Always the river called to him— Sea-going ships and wheeling gulls He loved,—the tar and the painted stacks, Rush of the storm and the brooding lulls. The fleecy fog had swaddled him; When foghorns blew he hushed his cries; Waves crooned the sweetest lullabies, Rocking the schooner cradle-wise ... No mother-arms to coddle him! Brown sailors talked of frozen fjords, Of tropic skies, of hurricanes: He dreamed of the shark, and the monster whale, Yearned for typhoons, and strange sea-lanes. Time came when he sailed the seven seas; Then he shipped with a buccaneer For the spoils of wines, and gems, and gold To make him rich, and bring him cheer ... No woman-arms could hamper @3him!@1 The pirate's daughter cast a spell That burnt in his soul like a brand; But the father drove him from the ship Near a wild and desert land. There was mutiny; and the girl escaped To follow her Bazile's skiff In a squall that shattered her fragile trawl Waves ferried her, white and stiff ... O the cold arms reached for him! He laid the maiden in her grave ... Wild asters for her bed! And he carved a cross to mark the loss, And heaped white sand on her head. Each midnight hour she haunts his door— He can never sail the sea! For she holds him here forever more ... In spite of the call of the sea. Arms unseen now cling to him! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A COURT LADY by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING THE SUGAR-PLUM TREE by EUGENE FIELD THE RUBAIYAT, 1879 EDITION: 48 by OMAR KHAYYAM RICH AND POOR; OR, SAINT AND SINNER by THOMAS LOVE PEACOCK ON THE DEATH OF DR. SWIFT by JONATHAN SWIFT DIRGE FOR TWO VETERANS by WALT WHITMAN AN ELECTIVE COURSE by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH |