The Crab That Played with the Sea
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
China-going P. & O.'s
Pass Pau Amma's playground close,
And his Pusat Tasek lies
Near the track of most B.I.'s.
N.Y.K. and N.D.L.
Know Pau Amma's home as well
As the Fisher of the Sea knows
"Bens," M.M.'s and Rubattinos.
But (and this is rather queer)
A.T.L.'s can qiot come here;
O. and O. and D.O.A.
Must go round another way.
Orient, Anchor, Bibby, Hall,
Never go that way at all.
U.C.S. would have a fit
If it found itself on it.
And if "Beavers" took their cargoes
To Penang instead of Lagos,
Or a fat Shaw-Savill bore
Passengers to Singapore,
Or a White Star were to try a
Little trip to Sourabaya,
Or a B.S.A. went on
Past Natal to Cheribon,
The the great Mr. Lloyds would come
Whith a wire and drag them home!
. . . . .
You will know what my riddle means
When you've eaten mangosteens.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 51 sec read
- 113 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AXXABBAAXXCXBBCCAXDDXXEEXX FF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 774 |
Words | 168 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 26, 2 |
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"The Crab That Played with the Sea" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 7 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/33402/the-crab-that-played-with-the-sea>.
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