We Flash Across The Level

William Ernest Henley 1849 (Gloucester) – 1903 (Woking)



We flash across the level.
We thunder thro' the bridges.
We bicker down the cuttings.
We sway along the ridges.

A rush of streaming hedges,
Of jostling lights and shadows,
Of hurtling, hurrying stations,
Of racing woods and meadows.

We charge the tunnels headlong -
The blackness roars and shatters.
We crash between embankments -
The open spins and scatters.

We shake off the miles like water,
We might carry a royal ransom;
And I think of her waiting, waiting,
And long for a common hansom.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

26 sec read
131

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA XBXB XXXA XCXC
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 485
Words 88
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley was an English poet, critic and editor, best remembered for his 1875 poem "Invictus". more…

All William Ernest Henley poems | William Ernest Henley Books

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