Dawn

Rupert Brooke 1887 (Rugby) – 1915 (Aegean Sea)



Opposite me two Germans snore and sweat.
 Through sullen swirling gloom we jolt and roar.
We have been here for ever:  even yet
 A dim watch tells two hours, two aeons, more.
The windows are tight-shut and slimy-wet
 With a night's foetor.  There are two hours more;
Two hours to dawn and Milan; two hours yet.
Opposite me two Germans sweat and snore. . . .

One of them wakes, and spits, and sleeps again.
 The darkness shivers.  A wan light through the rain
Strikes on our faces, drawn and white.  Somewhere
 A new day sprawls; and, inside, the foul air
Is chill, and damp, and fouler than before. . . .
Opposite me two Germans sweat and snore.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 28, 2023

34 sec read
57

Quick analysis:

Scheme abababaB xxccbB
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 640
Words 115
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6

Rupert Brooke

Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially "The Soldier". more…

All Rupert Brooke poems | Rupert Brooke Books

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    "Dawn" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/33669/dawn>.

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