Living

Henry James

by Robert Louis Stevenson 1850–1894

From Underwoods (1887)

Living

Who comes to-night? We ope the doors in vain.
Who comes? My bursting walls, can you contain
The presences that now together throng
Your narrow entry, as with flowers and song,
As with the air of life, the breath of talk?
Lo, how these fair immaculate women walk
Behind their jocund maker; and we see
Slighted De Mauves, and that far different she,
Gressie, the trivial sphynx; and to our feast
Daisy and Barb and Chancellor (she not least!)
With all their silken, all their airy kin,
Do like unbidden angels enter in.
But he, attended by these shining names,
Comes (best of all) himself—our welcome James.

MLA

Stevenson, Robert Louis. “Henry James.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/stevenson/115/.

Chicago

Stevenson, Robert Louis. “Henry James.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/stevenson/115/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Robert Louis Stevenson