Though it Lash the Shallows that Line the Beach
John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)
Though it lash the shallows that line the beach,
Afar from the great sea deeps,
There is never a storm whose might can reach
Where the vast leviathan sleeps.
Like a mighty thought in a quiet mind,
In the clear, cold depths he swims;
Whilst above him the pettiest form of his kind
With a dash o'er the surface skims.
There is peace in power: the men who speak
With the loudest tongues do least;
And the surest sign of a mind that is weak
Is its want of the power to rest.
It is only the lighter water that flies
From the sea on a windy day;
And the deep blue ocean never replies
To the sibilant voice of the spray.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 47 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCBCB DXDXBEBE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 621 |
Words | 124 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8 |
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"Though it Lash the Shallows that Line the Beach" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/22090/though-it-lash-the-shallows-that-line-the-beach>.
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