Death & Dying
The Fen-Fire
From The Poems of Madison Cawein (1907)
The misty rain makes dim my face,
The night’s black cloak is o’er me;
I tread the dripping cypress-place,
A flickering light before me.
Out of the death of leaves that rot
And ooze and weedy water,
My form was breathed to haunt this spot,
Death’s immaterial daughter.
The owl that whoops upon the yew,
The snake that lairs within it,
Have seen my wild face flashing blue
For one fantastic minute.
But should you follow where my eyes
Like some pale lamp decoy you,
Beware! lest suddenly I rise
With love that shall destroy you.
Cite this poem
MLA
Cawein, Madison. “The Fen-Fire.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/cawein/339/.
Chicago
Cawein, Madison. “The Fen-Fire.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/cawein/339/.
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