Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


THE CITY by THEODOR STORM

First Line: THE SHORE IS GRAY, THE SEA IS GRAY
Last Line: GRAY CITY BY THE SEA.

The shore is gray, the sea is gray,
And there the city stands;
The mists upon the houses weigh,
And through the calm the ocean gray
Roars dully on the strands.

There are no rustling woods, there fly
No singing birds in May;
The wild goose with its callous cry
Alone on autumn nights soars by;
The wind-blown grasses sway.

And yet my whole heart clings to thee,
Gray city by the sea;
And e'er the spell of youth for me
Doth smiling rest on thee, on thee
Gray city by the sea.



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