Walter de la Mare (1873–1956) was an English poet with a gift for the quiet and the slightly mysterious. His 1913 collection Peacock Pie was written for children and became one of the best-loved poetry books of its time.
His poems are slow and musical, made for reading softly: the moon walking the night in silver shoon, a knock at the door when no one is there, and a boy too bored even to yawn. Each poem below has its own page with the full text and a read-aloud.
New to de la Mare? Start with Silver, read slowly at bedtime.
The Poems
Tap a title to read the full text and watch its read-aloud.