What The Engines Said Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBAA CCDDDDD EEFFGGGG HHIIJKDDLDLL MMNNMMOOPQRR STUUVVJJ AAWX| What was it the Engines said | A |
| Pilots touching head to head | A |
| Facing on the single track | B |
| Half a world behind each back | B |
| This is what the Engines said | A |
| Unreported and unread | A |
| - | |
| With a prefatory screech | C |
| In a florid Western speech | C |
| Said the Engine from the West | D |
| I am from Sierra's crest | D |
| And if altitude's a test | D |
| Why I reckon it's confessed | D |
| That I've done my level best | D |
| - | |
| Said the Engine from the East | E |
| They who work best talk the least | E |
| S'pose you whistle down your brakes | F |
| What you've done is no great shakes | F |
| Pretty fair but let our meeting | G |
| Be a different kind of greeting | G |
| Let these folks with champagne stuffing | G |
| Not their Engines do the puffing | G |
| - | |
| Listen Where Atlantic beats | H |
| Shores of snow and summer heats | H |
| Where the Indian autumn skies | I |
| Paint the woods with wampum dyes | I |
| I have chased the flying sun | J |
| Seeing all he looked upon | K |
| Blessing all that he has blessed | D |
| Nursing in my iron breast | D |
| All his vivifying heat | L |
| All his clouds about my crest | D |
| And before my flying feet | L |
| Every shadow must retreat | L |
| - | |
| Said the Western Engine Phew | M |
| And a long low whistle blew | M |
| Come now really that's the oddest | N |
| Talk for one so very modest | N |
| You brag of your East You do | M |
| Why I bring the East to you | M |
| All the Orient all Cathay | O |
| Find through me the shortest way | O |
| And the sun you follow here | P |
| Rises in my hemisphere | Q |
| Really if one must be rude | R |
| Length my friend ain't longitude | R |
| - | |
| Said the Union Don't reflect or | S |
| I'll run over some Director | T |
| Said the Central I'm Pacific | U |
| But when riled I'm quite terrific | U |
| Yet to day we shall not quarrel | V |
| Just to show these folks this moral | V |
| How two Engines in their vision | J |
| Once have met without collision | J |
| - | |
| That is what the Engines said | A |
| Unreported and unread | A |
| Spoken slightly through the nose | W |
| With a whistle at the close | X |
Bret Harte (francis)
(1)
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