OH, I would go—would go adventuring! I would fare forth in one of those great ships That take on cargoes for far, foreign ports, And restless, strain their hawsers in their slips! I would be off—be off in one of them! I have a yearning for the untried seas— Would see strange islands under burning suns— Would feel the warm caress of tropic breeze! Oh, I would hear—would hear strange-looking men Speak strangely in strange tongues that would amaze My stranger ears! And I would dwell with them— I would become acquainted with their ways! And I would see—would see old monuments Built by forgotten men in cities where No living man now knows, can learn or guess The meaning of the scriptures carven there! It fills, it fills me with imaginings To see a brilliant jewel glow and gleam! The scent of spices or the sheen of silks From India or China makes me dream! Always I thrill—thrill to the feel of fur! It brings the frozen forests to my view! I long to see the tall, dusk sentinels Cast on the snow's white breast their shadows blue! In dreams—in dreams I scent the heavy air Of breathless jungles—hear the tiger call His mate to him; I watch the bright birds fly— Through giant ferns see monstrous reptiles crawl! Yes, I would know—would know the far-off lands! God, when He made me, gave me the desire For mountain tops, deep seas and burning sands— But Fate, the jester, gave me the hearth fire! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...FAITHLESS NELLY GRAY; A PATHETIC BALLAD by THOMAS HOOD DYING SPEECH OF AN OLD PHILOSOPHER by WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR AN OLD CASTLE by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH THE RIVER STOUR by WILLIAM BARNES SHE WAS A BEAUTY by HENRY CUYLER BUNNER |