I Too fast the silly white-caps run Their helter-skelter races; They stumble when the goal is won And fall upon their faces. II A purple light is shaken over The greener ocean shadows, Like clover on the cooler depths Of grass in upland meadows. III The sea hangs kelp upon the sand Like garlands on a grave, Mourning the dead and silent land With every living wave. IV The breakers thunder in the night With which the sea is drenched. Only one plunging line is white; Even the stars are quenched. V The fairest ship ever a wreck Had not so white a sail As this fair wave cast up to break, Driven before the gale. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SOLUTIONS by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN THE HEART KNOWETH ITS OWN BITTERNESS' (2) by CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI A CHRISTMAS HYMN by CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER MISTS by WILLIMINA L. ARMSTRONG THE BIRD FANCIER by WILLIAM ROSE BENET TO MARIE by JOHN BENNETT (1865-1956) ASPIRATIONS: 8 by MATHILDE BLIND PARLEYINGS WITH CERTAIN PEOPLE OF IMPORTANCE: FRANCIS FURINI by ROBERT BROWNING |