Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


ON THE BANKS OF THE SUMIDA by JOHN GOULD FLETCHER

First Line: WINDY EVENING OF AUTUMN
Last Line: IS DULLED BENEATH THE GREY UNQUIET SKY.
Subject(s): JAPAN; JAPANESE;

Windy evening of autumn,
By the grey-green swirling river,
People are resting like still boats
Tugging uneasily at their cramped chains.

Some are moving slowly
Like the easy winds:

Brown-blue, dull-green, the villages in the distance
Sleep on the banks of the river:
The waters sullenly clash and murmur.
The chatter of the passersby,
Is dulled beneath the grey unquiet sky.



Home: PoetryExplorer.net