Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE CUMMERBUND, by EDWARD LEAR Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: She sate upon her dobie Last Line: And swollow you outright. Subject(s): Nonsense; Travel; Journeys; Trips | ||||||||
She sate upon her Dobie, To watch the Evening Star, And all the Punkahs as they passed, Cried, "My! how fair you are!" Around her bower, with quivering leaves, The tall Kamsamahs grew, And Kitmutgars in wild festoons Hung down from Tchokis blue. Below her home the river rolled With soft meloobious sound, Where golden-finned Chuprassies swam, In myriads circling round. Above, on tallest trees remote Green Ayahs perched alone, And all night long the Mussak moaned Its melancholy tone. And where the purple Nullahs threw Their branches far and wide, -- And silvery Goreewallahs flew In silence, side by side, -- The little Bheesties' twittering cry Rose on the flagrant air, And oft the angry Jampan howled Deep in his hateful lair. She sate upon her Dobie, -- She heard the Nimmak hum, -- When all at once a cry arose, -- "The Cummerbund is come!' In vain she fled: -- with open jaws The angry monster followed, And so (before assistance came) The Lady Fair was swollowed. They sought in vain for even a bone Respectfully to bury, -- They said, -- "Hers was a dreadful fate!' (And Echo answered "Very'.) They nailed her Dobie to the wall, Where last her form was seen, And underneath they wrote these words, In yellow, blue, and green: -- Beware, ye Fair! Ye Fair, beware! Nor sit out late at night, -- Lest horrid Cummerbunds should come, And swollow you outright. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...RICHARD, WHAT'S THAT NOISE? by RICHARD HOWARD LOOKING FOR THE GULF MOTEL by RICHARD BLANCO RIVERS INTO SEAS by LYNDA HULL DESTINATIONS by JOSEPHINE JACOBSEN THE ONE WHO WAS DIFFERENT by RANDALL JARRELL THE CONFESSION OF ST. JIM-RALPH by DENIS JOHNSON SESTINA: TRAVEL NOTES by WELDON KEES TO H. B. (WITH A BOOK OF VERSE) by MAURICE BARING |
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