Prairie Waters by Night
Prairie Waters by Night - context Summary
Published in 1918
Published in Sandburg’s 1918 collection Cornhuskers, this short poem places the reader on a Midwestern night where birds, willows and flowing water form a hymn-like chorus. Natural sounds and images—chattering birds, running water, drowsing willows, a red moon—combine into a calm, communal scene that reflects Sandburg’s sustained attention to prairie landscapes and rural rhythm rather than a personal narrative or dramatic incident.
Read Complete AnalysesChatter of birds two by two raises a night song joining a litany of running water--sheer waters showing the russet of old stones remembering many rains. And the long willows drowse on the shoulders of the running water, and sleep from much music; joined songs of day-end, feathery throats and stony waters, in a choir chanting new psalms. It is too much for the long willows when low laughter of a red moon comes down; and the willows drowse and sleep on the shoulders of the running water.
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