Poetry Analysis: The Train Imagery

The Train's Imagery

• The train is personified as a queen, royalty that doesn't bow or have restrictions.
• It leaves the station with an air of nonchalance, uninterested in its surroundings.

The Journey Begins

• The train passes humble houses crowded on both sides of the rail.
• It crosses the gasworks and cemetery, where gravestones symbolize death.

Entering the Open Country

• Upon reaching the countryside, the train gains speed and becomes mysterious to the poet.
• It's likened to a self-possessed ship in the ocean, shining and singing.

The Train's Song

• The train's horn starts low and grows louder, sometimes low, sometimes high, and finally, seemingly mad.
• The horn's sound echoes in curves and tunnels, revealing the joy of its tyres.

Exploring Landscapes

• The train explores new eras of white happiness while running on the rails and crossing landscapes.
• Its speed creates strange shapes, broad curves, and parallels clean on the rails.

Imaginary Journey

• The train crosses Edinburgh, Rome, and even the crest of the world in the poet's imagination.
• At night, the phosphorus brightness in the engine makes it resemble a comet.

A New Perspective

• The poet suggests that the train's song (horn) is better than birdsong, which breaks with honey buds.
• This can be seen as a direct attack on traditional Romantic Thought, prioritizing industrial progress over nature.