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Break, break, break – Alfred Lord Tennyson

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Break, break, break

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Break, break, break,
On thy cold gray stones, O sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.

O, well for the fisherman’s boy,
That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
That he sings in his boat on the bay!

And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanished hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still!

Break, break, break,
At the foot of thy crags, O sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me.

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Posted on 4 June '09 by James, under Poems. 2 Comments.

Not Waving but Drowning – Stevie Smith

Not Waving but Drowning

by Stevie Smith

Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he’s dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.

not-waving-but-drowning1

If you would like to hear Stevie Smith read her poem, the BBC has a copy here.  Also Poemhunter has a collection of Stevie Smith poems availible as a PDF download here.

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Posted on 30 April '09 by James, under Poems. No Comments.