Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 17, 2026

The Waking

"The Waking" is a poem written by Theodore Roethke in 1953 in the form of a villanelle. It comments on the unknowable with a contemplative tone. It also has been interpreted as comparing life to waking and death to sleeping.

Last revised
Jul 17, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗

"The Waking" is a poem written by Theodore Roethke in 1953 in the form of a villanelle. It comments on the unknowable1 with a contemplative tone. It also has been interpreted as comparing life to waking and death to sleeping.2

  • The poem appears as an object in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five.
  • An excerpt of the poem also appears at the beginning of Dean Koontz's novel Odd Hours.
  • Kurt Elling sings the poem on his 2007 album Nightmoves.
  • Quoted by the psycho cop in Stephen King's novel Desperation.
  • Quoted in Dana Simpson's "Ozy and Millie."
  • Quoted in John Le Carré's The Russia House
References

References

  1. [1] Archived June 13, 2003, at the Wayback Machine
  2. The Waking by Theodore Roethke. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 16 August 2013
External links