A Sea Burthen

Cicely Fox Smith 1882 (Lymm, Cheshire) – 1954 (Bow, Devon)



A ship swinging
As the tide swings, up and down,
And men's voices singing, -
East away O! West away!
And a very long way from London Town!

A lantern glowing
And stars looking down,
And the sea smells blowing, -
East away O! West away!
And a very long way from London Town!

Lights in wild weather
From a tavern window old and brown,
And men singing together, -
East away O! West away!
And a very long way from London Town!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

25 sec read
123

Quick analysis:

Scheme abaCB abaCB dbdCB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 415
Words 85
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5

Cicely Fox Smith

Cicely Fox Smith (1 February 1882 – 8 April 1954) was an English poet and writer. Born in Lymm, Cheshire and educated at Manchester High School for Girls, she briefly lived in Canada, before returning to the United Kingdom shortly before the outbreak of World War I. She settled in Hampshire and began writing poetry, often with a nautical theme. Smith wrote over 600 poems in her life, for a wide range of publications. In later life, she expanded her writing to a number of subjects, fiction and non-fiction. For her services to literature, the British Government awarded her a small pension. more…

All Cicely Fox Smith poems | Cicely Fox Smith Books

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