I Hear an Army Charging Upon the Land

James Joyce 1882 (Rathgar) – 1941 (Zürich)



I hear an army charging upon the land,
  And the thunder of horses plunging, foam about their knees:
Arrogant, in black armour, behind them stand,
  Disdaining the reins, with fluttering whips, the charioteers.
  
They cry unto the night their battle-name:         
  I moan in sleep when I hear afar their whirling laughter.
They cleave the gloom of dreams, a blinding flame,
  Clanging, clanging upon the heart as upon an anvil.
  
They come shaking in triumph their long, green hair:
  They come out of the sea and run shouting by the shore.  
My heart, have you no wisdom thus to despair?
  My love, my love, my love, why have you left me alone?

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 18, 2023

37 sec read
160

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CXCX DXDX
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 664
Words 124
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

James Joyce

ames Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century.  more…

All James Joyce poems | James Joyce Books

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    "I Hear an Army Charging Upon the Land" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/20167/i-hear-an-army-charging-upon-the-land>.

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    Who wrote this? 'Look on my Works, ye Mightyand despair!'
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