From a Railway Carriage

From a Railway Carriage
by Robert Louis Stevenson
First published in	A Child's Garden of Verses
Language	English
Subject(s)	Railway travel
Publisher	Longmans, Green, & Co
Publication date	1885
Lines	16
Preceded by	Fairy Bread
Followed by	Winter-time

From a Railway Carriage is a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, included within his 1885 collection A Child's Garden of Verses . ^[1] The poem uses its rhythm to evoke the movement of a train.

Poet

Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet and essayist. A celebrity in his lifetime, Stevenson's critical reputation has fluctuated since his death, though today^{[ as of? ]} his works are held in general acclaim. He is currently^{[ when? ]} ranked as the 26th most translated author in the world.

Poem

From a Railway Carriage

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,

Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;

Charging along like troops in a battle

All through the meadows the horses and cattle:

All of the sights of the hill and the plain

Fly as thick as driving rain;

And ever again, in the wink of an eye,

Painted stations whistle by.

Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,

All by himself and gathering brambles;

Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;

And here is the green for stringing the daisies!

Here is a cart run away in the road

Lumping along with man and load;

And here is a mill, and there is a river:

Each a glimpse and gone forever!

References

1. Michael J. Freeman; Derek H. Aldcroft (1991). Transport in Victorian Britain. Manchester University Press. pp. 4–5. ISBN   978-0-7190-2333-0.