Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE OGRE, by WALTER JOHN DE LA MARE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE OGRE, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Tis moonlight on trebarwith sands
Last Line: As he went striding by.
Alternate Author Name(s): Ramal, Walter; De La Mare, Walter


'Tis moonlight on Trebarwith Sands,
And moonlight on their seas,
Lone in a cove a cottage stands
Enclustered in with trees.

Snuffing its thin faint smoke afar
An Ogre prowls, and he
Smells supper; for where humans are,
Rich dainties too may be.

Sweet as a larder to a mouse,
So to him staring down,
Seemed the small-windowed moonlit house,
With jasmine overgrown.

He snorted, as the billows snort
In darkness of the night,
Betwixt his lean locks tawny-swart
He glowered on the sight.

Into the garden sweet with peas
He put his wooden shoe,
And bending back the apple trees
Crept covetously through;

Then, stooping, with an impious eye
Stared through the lattice small,
And spied two children which did lie
Asleep, against the wall.

Into their dreams no shadow fell
Of his disastrous thumb
Groping discreet, and gradual,
Across the quiet room.

But scarce his nail had scraped the cot
Wherein these children lay,
As if his malice were forgot,
It suddenly did stay.

For faintly in the ingle-nook
He heard a cradle-song,
That rose into his thoughts and woke
Terror them among.

For she who in the kitchen sat
Darning by the fire,
Guileless of what he would be at,
Sang sweet as wind or wire: --

'Lullay, thou little tiny child
By-by, lullay, lullie;
Jesu in glory, meek and mild,
This night remember thee!

'Fiend, witch, and goblin, foul and wild,
He deems them smoke to be;
Lullay, thou little tiny child,
By-by, lullay, lullie!'

The Ogre lifted up his eyes
Into the moon's pale ray,
And gazed upon her leopard-wise,
Cruel and clear as day;

He snarled in gluttony and fear --
The wind blows dismally --
'Jesu in storm my lambs be near,
By-by, lullay, lullie!'

And like a ravenous beast which sees
The hunter's icy eye,
So did this wretch in wrath confess
Sweet Jesu's mastery.

With gaunt locks dangling, crouched he, then
Drew backward from his prey,
Through tangled apple-boughs again
He wrenched and rent his way.

Out on Trebarwith Sands he broke,
The waves yelled back his cry,
Gannet and cormorant echo woke
As he went striding by.





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