Ballade of an Omnibus
"To see my love suffices me."
--Ballades in Blue China.
Some men to carriages aspire;
On some the costly hansoms wait;
Some seek a fly, on job or hire;
Some mount the trotting steed, elate.
I envy not the rich and great,
A wandering minstrel, poor and free,
I am contented with my fate --
An omnibus suffices me.
In winter days of rain and mire
I find within a corner strait;
The 'busmen know me and my lyre
From Brompton to the Bull-and-Gate.
When summer comes, I mount in state
The topmost summit, whence I see
Crœsus look up, compassionate --
An omnibus suffices me.
I mark, untroubled by desire,
Lucullus' phaeton and its freight.
The scene whereof I cannot tire,
The human tale of love and hate,
The city pageant, early and late
Unfolds itself, rolls by, to be
A pleasure deep and delicate.
An omnibus suffices me.
Princess, your splendour you require,
I, my simplicity; agree
Neither to rate lower nor higher.
An omnibus suffices me.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 19, 2023
- 51 sec read
- 169 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ax bcdccacA bcbccaeA dcdccaeA dadA |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 920 |
Words | 172 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 8, 8, 8, 4 |
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"Ballade of an Omnibus" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/2116/ballade-of-an-omnibus>.
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