London Snow Poem by Robert Seymour Bridges

London Snow

Rating: 3.6


When men were all asleep the snow came flying, In large white flakes falling on the city brown,
Stealthily and perpetually settling and loosely lying,
Hushing the latest traffic of the drowsy town;
Deadening, muffling, stifling its murmurs failing;
Lazily and incessantly floating down and down:
Silently sifting and veiling road, roof and railing;
Hiding difference, making unevenness even,
Into angles and crevices softly drifting and sailing.
All night it fell, and when full inches seven
It lay in the depth of its uncompacted lightness,
The clouds blew off from a high and frosty heaven;
And all woke earlier for the unaccustomed brightness
Of the winter dawning, the strange unheavenly glare:
The eye marvelled-marvelled at the dazzling whiteness;
The ear hearkened to the stillness of the solemn air;
No sound of wheel rumbling nor of foot falling,
And the busy morning cries came thin and spare.
Then boys I heard, as they went to school, calling,
They gathered up the crystal manna to freeze
Their tongues with tasting, their hands with snowballing;
Or rioted in a drift, plunging up to the knees;
Or peering up from under the white-mossed wonder,
'O look at the trees!' they cried, 'O look at the trees!'
With lessened load a few carts creak and blunder,
Following along the white deserted way,
A country company long dispersed asunder:
When now already the sun, in pale display
Standing by Paul's high dome, spread forth below
His sparkling beams, and awoke the stir of the day.
For now doors open, and war is waged with the snow;
And trains of sombre men, past tale of number,
Tread long brown paths, as toward their toil they go:
But even for them awhile no cares encumber
Their minds diverted; the daily word is unspoken,
The daily thoughts of labour and sorrow slumber
At the sight of the beauty that greets them, for the charm they have broken.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Susan Williams 04 February 2016

I sat here inside my snug home and was feeling the snow falling on and around me... Bridges is a magician, he transported me to the snowfalling evening of his making... awesome descriptives and dead-on reactions to the majesty that is snow

16 1 Reply
Kim Barney 04 February 2016

Lovely descriptions of things in a snowstorm. I especially like these parts: Hiding difference, making unevenness even, Into angles and crevices softly drifting and sailing (and) They gathered up the crystal manna to freeze Their tongues with tasting, their hands with snowballing

3 1 Reply
Ratnakar Mandlik 04 February 2016

Mind blowing narration of the snow fall at London through out night and it's impact on normal life on the dawn that followed with rise of a pale Sun and the brightness reflected by the while expanse due to Sun rays falling on the snow. Just loved the poem and it's fantastic flow. Thanks for sharing.

2 2 Reply
Edward Kofi Louis 04 February 2016

Hushing! With the muse of the snow. Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

2 1 Reply
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