Bed in Summer

In winter I get up at night And dress by yellow candle-light. In summer, quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see The birds still hopping on the tree, Or hear the grown-up people's feet Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you, When all the sky is clear and blue, And I should like so much to play, To have to go to bed by day?

From Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson (1885). Public domain.

Check your understanding

1. In the winter, how does the speaker get dressed?

By the bright morning sunBy yellow candle-lightBy the light of the moonIn the complete dark

2. What is the main problem the speaker has in the summer?

The birds are too loud on the tree.The grown-ups are making noise in the street.They have to go to bed while it is still daytime.They have to get up in the middle of the night.

3. What are two things the speaker can see or hear outside when they are sent to bed in the summer?

4. How does the speaker feel about going to bed in the summer? Use evidence from the poem to explain your answer.

5. The speaker asks, 'And does it not seem hard to you?' How would you answer the speaker's question based on your own experiences?