Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCBDECEFGHG IHBH JKLKMNONPQRQMSTS UVWVXMYMZA2B2A2C2YMM AY XZD2ZYYE2YMF2G2F2TYT Y| There's a whisper down the line at | A |
| When the Night Mail's ready to depart | B |
| Saying Skimble where is Skimble has he gone to hunt the thimble | C |
| We must find him or the train can't start | B |
| All the guards and all the porters and the stationmaster's daughters | D |
| They are searching high and low | E |
| Saying Skimble where is Skimble for unless he's very nimble | C |
| Then the Night Mail just can't go | E |
| At then the signal's nearly due | F |
| And the passengers are frantic to a man | G |
| Then Skimble will appear and he'll saunter to the rear | H |
| He's been busy in the luggage van | G |
| - | |
| He gives one flash of his glass green eyes | I |
| And the signal goes All Clear | H |
| And we're off at last for the northern part | B |
| Of the Northern Hemisphere | H |
| - | |
| You may say that by and large it is Skimble who's in charge | J |
| Of the Sleeping Car Express | K |
| From the driver and the guards to the bagmen playing cards | L |
| He will supervise them all more or less | K |
| Down the corridor he paces and examines all the faces | M |
| Of the travellers in the First and the Third | N |
| He establishes control by a regular patrol | O |
| And he'd know at once if anything occurred | N |
| He will watch you without winking and he sees what you are thinking | P |
| And it's certain that he doesn't approve | Q |
| Of hilarity and riot so the folk are very quiet | R |
| When Skimble is about and on the move | Q |
| You can play no pranks with Skimbleshanks | M |
| He's a Cat that cannot be ignored | S |
| So nothing goes wrong on the Northern Mail | T |
| When Skimbleshanks is aboard | S |
| - | |
| Oh it's very pleasant when you have found your little den | U |
| With your name written up on the door | V |
| And the berth is very neat with a newly folded sheet | W |
| And there's not a speck of dust on the floor | V |
| There is every sort of light you can make it dark or bright | X |
| There's a handle that you turn to make a breeze | M |
| There's a funny little basin you're supposed to wash your face in | Y |
| And a crank to shut the window if you sneeze | M |
| Then the guard looks in politely and will ask you very brightly | Z |
| Do you like your morning tea weak or strong | A2 |
| But Skimble's just behind him and was ready to remind him | B2 |
| For Skimble won't let anything go wrong | A2 |
| And when you creep into your cosy berth | C2 |
| And pull up the counterpane | Y |
| You ought to reflect that it's very nice | M |
| To know that you won't be bothered by mice | M |
| You can leave all that to the Railway Cat | A |
| The Cat of the Railway Train | Y |
| - | |
| In the watches of the night he is always fresh and bright | X |
| Every now and then he has a cup of tea | Z |
| With perhaps a drop of Scotch while he's keeping on the watch | D2 |
| Only stopping here and there to catch a flea | Z |
| You were fast asleep at Crewe and so you never knew | Y |
| That he was walking up and down the station | Y |
| You were sleeping all the while he was busy at Carlisle | E2 |
| Where he greets the stationmaster with elation | Y |
| But you saw him at Dumfries where he speaks to the police | M |
| If there's anything they ought to know about | F2 |
| When you get to Gallowgate there you do not have to wait | G2 |
| For Skimbleshanks will help you to get out | F2 |
| He gives you a wave of his long brown tail | T |
| Which says I'll see you again | Y |
| You'll meet without fail on the Midnight Mail | T |
| The Cat of the Railway Train | Y |
T. S. Eliot
(4)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
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About Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat
Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat is a poem by T. S. Eliot. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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