Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, A SUB-MARINE CITY, by ROBERT SOUTHEY


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A SUB-MARINE CITY, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Their golden summits in the noonday light
Last Line: Accordant to the melancholy waves.
Subject(s): Sea; Ocean


THEIR golden summits in the noonday light,
Shone o'er the dark-green deep that roll'd between;
For domes and pinnacles, and spires were seen
Peering above the sea -- a mournful sight!
Well might the sad beholder ween from thence
What works of wonder the devouring wave
Had swallow'd there, when monuments so brave
Bore record of their old magnificence.
And on the sandy shore, beside the verge
Of ocean, here and there a rock-hewn fane
Resisted in its strength the surf and surge
That on their deep foundations beat in vain.
In solitude the ancient temples stood,
Once resonant with instrument and song,
And solemn dance of festive multitude;
Now as the weary ages pass along,
Hearing no voice save of the ocean flood,
Which roars for ever on the restless shores;
Or, visiting their solitary caves,
The lonely sound of winds, that moan around,
Accordant to the melancholy waves.





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