From a Railway Carriage
Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And charging along like troops in a battle
All through the meadows the horses and cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.
Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;
And here is the green for stringing the daisies!
Here is a cart runaway in the road
Lumping along with man and load;
And here is a mill, and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone forever!
Notes: From a Railway Carriage
should be read with the speed and rhythm of a train!
Vocabulary:
hedge = bushes round a field
ditch = a canal or channel at the side of a country road where the water drains off
charge = attack on the run
meadow = a grassy field, pasture
cattle = cows, etc.
plain = flat piece of land
driving rain = rain blown by the wind
clamber / scramble = climb over a rough or rocky surface
bramble = blackberry bush
tramp = unemployed person who wanders round the countryside living off odd jobs
gaze = look admiringly or dreamily
lumping = like bumping
glimpse = see something for just a moment