The Shell Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABAACDDEFEGHGIIJJJKK LLMMNNOOPP| AND then I pressed the shell | A |
| Close to my ear | B |
| And listened well | A |
| And straightway like a bell | A |
| Came low and clear | C |
| The slow sad murmur of the distant seas | D |
| Whipped by an icy breeze | D |
| Upon a shore | E |
| Wind swept and desolate | F |
| It was a sunless strand that never bore | E |
| The footprint of a man | G |
| Nor felt the weight | H |
| Since time began | G |
| Of any human quality or stir | I |
| Save what the dreary winds and waves incur | I |
| And in the hush of waters was the sound | J |
| Of pebbles rolling round | J |
| For ever rolling with a hollow sound | J |
| And bubbling sea weeds as the waters go | K |
| Swish to and fro | K |
| Their long cold tentacles of slimy grey | L |
| There was no day | L |
| Nor ever came a night | M |
| Setting the stars alight | M |
| To wonder at the moon | N |
| Was twilight only and the frightened croon | N |
| Smitten to whimpers of the dreary wind | O |
| And waves that journeyed blind | O |
| And then I loosed my ear O it was sweet | P |
| To hear a cart go jolting down the street | P |
James Stephens
(5)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
About The Shell
The Shell is a poem by James Stephens. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
Write your comment about The Shell poem by James Stephens
Lorenzo Gilkes : What experience is the poet sharing with us
Lorenzo Gilkes : What experience is the poet sharing with us?
Best Poems of James Stephens