On The Plains

Arthur Henry Adams 1872 (Lawrence) – 1936 (Sydney, New South Wales)



ALONE with the silence, the sun and sky,
 Full length on the tussocky plain I lie:
 An ocean of yellow from east to west
 Still rolling and sweeping, far crest on crest;
 And billow on billow the tussocks bend
 Until in one shimmering haze they blend;
 Where, under the distance, the heat and noon,
 The plains in an ecstasy thrilling, swoon
 And melt in the yellow-tinged, sombre air,
 Like perfume from roses on evenings rare.
 Where the sky and the misty horizon meet
 The flax-bushes float, like a far-off fleet;
 As slowly they swim, with no spray nor splash,
 Their green sails swell, and their brown oars flash;
 So, lost in two oceans—of plain and sky—
 Full length on the tussocks alone I lie.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
49

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFGGAA
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 714
Words 126
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

Arthur Henry Adams

Arthur Henry Adams was a journalist and author. He started his career in New Zealand, though he spent most of it in Australia, and for a short time lived in China and London.  more…

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