The Watch on the Kerb
Henry Lawson 1867 (Grenfell) – 1922 (Sydney)
Night-Lights are falling;
Girl of the street,
Go to your calling
If you would eat.
Lamplight and starlight
And moonlight superb,
Bright hope is a farlight,
So watch on the kerb.
Watch on the kerb,
Watch on the kerb;
Hope is a farlight;
Then watch on the kerb.
Comes a man: call him —
Gone! he is vext;
Curses befall him,
Wait for the next!
Fair world and bright world,
Life still is sweet —
Girl of the night-world,
Watch on the street.
Dreary the watch is:
Moon sinks from sight,
Gas only blotches
Darkness with light;
Never, Oh, never
Let courage go down;
Keep from the river,
Oh, Girl of the Town!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 34 sec read
- 103 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ababcdbdDDbd ebexfbfb xcxcghgh |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic dimeter |
Characters | 588 |
Words | 115 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 8, 8 |
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"The Watch on the Kerb" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/18135/the-watch-on-the-kerb>.
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