| |
(From The Isle of Palms)
OH, many are the beauteous isles | |
| Unknown to human eye, | |
| That, sleeping mid the Ocean smiles, | |
| In happy silence lie. | |
| The ship may pass them in the night, | 5 |
| Nor the sailors know what a lovely sight | |
| Is resting on the main,— | |
| Some wandering ship who hath lost her way | |
| And never, or by night or day, | |
| Shall pass these isles again. | 10 |
| There, groves that bloom in endless spring | |
| Are rustling to the radiant wing | |
| Of birds, in various plumage, bright | |
| As rainbow-hues or dawning light. | |
| Soft-falling showers of blossoms fair | 15 |
| Float ever on the fragrant air, | |
| Like showers of vernal snow, | |
| And from the fruit-tree, spreading tall, | |
| The richly ripened clusters fall | |
| Oft as sea-breezes blow. | 20 |
| The sun and clouds alone possess | |
| The joy of all that loveliness; | |
| And sweetly to each other smile | |
| The live-long day,—sun, cloud, and isle. | |
| How silent lies each sheltered bay! | 25 |
| No other visitors have they | |
| To their shores of silvery sand, | |
| Than the waves that, murmuring in their glee, | |
| All hurrying in a joyful band | |
| Come dancing from the sea. | 30 |
| |
| How did I love to sigh and weep | |
| For those that sailed upon the deep, | |
| When, yet a wondering child, | |
| I sat alone at dead of night, | |
| Hanging all breathless with delight | 35 |
| O’er their adventures wild! | |
| Trembling I heard of dizzy shrouds, | |
| Where up among the raving clouds | |
| The sailor-boy must go; | |
| Thunder and lightning o’er his head! | 40 |
| And should he fall—oh thought of dread! | |
| Waves mountain-high below. | |
| How leapt my heart with wildering fears, | |
| Glazing on savage islanders | |
| Ranged fierce in long canoe, | 45 |
| Their poisoned spears, their war-attire, | |
| And plumes twined bright, like wreaths of fire, | |
| Round brows of dusky hue! | |
| What tears would fill my wakeful eyes | |
| When some delicious paradise | 50 |
| (As if a cloud had rolled | |
| On a sudden from the bursting sun), | |
| Freshening the Ocean where it shone, | |
| Flung wide its groves of gold! | |
| No more the pining mariner | 55 |
| In wild delirium raves, | |
| For like an angel, kind and fair, | |
| That smiles and smiling saves, | |
| The glory charms away distress, | |
| Serene in silent loveliness | 60 |
| Amid the dash of waves. | |
| |
