[Skip Navigation]

Poetry Archives

A continuing selection of classic and contemporary poems.

Written At Tinemouth, Northumberland, After A Tempestuous Voyage

William Lisle Bowles

As slow I climb the cliff’s ascending side,
  Much musing on the track of terror past
  When o’er the dark wave rode the howling blast
Pleas’d I look back, and view the tranquil tide,
  That laves the pebbled shore; and now the beam
Of evening smiles on the grey battlement,
And yon forsaken tow’r, that time has rent.
  The lifted oar far off with silver gleam
Is touch’d and the hush’d billows seem to sleep.
  Sooth’d by the scene, ev’n thus on sorrow’s breast
  A kindred stillness steals and bids her rest;
Whilst the weak winds that sigh along the deep,
  The ear, like lullabies of pity, meet,
  Singing the saddest notes of farewell sweet.
Online text © 1998-2008 Poetry X. All rights reserved.
From Sonnets, Written Chiefly On Picturesque Spots During A Tour | 1789
Add Keyword Tags

Separate each tag with a space. You may add as many tags as you'd like to each poem.

What are tags?
Tags, sometimes called “folksonomies,” are words that describe or categorize a poem, like “20th century modernism” or “Italian sonnet”. Tags can help you find poems that have something in common, based on how other people classify them.

More Info

This site will work and look better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any Internet device.