Author: William Ernest Henley

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    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.

    1876

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Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: The poem exhibits a dynamic, fast-paced movement, employing a series of vivid, tumbling images that embody the energy and momentum of the industrial age. The use of powerful verbs like 'flash', 'thunder', 'bicker', 'rush', 'hurtle', 'charge', 'shake off', and 'crash' establish a sense of haste and vigor. This might be suggestive of a train journey, considering the references to bridges, tunnels, stations, embankments, and the date of the poem, 1876, falling within the heyday of the steam train.

The theme of the poem seems to revolve around the tension between the frenzied pace of industrial progress and the yearning for human connection. The poet contrasts the aggressive might and speed of the depicted journey with the quiet, personal longing expressed in the final lines. The speaker 'longs for a common hansom' (a horse-drawn carriage), suggesting a desire to escape the overwhelming speed of modernity, to return to a slower, more human-scale mode of travel and existence. This longing seems linked to the image of 'her waiting, waiting', underlining the emotional pull of personal relationships against the backdrop of relentless progress. The structure of the poem, with its steady rhythm and rhyming couplets, further reinforces this sense of relentless movement, while the abrupt shift in the final lines effectively highlights the emotional core of the poem.