Steam-Launches on the Thames
James Kenneth Stephen 1859 (London) – 1892
Henley, June 7, 1891.
Shall we, to whom the stream by right belongs,
Who travel silent, save, perchance, for songs;
Whose track's a ripple,--leaves the Thames a lake,
Nor frights the swan--scarce makes the rushes shake;
Who harmonize, exemplify, complete
And vivify a scene already sweet:
Who travel careless on, from lock to lock,
Oblivious that the world contains a clock,
With pace commensurate to our desires,
Propelled by other force than Stygian fire's;
Shall we be driven hence to leave a place
For these, who bring upon our stream disgrace:
The rush, the roar, the stench, the smoke, the steam,
The nightmare striking through our heavenly dream;
The scream as shrill and hateful to the ear
As when a peacock vents his rage and fear;
Which churn to fury all a glassy reach,
And heave rude breakers on a pebbly beach:
Which half o'erwhelm with waves our frailer craft,
While graceless shop-boys chuckle fore and aft:
Foul water-toadstools, noisome filth-stained shapes,
Fit only to be manned by dogs and apes:
Blots upon nature: scars that mar her smile:
Obscene, obtrusive, execrable, vile?
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 56 sec read
- 115 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | X AABBCCDDEEFFGGXXHHIIJJKK |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,083 |
Words | 186 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 24 |
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"Steam-Launches on the Thames" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/20211/steam-launches-on-the-thames>.
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