The Revolutionists Stop for Orangeade

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The Revolutionists Stop for Orangeade is a short poem by Wallace Stevens, published in the 1931 edition of his book Harmonium. The title suggests a playful scene. In the poem, the revolutionists ask their leader to let them stop singing in the sun, or at least sing in the shade. The captain starts singing in a rough voice, and orangeade around them would not be amiss. The poem shows Stevens’s fondness for the Caribbean and is lighter in mood than some other 1931 additions like Sea Surface Full of Clouds. Through four brief stanzas, it uses direct address and commands—“Ask us not…,” “Sing a song…,” “Wear the breeches…,” “Hang a feather…”—which keeps the pace quick. The fourth stanza features some unusual rhymes.