Oh blithely shines the bonny sun Upon the Isle of May, And blithely comes the morning tide Into St Andrew's Bay. Then up, gude-man, the breeze is fair, And up, my braw bairns three; There's gold in yonder bonny boat That sails so well the sea. When life's last sun goes feebly down, And death comes to our door, When all the world's a dream to us, We'll go to sea no more. I've seen the waves as blue as air, I've seen them green as grass; But I never feared their heaving yet, From Grangemouth to the Bass. I've seen the sea as black as pitch, I've seen it white as snow: But I never feared its foaming yet, Though the winds blew high or low. When life's last sun goes feebly down, And death comes to our door, When all the world's a dream to us, We'll go to sea no more. I never liked the landsman's life, The earth is aye the same; Give me the ocean for my dower, My vessel for my hame. Give me the fields that no man ploughs, The farm that pays no fee: Give me the bonny fish that glance So gladly through the sea. When life's last sun goes feebly down, And death comes to our door, When all the world's a dream to us, We'll go to sea no more. The sun is up, and round Inchkeith The breezes softly blaw; The gude-man has his lines aboard -- Awa, my bairns, awa. An ye'll be back by gloaming grey, An bright the fire will low, An in your tales and songs we'll tell How weel the boat ye row. When life's last sun goes feebly down, And death comes to our door, When all the world's a dream to us, We'll go to sea no more. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE ROSE TREE by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS ELLEN BRINE OV ALLENBURN by WILLIAM BARNES BATTLE AT THE RIVER RAISIN; JANUARY 22, 1813 by LEVI BISHOP A HYMN OF TOUCH by GORDON BOTTOMLEY MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT AND FUSELI by ROBERT BROWNING THE HEAVENLY BREEZE by GEORGE BURGESS A HYMN FOR EASTER DAY by JOHN BYROM |