“Verses upon the Burning of our House” Introduction

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“Verses upon the Burning of our House” Summary

“Verses upon the Burning of our House” Themes

• 

  Faith, Suffering, and Acceptance

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• 

  Material vs. Spiritual Wealth

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Verses upon the Burning of our House”

• Lines 1-6

  In silent night when rest I took,
  For sorrow near I did not look,
  I waken'd was with thund'ring noise
  And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.
  That fearful sound of "fire" and "fire,"
  Let no man know is my Desire.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 7-12

  I starting up, the light did spy,
  And to my God my heart did cry
  To straighten me in my Distress
  And not to leave me succourless.
  Then coming out, behold a space
  The flame consume my dwelling place.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 13-16

  And when I could no longer look,
  I blest his grace that gave and took,
  That laid my goods now in the dust.
  Yea, so it was, and so 'twas just.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 17-20

  It was his own; it was not mine.
  Far be it that I should repine,
  He might of all justly bereft
  But yet sufficient for us left.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 21-24

  When by the Ruins oft I past
  My sorrowing eyes aside did cast
  And here and there the places spy
  Where oft I sate and long did lie.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 25-30

  Here stood that Trunk, and there that chest,
  There lay that store I counted best,
  My pleasant things in ashes lie
  And them behold no more shall I.
  Under the roof no guest shall sit,
  Nor at thy Table eat a bit.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 31-36

  No pleasant talk shall 'ere be told
  Nor things recounted done of old.
  No Candle 'ere shall shine in Thee,
  Nor bridegroom's voice ere heard shall bee.
  In silence ever shalt thou lie.
  Adieu, Adieu, All's Vanity.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 37-42

  Then straight I 'gin my heart to chide:
  And did thy wealth on earth abide,
  Didst fix thy hope on mouldring dust,
  The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?
  Raise up thy thoughts above the sky
  That dunghill mists away may fly.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 43-50

  Thou hast a house on high erect
  Fram'd by that mighty Architect,
  With glory richly furnished
  Stands permanent, though this be fled.
  It's purchased and paid for too
  By him who hath enough to do.
  A price so vast as is unknown,
  Yet by his gift is made thine own.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 51-54

  There's wealth enough; I need no more.
  Farewell, my pelf; farewell, my store.
  The world no longer let me love;
  My hope and Treasure lies above.

  

  

  

  

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“Verses upon the Burning of our House” Symbols

• 

  The Speaker's House and Possessions

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“Verses upon the Burning of our House” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Allusion

  

  

  

  

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• Caesura

  

  

  

  

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• Consonance

  

  

  

  

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• End-Stopped Line

  

  

  

  

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• Metaphor

  

  

  

  

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• Extended Metaphor

  

  

  

  

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• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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• Rhetorical Question

  

  

  

  

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“Verses upon the Burning of our House” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Thund'ring
• Piteous
• Spy
• Straighten Me
• Succourless
• blest
• His Grace
• Goods
• Yea
• 'Twas
• Just
• Repine
• Bereft
• Oft
• Sate
• Thy
• Shalt
• Thou
• Adieu
• Vanity
• Straight
• 'gin
• Chide
• Abide
• Didst
• Mouldring
• Dunghill
• Hast
• High Erect
• That Mighty Architect
• Thine
• Pelf

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Verses upon the Burning of our House”

• Form

• Meter

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“Verses upon the Burning of our House” Speaker

“Verses upon the Burning of our House” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Verses upon the Burning of our House”

More “Verses upon the Burning of our House” Resources

• External Resources

  • America's First Poet — An NPR piece about the life and work of Anne Bradstreet. 

  • Homage to Mistress Bradstreet — A poetic tribute to Anne Bradstreet by the Pulitzer-winning poet John Berryman. 

  • Searching for Bradstreet's House — An article about the search for the location of Bradstreet's Andover home. 

  • The Puritan Experience — Learn more about Bradstreet's faith. 

  • Bradstreet's Life Story — Check out a more in-depth biography of Bradstreet from the Poetry Foundation.  

• LitCharts on Other Poems by Anne Bradstreet

  • Before the Birth of One of Her Children

  • The Author to Her Book

  • To My Dear and Loving Husband