“Upon the Burning of Our House - July 10th, 1666”
by Anne Bradstreet
(1612-1672)
In silent night when rest I took,
For sorrow near I did not look,
I wakened was with thundering noise
And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.
That fearful sound of “fire!” and “fire!”
Let no man know is my desire.
I, starting up, the light did spy,
And to my God my heart did cry
To strengthen me in my distress
And not to leave me succourless¹.
Then coming out beheld a space,
The flame consume my dwelling place.
And, when I could no longer look,
I blest His name that gave and took,
That laid my goods now in the dust.
Yea, so it was, and so 'twas² just.
It was His own, it was not mine,
Far be it that I should repine³;
He might of all justly bereft⁴
But yet sufficient for us left.
When by the ruins often I past,
My sorrowing eyes aside did cast,
And here and there the places spy
Where often I sat, and long did lie:
Here stood that trunk, and there that chest;
There lay that store⁵ I counted best:
My pleasant things in ashes lie,
1. succourless= helpless
2. ‘twas= it was
And them behold no more shall I.
Under your roof no guest shall sit,
Nor at your table eat a bit.
No pleasant tale shall ever be told,
Nor things recounted done of old.
No candle ever shall shine in you,
Nor bridegroom's voice ever heard shall be.
In silence ever shall you lie;
Adieu⁶, Adieu; all is vanity.
Then straight I begin my heart to chide⁷,
And did your wealth on earth abide⁸?
Did it fix your hope on moldering dust,
The arm of flesh did it make you trust?
Raise up your thoughts above the sky
That dunghill mists away may fly.
You have a house on high erect
Framed by that mighty Architect⁹,
With glory richly furnished,
Stands permanent though this be fled¹º.
It's purchased, and paid for too
By him who has enough to do.
A Price so vast as is unknown,
Yet, by His gift, is made your own.
There's wealth enough, I need no more,
Farewell my pelf¹¹, farewell my store.
The world no longer let me Love,
My hope and treasure lies above.
3. repine= to fret or complain
4. bereft= deprived or lacking something; a loss
5. Store= possessions
6. Adieu= goodbye
7. Chide=scold
8. Abide= put up with, make it thru the fire
9. mighty Architect= God
10. “though this be fled”= though this life is over
11. pelf= worldly goods
*Anne Bradstreet wrote this poem in response to the night her family home burned down. She opens by
discussing the physical burning of the house and her feelings regarding that. She then looks to the idea of
her ultimate “house” as the thing she should be most blessed to still be in possession of.
Works Cited
Bradstreet, Anne. “Upon the Burning of Our House – July 10th 1666.” McDougal Littell Literature: American
Literature. Consult. Janet Allen, et al. Louisiana ed. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2008. 114-15. Print.