English Poetry. William Ernest Henley. Echoes. 21. We Flash across the Level. Уильям Эрнст Хенли.

William Ernest Henley (Уильям Эрнст Хенли)

Echoes. 21. We Flash across the Level

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.

William Ernest Henley’s other poems:

1. Rhymes and Rhythms. 23. Here They Trysted, Here They Strayed
2. Rhymes and Rhythms. Epilogue
3. Rhymes and Rhythms. 20. The Shadow of Dawn
4. Rhymes and Rhythms. 21. When the Wind Storms by with a Shout, and the Stern Sea-Caves
5. In Hospital. 12. Etching

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