Fire in the Bedroom-I. M. Dufty

FIRE IN THE BEDROOM

Oh! who would wish to go to sleep,

When walls and ceiling glow all rosy,

And flames sing low a murmuring, cosy

Song to which the shadows leap-

Oh, who would wish to go to sleep?

And who could shut his peeping eyes

When window-panes, blue-black with skies,

Flash bright, the dark, as firelight dies?

So I lie still in the quiet room

And hear the fire's low happy song,

And wish the nights were twice as long,

Dreaming strange dreams, in the gleam and gloom,

Of dancing fairies that fill my room:

Flames that are prisoned pixies fair

With wildly-streaming yellow hair,

And goblin-shadows that mock them there.

And then I find the night's leapt by,

Swift as a shadow upward thrown,

And I have slept, and never known

What hour the fire got tired, and why

The shadows never said 'Good-bye.'

I. M. DUFTY

Summary: 'Fire in the Bedroom' by I. M. Dufty is a poem that describes the magical atmosphere created by a fire in a bedroom. The speaker expresses their reluctance to go to sleep when the walls and ceiling are aglow with rosy light, and the flames sing a cozy, murmuring song to which the shadows dance.

The speaker describes the enchanting effect of the firelight, which transforms the blue-black night sky outside the window into a dazzling display of flashing lights. In the quiet of the room, the speaker listens to the fire's happy song and wishes the night were longer so they could continue to dream in the gleam and gloom of the dancing fairies and goblin-shadows that seem to fill the room.

Despite their initial reluctance to sleep, the speaker eventually succumbs to the enchantment of the fire and drifts off into strange dreams. When they wake up, they are surprised to find that the night has passed quickly, as swift as a shadow upward thrown, and they never knew when the fire got tired or when the shadows disappeared. The poem celebrates the magical and transformative power of firelight to create a dreamlike and enchanting atmosphere in the bedroom.