Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE MERMAN, by JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Who would be / a merman gay Last Line: We would live merrily, merrily. Alternate Author Name(s): Johnson Of Boone, Benj. F. Subject(s): Mermaids & Mermen; Tennyson, Alfred (1809-1892); Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron | ||||||||
I Who would be A merman gay, Singing alone, Sitting alone, With a mermaid's knee, For instance -- hey -- For a throne? II I would be a merman gay; I would sit and sing the whole day long; I would fill my lungs with the strongest brine, And squirt it up in a spray of song, And soak my head in my liquid voice; I'd curl my tail in curves divine, And let each curve in a kink rejoice. I'd tackle the mermaids under the sea, And yank 'em around till they yanked me, Sportively, sportively; And then we would wiggle away, away, To the pea-green groves on the coast of day, Chasing each other sportively. III There would be neither moon nor star; But the waves would twang like a wet guitar Low thunder and thrum in the darkness grum -- Neither moon nor star; We would shriek aloud in the dismal dales -- Shriek at each other and squawk and squeal, "All night!" rakishly, rakishly; They would pelt me with oysters and wiggletails, Laughing and clapping their hands at me, "All night!" prankishly, prankishly; But I would toss them back in mine, Lobsters and turtles of quaint design; Then leaping out in an abrupt way, I'd snatch them bald in my devilish glee, And skip away when they snatched at me, Fiendishly, fiendishly. O, what a jolly life I'd lead, Ah, what a "bang-up" life indeed! Soft are the mermaids under the sea -- We would live merrily, merrily. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE CHARGE OF THE BREAD BRIGADE by EZRA POUND TO ALFRED TENNYSON by WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR WAPENTAKE; TO ALFRED TENNYSON by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW THE LAY OF THE LOVELORN; PARODY OF TENNYSON'S 'LOCKSLEY HALL' by THEODORE MARTIN TO A POET THAT DIED YOUNG by EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY FACADE: 27. WHEN SIR BEELZEBUB by EDITH SITWELL THE HIGHER PANTHEISM IN A NUTSHELL by ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE A BOY'S MOTHER by JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY |
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