Time & Brevity

Henley Regatta

by Thomas Hardy 1840–1928

From Winter Words in Various Moods and Metres (1928)

Time & Brevity

She looks from the window: still it pours down direly,
And the avenue drips. She cannot go, she fears;
And the Regatta will be spoilt entirely;
And she sheds half-crazed tears.

Regatta Day and rain come on together
Again, years after. Gutters trickle loud;
But Nancy cares not. She knows nought of weather,
Or of the Henley crowd:

She’s a Regatta quite her own. Inanely
She laughs in the asylum as she floats
Within a water-tub, which she calls “Henley,”
Her little paper boats.

MLA

Hardy, Thomas. “Henley Regatta.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/hardy/716/.

Chicago

Hardy, Thomas. “Henley Regatta.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/hardy/716/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Thomas Hardy