Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Oscar Wilde's Impression du Matin

THE Thames nocturne of blue and gold  
  Changed to a harmony in grey;  
  A barge with ochre-coloured hay  
Dropt from the wharf: and chill and cold  
  
The yellow fog came creeping down
  The bridges, till the houses' walls  
  Seemed changed to shadows, and St. Paul's  
Loomed like a bubble o'er the town.  
  
Then suddenly arose the clang  
  Of waking life; the streets were stirred
  With country waggons; and a bird  
Flew to the glistening roofs and sang.  
  
But one pale woman all alone,  
  The daylight kissing her wan hair,  
  Loitered beneath the gas lamps' flare,
With lips of flame and heart of stone


Impressions? Interpretations? References?