Otters

Padraic Colum 1881 (County Longford) – 1972 (Enfield)



I'LL be an otter, and I'll let you swim
A mate beside me; we will venture down
A deep, full river when the sky above
Is shut of the sun; spoilers are we;
Thick-coated; no dog's tooth can bite at our veins
With ears and eyes of poachers; deep-earthed ones
Turned hunters: let him slip past,
The little vole, my teeth are on an edge
For the King-fish of the River!

I hold him up
The glittering salmon that smells of the sea:
I hold him up and whistle!

Now we go
Back to our earth; we will tear and eat
Sea-smelling salmon: you will tell the cubs
I am the Booty-brmger: I am the Lord
Of the River the deep, dark, full, and flowing River!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

39 sec read
83

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXAXXXXB XAX XXXXB
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 626
Words 128
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 9, 3, 5

Padraic Colum

Padraic Colum was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer, playwright, children's author and collector of folklore. more…

All Padraic Colum poems | Padraic Colum Books

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