A WET sheet and a flowing sea, A wind that follows fast, And fills the white and rustling sail, Away the good ship flies, and leaves "Oh, for a soft and gentle wind!" But give to me the snoring breeze The good ship tight and free; The world of waters is our home, And merry men are we. There's tempest in yon horned moon,* And lightning in yon cloud; But hark the music, mariners! The wind is piping loud ; * There's tempest, &c., i.e, the horned moon forebodes a storm. STANDARD The wind is piping loud, my boys, While the hollow oak our palace is, Our heritage* the sea. A. Cunningham. THE WRECK OF THE HESPERUS. Ir was the schooner Hesperus, That sail'd the wintry sea; And the skipper had taken his little daughter, Blue were her eyes as the fairy flax, And her bosom white as the hawthorn buds, The skipper he stood beside the helm, And he watch'd how the veering flaw did blow Then up and spake an old sailor, "I Last night the moon had a golden ring, Colder and colder blew the wind, Down came the storm and smote amain She shudder'd and paused like a frighted steed, * Heritage, what we own, or inherit. Come hither! come hither! my little daughter, And do not tremble so, For I can weather the roughest gale, That ever wind did blow." He wrapp'd her warm in his seaman's coat, He cut a rope from a broken spar, "O father! I hear the church bells ring, "Tis a fog-bell on a rock-bound coast!" And he steer'd for the open sea. "O father! I hear the sound of guns, what may it be?" O say, "Some ship in distress that cannot live In such an angry sea!" "O father! I see a gleaming light, But the father answer'd never a word- Lash'd to the helm, all stiff and stark,' The lantern gleam'd through the gleaming snow Then the maiden clasp'd her hands and pray'd And she thought of Christ who still'd the waves And fast through the midnight dark and drear, And ever the fitful gusts between The breakers were right beneath her bows, And a whooping billow swept the crew She struck where the white and fleecy waves But the cruel rocks they gored her sides Her rattling shrouds all sheath'd in ice, At daybreak on the bleak sea-beach, The salt sea was frozen on her breast, And he saw her hair like the brown sea-weed, Such was the wreck of the Hesperus, In the midnight and the snow; Heav'n save us all from a death like this, On the reef of Norman's Woe! Longfellow. THE SOWER'S SONG. Now hands to seedsheet, boys, We step and we cast; old Time's on wing, Lie warm in thy earthly bed; Old Earth is a pleasure to see, Old Mother, receive this corn, The son of six thousand sires; For beast and man must be fed. Now steady and sure again, And measure of stroke and step we keep; And stand so yellow some morn, Carlyle. LULLABY. SWEET and low, sweet and low, Wind of the western sea! Over the rolling waters go, Come from the dying moon, and blow, While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps. Sleep and rest, sleep and rest, Father will come to thee soon; Rest, rest, on mother's breast, Father will come to thee soon: Father will come to his babe in the nest, Under the silver moon; Sleep, my little one, sleep; my pretty one, sleep. Tennyson. |