The Watch on the Kerb
Night-Lights are falling; Girl of the street, Go to your calling If you would eat. Lamplight and starlight And moonlight superb, Bright hope is a farlight, So watch on the kerb. Watch on the kerb, Watch on the kerb; Hope is a farlight; Then watch on the kerb. Comes a man: call him Gone! he is vext; Curses befall him, Wait for the next! Fair world and bright world, Life still is sweet Girl of the night-world, Watch on the street. Dreary the watch is: Moon sinks from sight, Gas only blotches Darkness with light; Never, Oh, never Let courage go down; Keep from the river, Oh, Girl of the Town!
The Watch on the Kerb - meaning Summary
Watchful Endurance at Night
The poem addresses a streetwalker at night, urging her to keep vigil on the kerb despite hunger, cold and temptation. Hope is described as distant, so practical survival—waiting for a safer client, keeping courage, avoiding the river—becomes paramount. The speaker combines blunt realism with a protective tone, framing endurance and cautious watchfulness as the woman’s means of persisting through the hazards of urban night life.
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