Last night, when I was listenin’
Alone, to wind and rain,
He took the chair beside me,
Himself - come home again.
His kind blue eyes were smilin’
Beneath his thatch of grey,
He laid his hand on my hand,
The ould sweetheartin’ way.
I pressed my cheek upon it,
Remembering bitterly
The times he faced his daily toil
Without one smile from me.
And yet, his meals were always good,
His clothes well kept and clean,
The neighbours, sure, will tell you,
The splendid wife I’ve been.
But in Life’s stress and struggle,
We somehow, grew apart,
You know these Irish mothers,
'Tis “the childer” has their heart.
And he grew grim, and close-lipped,
And harder, day by day,
Poor man - too tired for laughter,
Too worried to be gay.
But - how his care enclosed us,
For all he was so grim,
The very rafters of our home
Were cut and laid by him.
And I, that might have cheered him,
The bitter words I said,
Oh! God, that we remember,
Only when they are dead.
But now - my arms were round him,
The room seemed full of flowers,
And Youth came back and sunshine,
That glorious time was ours.
The firelight flamed and flickered,
The embers fell apart,
I woke to empty silence,
With sorrow at my heart.
The wild winds brought the morning,
The dawn was red and chill,
And Himself was lyin’ sleepin’
In the graveyard on the hill!
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Comments
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Wonderful
All the things left unsaid,we all carry that burden
too late and we always ask ourselves why,why didn't
we say/do when we had the chance.A really great poem -
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Poem Himself
From guest Jean Dagenais (contact)
It sure awakend my very soul , for oft times I have done the very same thing,I am now 82 and he is 80 and I felt the sorrw, I shall henceforth be more careful and realize the beauty I see in HIM from now on forever more -
Beautiful but sad
"Last night, when I was listenin’
Alone, to wind and rain,
He took the chair beside me,
Himself - come home again."
the things we see and here when we aare alone can sometimes be scarry. but sometimes it is a good thing...it all depends on how you look at it.
"But now - my arms were round him,
The room seemed full of flowers,
And Youth came back and sunshine,
That glorious time was ours."
you remember the good times with your husband. the ones you want to live in forever because you do not wish to live in his dead depressed state that he is now in.
"The wild winds brought the morning,
The dawn was red and chill,
And Himself was lyin’ sleepin’
In the graveyard on the hill! "
here he lays dead in the graveyard. he may no live in peace. away from the things that bother him.
all of this seems to be just a dream of the past and of what you wish it to be up until the very end. -
Himself
From guest Maria Elliott (contact)
This is my first time appreciating this wonderful, true-to-life poem. How glad I am to have read it in time to do better myself with Himself. -
A wonderful series of thought penned here.Lovely simply lovely..
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Very Impressive !
From guest LoveSpell-PurpleRose (contact)
Although this is a very sad poem. It has the talk of all the special as well as sweet memories that the two of them have shared through out the years that they had togeather with one another. As well as all the love that they had gained. This poem is sweet as well as touching for I just lost my father 3 day's before Christmas 2007. LoveSpell-PurpleRose -
wow, such depth of feeling which I only aspire to reach with my words
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What a wonderful piece of poetry.How true this seems to be. It is only when we have lost something close to us that we realize it's worth....Excellent a nd thoroughly thought provoking....mal . Second time round for me with this one and still rate it highly..
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Himself
From guest Linda Wells (contact)
I found this to be true, not only of Irish descent folks, but mostly of all of us who grew up and married in the '50's and '60's. That was just the way life was, we knew no better or different...we just followed in the footsteps of our fathers and mothers. 'Himself" describes this life exactly as we knew it. Thanks for putting my life into words. -
This lovely old poem, nearly 90 years old holds a special place in my heart. the message it gives the reader is evident and easy to understand but it's the way in which the poet writes and places the reader as an oberserver in the corner of the room feeling her palpable regret and loneliness. It carried the reader along on a sad journey which is filled with remorse and regret. So very sad but it draws me so easily even after the dozens of times I have read this poem, with so much pleasure I have to add.
I still have not located her 2nd book called 'Eucharist Lillies' if anyone knows of a copy anywhere please contact me with details, it would be so much appreciated.
Von -
I just had to come read this again. It's been a couple of years since I first read this poem here and it still carries the sadness of regrets intermingled with beautiful memories of love. If only we could turn back the clock and change just a few of life's regrets.
This remains one of my most favorite of old poems
Dee
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Deeply sad and filled with regret are the things that are spoken of here . All to often we remeber to late. First time reading...excellent..mal
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Beloved memories...
This is the sort of poem one expects to be read over a grave or at funeral services. It has a bittersweet appeal for me. A message not only poetic, but personal, in so far as, we all are too busy in the toil of life and sometimes forget to appreciate the 'moment' we have to truly be present to love. "Himself come home again", Ms. Christ is remembering as if he were real, the times she didn't notice and appreciate his real and true presence to her. Makes one remember that old saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Ms. Christ and her 'irish wisdom' have given us all much to ponder here. -
Himself
From guest Diana Jepson (contact)
Deeply moving. A picture of married life very different from today. The deep regret that this woman feels for her husband's unrequited love is also a portrayal of huge loyalty and drive to survive. -
HIMSELF
From guest SPIRIT SONG
The poem reminds me of the time in life when the men worked hard away from home, and it was the mothers' that brought up the children...’twas the same with my great grandmother in Scotland. They were poor and the men away at sea fishing..men were lost to the sea..and my great great grandfather to dynamite..when they were making a granite breakwater and place to moor the ships...its' the old way, for the women not to show much emotion publicly in the old country(the British isles)...but they had their respect of their men, and they missed them when they were gone -
A Lesson ...
From guest waydownuponjoy (contact)
I was glad to be introduced to this poem by a link from All Poetry. A sad and touching poem that serves the mind as a lesson for today. It was written in a style that some would consider simple and yet the message was strong. These rhyming poems are such that they are much easier to remember as we go about our daily lives and I could only wish that there were more of them in todays society that has put rhyme in the graveyard and remarried free verse! joy
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From guest Doris B. Greer (contact)
So very touching, I nearly cried. To read a poem with such depth and true feelings...I was really, really touched.
Doris B. Greer -
Exceptional
By far my favourite poem to date.
Puts my lack of talent into perspective. -
Simply Beautiful
The way she versed this poem is simply beautiful. The words often gone unsaid can linger for an eternity. I wish that we could all speak what we feel or express them fully without holding anything back. Alas, we all have regrets about the words that weren't exchanged with our loved ones. Lines 37-40 really break the reader's heart to see that she has such sorrow, you can only help feel that she is wishing for more time with this man she has devoted her life to. I believe she was speaking for us all from the very depths of her human heart.
Tom -
it reaches and touches
On Reading "Himself" by Alice Guerin Crist.
If I knew that tomorrow
my partner might be dead
oh! how I'd try to counteract
the bitter things I've said
If I knew that tomorrow
my partner'd be above
I'd show in every way today
the spirit of my love.
Hugh Wyles, September 10th.2006.
Alice Crist's poem, with its simple, outspoken message would touch the hearts of most of us who have failed to show affection while we could or let words escape which cannot be recaptured and which, too late, we bitterly regret having uttered.
It is a great, human statement, beautifully versed and expressed with unerring directness and poignancy.
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Words---- so easy to give and so hard to take back.
We should all try to avoid harsh words lest we find ourselves in the place you and Mz Guerin so eloquently describe.
Nice verses.
Jim
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Absolutely amazing
The language of this poem is beautiful. It's written with a lot of feeling, which is made obvious in the choice and care of words. Amazing poem. -
Absolutely wonderful....
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Wonderful
Wow, this is such a beautiful piece. I think my favorite parts were lines 1-6, I just loved them. -
Touching
How often are we guilty of the same...to take for granted what we have and only realise the beauty and love when it is beyond us. This touched my soul
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wind & mind, editions of lonlier for who's on the hill
This was a memory re-made, and the processing was felt in the reading for the dual emotional taps to be felt very well. The poetic quantity may be old but not the quality, like a Grandma born in the 1920's -- rather than quoting this out of that period -- gives her lessons.
"But now - my arms were round him,
The room seemed full of flowers,"
is so evocative of love; she wished for that bouquet instead of bitter words.
Me, too echoes with:
"The times he faced his daily toil
Without one smile from me,"
with a need to remember at re-entry.
Poignancy has been mentioned but that is because words don't dump everything argumentatively but is not left lively, thus we have to simplify.
(After that ok, can we be husband and wife?) -
Regret so bright, it's painful...
Beautifully written and strong. -
Powerful, potent, ineffably beautiful, poignant! Poets have forgotten how to write such moving pieces.
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This was seriously wow. Omg. It was written so it was so easy to understand, like she was talking to you and telling her story, and it seemed like more than just words like she was right beside you as you read it telling you her story. It was just really sad and heartbreaking, and yet almost happy at the same time when she imagined that he was with her listening to the rain. It was just...wow.
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powerful
a real piece of art is what it is. the flow is so beautiful and the pace is just right. you start feeling warm as you begin and move on to a melonchaly mood. a truely marvelous poem. -
wow
it maintains such a nice beat to it, and it makes you want to go the end and see to the sad and grim ending.
very very good. -
Excellent Poem,Indeed
I liked it,very much;A Great-Poem,indeed..It held 'my interest',too,and full-attention.....Almost like a Drama! Sincerely,Shirley ann shaw-Raytown,mo.64133......... -
amazing!!!
this was such a great write!!! its so sad but it a beautiful way. the way it was written made me feel the sorrow that she described. i could see that happening; kind of scary and depressing to think about. i still want to read this poem over and over because its so well written.
i dont want to get old :[
♥ morfi
one of my favoite poems! -
beautiffully written
This is such a tenderly written poem of sadness and regrets. From the very first line it was so naturally spoken, so real. All too often we fail to show our love and appreciation to our spouse, then are reminded of it after they're gone and it's too late to tell them how much we loved them.
As I read the second verse, I could feel the tears welling. It was as though he was really there, letting her know that he still loves her, that he understands.
The whole poem is breathtaking, and heartbreaking, at the same time, living with the regrets of unsaid words of careing. The persona is as if she's sitting here telling us her story, her feelings.
I really like this piece. I think it has become one of my favorite old poems. Dee
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for Dee
Dee - I'm so pleased you are able to appreciate the quality of Alice Guerin Crist, locating her poetry, her family making contact with me and allowing the bio we have on this amazing lady was a coup for Oldpoetry. Not a lot of her poetry is available on-line and so my own book (I've yet to find her 2nd one) has been my source for many appearing here. I still have a few to add but time is my enemy for the moment.
Von
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"I woke up to empty silence, with sorrow at my heart"
Truly, we begin to realize how much we love someone when we are faced of his lost. No way of bringing back time, only in memories will it remain reminding us the things we lost and should have done. Then regret.... -
that poem rocked man...seriously , i felt as if you accually styanding here and speaking it to me...it rocked , i enjoyed it
VampirePoet -
My love, may God forgive me for
not telling you your worth
I did not mean to shun your soul,
its gold and rubies worth.
Unaccustomed tears stung the corners of my eyes on reading this, the mark of a great poem, I think, because it calls out to what is true for all of us who live - -
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"for all of us that live-"
and love .....now that I am middle-aged I too wish I had given more to my loved ones ....for just one day or hour to spend with my "granny" that adored me so .....to thank her and show her how I adored her too in my childish unspoken way ....
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