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His Vigil.

By James Whitcomb Riley

Topics: classic

Close the book and dim the light,         I shall read no more to-night.         No - I am not sleepy, dear -         Do not go: sit by me here         In the darkness and the deep         Silence of the watch I keep.         Something in your presence so         Soothes me - as in long ago         I first felt your hand - as now -         In the darkness touch my brow;         I've no other wish than you         Thus should fold mine eyelids to,         Saying nought of sigh or tear -         Just as God were sitting here.

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"Close the book and dim the light,..."

"His Vigil." is a quintessential example of James Whitcomb Riley's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:James Whitcomb Riley

"Close the book and dim the light,..." by James Whitcomb Riley

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James Whitcomb Riley

About James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley (1849–1916) was an American poet known as the "Hoosier Poet." His dialect poems—including "Little Orphant Annie" and "When the Frost Is on the Punkin"—celebrate rural Indiana life and childhood nostalgia.

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"Writ in between the lines of his life-deed        ..."

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