Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Here you will find the Poem Ashore At Dover of poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Ashore At Dover

On landing, the first voice one hears is from 
An English police-constable; a man 
Respectful, conscious that at need he can 
Enforce respect. Our custom-house at home 
Strict too, but quiet. Not the foul-mouthed scum 
Of passport-mongers who in Paris still 
Preserve the Reign of Terror; not the till 
Where the King haggles, all through Belgium. 
The country somehow seems in earnest here, 
Grave and sufficient:?England, so to speak; 
No other word will make the thing as clear. 
?Ah! habit,? you exclaim, ?and prejudice!? 
If so, so be it. One don't care to shriek, 
?Sir, this shall be!? But one believes it is.