liked a lot, most were solidly meh.
December 20, 2018
Awful. Unreadable
March 27, 2019
Still don't like poetry, even by an author I love!
March 27, 2019
Some of the poems are lovely. Some a bit repetitive.
May 30, 2020
Some of these were really beautiful. The other ones were like a veneer of sentimentality.
September 2, 2025
A few of these are rather lovely, but the vast majority made me roll by eyes. 2.5 stars.
March 26, 2021
Any one of these poems is quite nice on its own and an anodyne to the negative poetry of the WWI poets. And the title poem is stunning. These 90+ lyric poems are characteristically filled with natural imagery and invitations to faerie. As a collection, though, it simply lacks the shadows and struggle and contrasts that Montgomery's best novels and short stories have. Near the end, there are nice moments of death and loss and winter. But Montgomery seems too interested in putting "tears and memories away, / While the fates sleep time stops for revelry" than watching "twilight weaves its tangled shadows all / In one dim web of dusk" (from "While the Fates Sleep").
April 16, 2017
3.25 stars (liked it)
Written by the author of the well known Anne of Green Gables series, this is a quickly moving collection of 94 poems that includes many with images of nature, including a handful about the sea which were my favorites.
Written by the author of the well known Anne of Green Gables series, this is a quickly moving collection of 94 poems that includes many with images of nature, including a handful about the sea which were my favorites.
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