Jonah

A purple whale
Proudly sweeps his tail
Towards Nineveh;
Glassy green
Surges between
A mile of roaring sea.

"O town of gold,
Of splendour multifold,
Lucre and lust,
Leviathan's eye
Can surely spy
Thy doom of death and dust."

On curving sands
Vengeful Jonah stands.
"Yet forty days,
Then down, down,
Tumbles the town
In flaming ruin ablaze."

With swift lament
Those Ninevites repent.
They cry in tears,
"Our hearts fail!
The whale, the whale!
Our sins prick us like spears."

Jonah is vexed;
He cries, "What next? what next?"
And shakes his fist.
"Stupid city,
The shame, the pity,
The glorious crash I've missed."

Away goes Jonah grumbling,
Murmuring and mumbling;
Off ploughs the purple whale,
With disappointed tail.

Robert von Ranke Graves

Robert von Ranke Graves was a British poet, historical novelist, critic, and classicist. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a distinguished Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival. Known for his war poetry, love poems, and scholarly works, he created a lasting literary legacy, including his interpretations of the Greek myths. Graves was also a soldier in World War I, an experience that profoundly influenced his writing.

Robert von Ranke Graves

True Johnny.

Robert von Ranke Graves, Simple Poetry

The "Alice Jean".

Robert von Ranke Graves, Simple Poetry

Sorley's Weather

Robert von Ranke Graves, Simple Poetry

Nebuchadnezzar's Fall.

Robert von Ranke Graves, Simple Poetry

English

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I'll tell you the story of Jonah,
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The Spirit Of Navigation.[1]

    Stern Father of the storm! who dost abide
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(For Alden March)



With drooping sail and pennant
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Their mighty masts and funnels
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Here is a Spanish galleon
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"All ready?" cried the captain;
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