Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, LISTENING TO STORMS, by ROBERT SOUTHEY



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

LISTENING TO STORMS, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Tis pleasant, by the cheerful hearth, to hear
Last Line: And thinks upon the suffering mariner!
Subject(s): Storms


'TIS pleasant, by the cheerful hearth, to hear
Of tempests, and the dangers of the deep,
And pause at times, and feel that we are safe;
Then listen to the perilous tale again,
And with an eager and suspended soul,
Woo terror to delight us; but to hear
The roaring of the raging elements,
To know all human skill, all human strength,
Avail not; to look round and only see
The mountain wave incumbent, with its weight
Of bursting waters, o'er the reeling bark, --
O God, this is indeed a dreadful thing!
And he who hath endured the horror once
Of such an hour, doth never hear the storm
Howl round his home, but he remembers it,
And thinks upon the suffering mariner!





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net