The angels sang through all the night

Two poems by Sara Teasdale

Author

Publish Date

Dec. 20, 2017

Sara Teasdale (1884–1933) was an American poet best known for being the recipient of the first Pulitzer Prize in poetry

Christmas Carol

The kings they came from out the south,
All dressed in ermine fine;
They bore Him gold and chrysoprase,
And gifts of precious wine.

The shepherds came from out the north,
Their coats were brown and old;
They brought Him little new-born lambs —
They had not any gold.

The wise men came from out the east,
And they were wrapped in white;
The star that led them all the way
Did glorify the night.

The angels came from heaven high,
And they were clad with wings;
And lo, they brought a joyful song
The host of heaven sings.

The kings they knocked upon the door,
The wise men entered in,
The shepherds followed after them
To hear the song begin.

The angels sang through all the night
Until the rising sun,
But little Jesus fell asleep
Before the song was done.

There Will Come Soft Rains

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum-trees in tremulous white;

Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

Sara Teasdale (1884–1933) was an American poet best known for being the recipient of the first Pulitzer Prize in poetry. Born in St. Louis, she wrote several volumes of poetry and after her second volume she gained the attention of several men, including fellow poet Vachel Lindsay. Profoundly in love with Teasdale (and there are indications that she reciprocated), Lindsay gave up his suit for her hand when he realized he could not make enough money at the time to propose marriage. After years of an unhappy marriage (she wed an admirer of her poetry), Teasdale committed suicide in 1933 — two years after Lindsay took his life.