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

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCBCB DXDXBEBE
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 621
Words 124
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8

John Boyle O'Reilly

John Boyle O'Reilly was an Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer. more…

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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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