Poetry Pleases: One Hundred And Ninety-nine Steps
Nancy Kilburn describes in verse the famous 199 steps which lead from the old quarter of Whitby, the Yorkshire fishing port, up to the cliff-top church of St Mary's.
Upwards ever upwards they ascend,
And seen from below they seem
To go on for ever.
Each step worn down by endless feet
Tramping either up or down.
And those going up
Eye with envy those descending.
As the knees creak and ache,
And the breath comes faster.
Every now and then there is pause,
A stopping place
Where once the coffins rested
Before their journey to the top
To meet their maker in the church.
And look behind you -
What a marvellous view
Of sea and piers and walls and houses
All huddled near the water front.
And people looking smaller -
Moving around like mice.
Yes, this is Whitby.
