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The Full Text of “In Romney Marsh”
1As I went down to Dymchurch Wall,
2I heard the South sing o'er the land;
3I saw the yellow sunlight fall
4On knolls where Norman churches stand.
5And ringing shrilly, taut and lithe,
6Within the wind a core of sound,
7The wire from Romney town to Hythe
8Along its airy journey wound.
9A veil of purple vapour flowed
10And trailed its fringe along the Straits;
11The upper air like sapphire glowed:
12And roses filled Heaven's central gates.
13Masts in the offing wagged their tops;
14The swinging waves pealed on the shore;
15The saffron beach, all diamond drops
16And beads of surge, prolonged the roar.
17As I came up from Dymchurch Wall,
18I saw above the Downs' low crest
19The crimson brands of sunset fall,
20Flicker and fade from out the west.
21Night sank: like flakes of silver fire
22The stars in one great shower came down;
23Shrill blew the wind; and shrill the wire
24Rang out from Hythe to Romney town.
25The darkly shining salt sea drops
26Streamed as the waves clashed on the shore;
27The beach, with all its organ stops
28Pealing again, prolonged the roar.
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“In Romney Marsh” Introduction
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“In Romney Marsh” Summary
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“In Romney Marsh” Themes
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Nature and Humanity
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “In Romney Marsh”
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Lines 1-4
As I went down to Dymchurch Wall,
I heard the South sing o'er the land;
I saw the yellow sunlight fall
On knolls where Norman churches stand. -
Lines 5-8
And ringing shrilly, taut and lithe,
Within the wind a core of sound,
The wire from Romney town to Hythe
Along its airy journey wound. -
Lines 9-12
A veil of purple vapour flowed
And trailed its fringe along the Straits;
The upper air like sapphire glowed:
And roses filled Heaven's central gates. -
Lines 13-16
Masts in the offing wagged their tops;
The swinging waves pealed on the shore;
The saffron beach, all diamond drops
And beads of surge, prolonged the roar. -
Lines 17-20
As I came up from Dymchurch Wall,
I saw above the Downs' low crest
The crimson brands of sunset fall,
Flicker and fade from out the west. -
Lines 21-24
Night sank: like flakes of silver fire
The stars in one great shower came down;
Shrill blew the wind; and shrill the wire
Rang out from Hythe to Romney town. -
Lines 25-28
The darkly shining salt sea drops
Streamed as the waves clashed on the shore;
The beach, with all its organ stops
Pealing again, prolonged the roar.
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“In Romney Marsh” Symbols
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Human Infrastructure
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“In Romney Marsh” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Sibilance
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Metaphor
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Repetition
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Imagery
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“In Romney Marsh” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Dymchurch Wall
- The South
- O'er
- Knolls
- Norman Churches
- Shrilly/Shrill
- Taut and lithe
- Romney town to Hythe
- Vapour
- Fringe
- The Straits
- In the offing
- Pealed
- Saffron
- Beads of surge
- The Downs
- Crest
- Crimson
- Brands
- Organ stops
Dymchurch Wall-
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “In Romney Marsh”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“In Romney Marsh” Speaker
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“In Romney Marsh” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “In Romney Marsh”
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More “In Romney Marsh” Resources
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External Resources
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Ballads and Songs — Check out the full collection in which "In Romney Marsh" first appeared.
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Davidson's Literary Context — Dip into a great collection of Victorian-era poetry, selected by the Poetry Foundation.
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Romney Marsh — Check out the dramatic history of the poem's setting.
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