The Tay Bridge Disaster
{{S|poesia}}
[[File:Original_Tay_Bridge_before_the_1879_collapse.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Ponte originale di Tay (da nord).]]
'''''The Tay Bridge Disaster''''' è una [[poesia]] scritta nel 1880 dal poeta scozzese [[William McGonagall]], {{cn|che è stato ampiamente acclamato come il peggior poeta della storia}}. Racconta gli [[Disastro del Tay Bridge|avvenimenti della sera]] del 28 dicembre 1879, quando, durante una forte burrasca, il [[Tay Bridge]] di [[Dundee]] crollò mentre un treno passava sopra di esso con la perdita di tutti i passeggeri a bordo (ora si pensa fossero 75 persone e non 90 come indicato nel testo).

== Testo ==
Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay!<br>
Alas! I am very sorry to say<br>
That ninety lives have been taken away<br>
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,<br>
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.<br>

’Twas about seven o’clock at night,<br>
And the wind it blew with all its might,<br>
And the rain came pouring down,<br>
And the dark clouds seem’d to frown,<br>
And the Demon of the air seem’d to say-<br>
“I’ll blow down the Bridge of Tay.”<br>

When the train left Edinburgh<br>
The passengers’ hearts were light and felt no sorrow,<br>
But Boreas blew a terrific gale,<br>
Which made their hearts for to quail,<br>
And many of the passengers with fear did say-<br>
“I hope God will send us safe across the Bridge of Tay.”<br>

But when the train came near to Wormit Bay,<br>
Boreas he did loud and angry bray,<br>
And shook the central girders of the Bridge of Tay<br>
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,<br>
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.<br>

So the train sped on with all its might,<br>
And Bonnie Dundee soon hove in sight,<br>
And the passengers’ hearts felt light,<br>
Thinking they would enjoy themselves on the New Year,<br>
With their friends at home they lov’d most dear,<br>
And wish them all a happy New Year.<br>

So the train mov’d slowly along the Bridge of Tay,<br>
Until it was about midway,<br>
Then the central girders with a crash gave way,<br>
And down went the train and passengers into the Tay!<br>
The Storm Fiend did loudly bray,<br>
Because ninety lives had been taken away,<br>
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,<br>
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.<br>

As soon as the catastrophe came to be known<br>
The alarm from mouth to mouth was blown,<br>
And the cry rang out all o’er the town,<br>
Good Heavens! the Tay Bridge is blown down,<br>
And a passenger train from Edinburgh,<br>
Which fill’d all the peoples hearts with sorrow,<br>
And made them for to turn pale,<br>
Because none of the passengers were sav’d to tell the tale<br>
How the disaster happen’d on the last Sabbath day of 1879,<br>
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.<br>

It must have been an awful sight,<br>
To witness in the dusky moonlight,<br>
While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray,<br>
Along the Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,<br>
Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,<br>
I must now conclude my lay<br>
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,<br>
That your central girders would not have given way,<br>
At least many sensible men do say,<br>
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,<br>
At least many sensible men confesses,<br>
For the stronger we our houses do build,<br>
The less chance we have of being killed.

{{Portale|letteratura}}

[[Categoria:Componimenti poetici in inglese]]