Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry.
Volume IX. Tragedy: Humor. 1904. | | | | Humorous Poems: IV. Ingenuities: Oddities | | Railroad Rhyme | | John Godfrey Saxe (1816–1887) |
| | | SINGING through the forests, | |
| Rattling over ridges; | |
| Shooting under arches, | |
| Rumbling over bridges; | |
| Whizzing through the mountains, | 5 |
| Buzzing o’er the vale,— | |
| Bless me! this is pleasant, | |
| Riding on the rail! | |
| |
| Men of different “stations” | |
| In the eye of fame, | 10 |
| Here are very quickly | |
| Coming to the same; | |
| High and lowly people, | |
| Birds of every feather, | |
| On a common level, | 15 |
| Travelling together. | |
| |
| Gentleman in shorts, | |
| Looming very tall; | |
| Gentleman at large | |
| Talking very small; | 20 |
| Gentleman in tights, | |
| With a loose-ish mien; | |
| Gentleman in gray, | |
| Looking rather green; | |
| |
| Gentleman quite old, | 25 |
| Asking for the news, | |
| Gentleman in black, | |
| In a fit of blues; | |
| Gentleman in claret, | |
| Sober as a vicar; | 30 |
| Gentleman in tweed, | |
| Dreadfully in liquor! | |
| |
| Stranger on the right | |
| Looking very sunny, | |
| Obviously reading | 35 |
| Something rather funny. | |
| Now the smiles are thicker,— | |
| Wonder what they mean! | |
| Faith, he ’s got the Knicker- | |
| Bocker Magazine! | 40 |
| |
| Stranger on the left | |
| Closing up his peepers; | |
| Now he snores amain, | |
| Like the Seven Sleepers; | |
| At his feet a volume | 45 |
| Gives the explanation, | |
| How the man grew stupid | |
| From “Association”! | |
| |
| Ancient maiden lady | |
| Anxiously remarks, | 50 |
| That there must be peril | |
| ’Mong so many sparks; | |
| Roguish-looking fellow, | |
| Turning to the stranger, | |
| Says it ’s his opinion | 55 |
| She is out of danger! | |
| |
| Woman with her baby, | |
| Sitting vis-à-vis; | |
| Baby keeps a-squalling, | |
| Woman looks at me; | 60 |
| Asks about the distance, | |
| Says it ’s tiresome talking, | |
| Noises of the cars | |
| Are so very shocking! | |
| |
| Market-woman, careful | 65 |
| Of the precious casket, | |
| Knowing eggs are eggs, | |
| Tightly holds her basket; | |
| Feeling that a smash, | |
| If it came, would surely | 70 |
| Send her eggs to pot, | |
| Rather prematurely. | |
| |
| Singing through the forests, | |
| Rattling over ridges; | |
| Shooting under arches, | 75 |
| Rumbling over bridges; | |
| Whizzing through the mountains, | |
| Buzzing o’er the vale,— | |
| Bless me! this is pleasant, | |
| Riding on the rail! | 80 | | | |
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