Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, AN ENGLISHMAN VISITS PHILADELPHIA, by ELEANOR G. R. YOUNG


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

AN ENGLISHMAN VISITS PHILADELPHIA, by                    
First Line: Yes, I have seen your city
Last Line: "I shall remember its chaste dignity."
Subject(s): Cities; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Tourists; Travel; Urban Life; Journeys; Trips


"Yes, I have seen your city—
Your splendid State House,
Your wide-sweeping parks;
I have wandered through your beautiful museums
And viewed the paintings in your galleries—
But, until today,
I did not know your city.

Early this morning
Before your busy streets
Had wakened to teeming bustle,
I walked along your spreading river-front
Where homely wharves reach out their long, drab lines
Linked close together
In some curious way,
And there I visioned how your city was
When tiny gardens flanked
The waters' edge
And bright brick houses—
Penn's among the rest—
Lifted square chimneys
To the genial sun.
There, in chaste beauty,
Your fine State House stood
Its tall spire silhouetted on the sky;
Before my eager eyes Penn's city rose.
Now I can leave your city, my good friend,
Feeling that I have touched
Its throbbing heart.
I will forget, perhaps,
Your modern towers,
Your gracious Parkway,
Your artistic halls;
But always, I can close my eyes and see
The sparkling waters of the Delaware
And little homely houses
Of red brick
Stretching along your generous water-front;
Always, my friend,
I shall remember how
Your State House tower
(The one that held the Bell)
Lifts its slim head
To rest against the sky.

Ah, I have seen your city, my good friend;
I shall remember its chaste dignity."





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