Skip to content
1849–1916

SEPTEMBER DARK.

James Whitcomb Riley

The air falls chill; The whip-poor-will Pipes lonesomely behind the hill: The dusk grows dense,

The silence tense; And lo, the katydids commence. Through shadowy rifts Of woodland, lifts

The low, slow moon, and upward drifts, While left and right The fireflies’ light Swirls eddying in the skirts of Night.

O Cloudland, gray And level, lay Thy mists across the face of Day! At foot and head,

Above the dead, O Dews, weep on uncomforted!

Cookies on Poetry Cove

We use cookies to remember your language preference and — only with your consent — to learn how Poetry Cove is used. You can change your mind any time.
SEPTEMBER DARK. · James Whitcomb Riley · Poetry Cove