From a Railway Carriage
When this poem was written train travel was very new. There were no cars and people used horses and carts. The speed of the train was something incredible.
1 Read the poem and answer the following question.
What sounds do you hear as you read the poem?
whistling, the steam engine and the wheels, rain falling, the wheels of the runaway cart
Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And 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 for ever!
2 Look at each pair of lines (1&2, 3&4 etc.) What is the effect of the way the words in each pair end?
3 Why do you think the writer compares the train to fairies and witches?
4 How do the things seen from the window create a feeling of speed?
5 What do you think the people outside think and feel as they see the train go by?
6 SPEAKING What do you think makes a journey exciting? The speed? The view? The company? The destination?