Classic and Contemporary Poetry
A SAILOR'S SONG, by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR Poet's Biography First Line: Oh for the breath of the briny deep Last Line: A slide o'er the side, and rest at last. Subject(s): Sea; Ocean | ||||||||
OH for the breath of the briny deep, And the tug of the bellying sail, With the sea-gull's cry across the sky And a passing boatman's hail. For, be she fierce or be she gay, The sea is a famous friend alway. Ho! for the plains where the dolphins play, And the bend of the mast and spars, And a fight at night with the wild sea-sprite When the foam has drowned the stars. And, pray, what joy can the landsman feel Like the rise and fall of a sliding keel? Fair is the mead; the lawn is fair And the birds sing sweet on the lea; But the echo soft of a song aloft Is the strain that pleases me; And swish of rope and ring of chain Are music to men who sail the main. Then, if you love me, let me sail While a vessel dares the deep; For the ship's my wife, and the breath of life Are the raging gales that sweep; And when I'm done with calm and blast, A slide o'er the side, and rest at last. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...HALL OF OCEAN LIFE by JOHN HOLLANDER JULY FOURTH BY THE OCEAN by ROBINSON JEFFERS BOATS IN A FOG by ROBINSON JEFFERS CONTINENT'S END by ROBINSON JEFFERS THE FIGUREHEAD by LEONIE ADAMS A BANJO SONG by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR |
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