The Seaside and the Fireside/The Open Window
For other versions of this work, see The Open Window (Longfellow).
For works with similar titles, see The Open Window.
The Open Window.
The old house by the lindens Stood silent in the shade,And on the gravelled pathway The light and shadow played.
I saw the nursery windows Wide open to the air;But the faces of the children, They were no longer there.
The large Newfoundland house-dog Was standing by the door;He looked for his little playmates, Who would return no more.
They walked not under the lindens, They played not in the hall;But shadow, and silence, and sadness Were hanging over all.
The birds sang in the branches, With sweet, familiar tone;But the voices of the children Will be heard in dreams alone!
And the boy that walked beside me, He could not understandWhy closer in mine, ah! closer, I pressed his warm, soft hand!