Elizabeth F. Guptil

A Halloween Poem

Summary


"A Halloween Poem" by Elizabeth F. Guptil conjures the eerie magic of October's final night, where ghosts, witches, and goblins roam freely under the glow of jack-o-lanterns. Children bob for apples, maidens tell fortunes, and the air hums with mischief and mystery. With its lilting refrain promising glimpses of the future, the poem captures Halloween's blend of playful fun and spine-tingling atmosphere — a night when the boundary between the ordinary world and something stranger grows deliciously thin.

Read Online

On the last night of October,
Comes the mystic Halloween.
The night when ghosts and witches,
By mortals can be seen.
Then merry maidens fortunes tell,
And tricks on others pay;
Aud children bob for apples
On Halloween so gay.

Jack-o-lanterns are glimmering round,
All sorts of strange sights may be seen.
There are goblins and witches abroad,
For this is the mystic Halloween.
Holloween, Halloween,
Is the night when the future may be seen,
Halloween, Halloween,
Is the night when the future may be seen.

Credits

Elizabeth F. Guptil was an early twentieth-century American poet whose work appeared in seasonal and children's publications of the era. This poem's repeating refrain — "Halloween, Halloween, is the night when the future may be seen" — gives it the feel of a chant, echoing the folk traditions of fortune-telling that were closely associated with Halloween celebrations of that period.
Related tags
, , , , , , , , , , , ,