Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SEA-BIRD!, by ANNA MARIA WELLS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SEA-BIRD!, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Sea-bird! Haunter of the wave
Last Line: Soar at last, like thee, to heaven!
Alternate Author Name(s): Wells, A. M.


SEA-BIRD! haunter of the wave,
Happy o'er its crest to hover;
Half-engulph'd where yawns the cave
Billows form in rolling over.

Sea-bird! seeker of the storm,
In its shriek thou dost rejoice;
Sending from thy bosom warm,
Answer shriller than its voice.

Bird of nervous wing and bright,
Flashing silvery to the sun,
Sporting with the sea-foam white,
When will thy wild course be done?

Whither tends it? Has the shore
No alluring haunt for thee?
Nook with tangled vines run o'er,
Scented shrub, or leafy tree?

Is the purple sea-weed rarer
Than the violet of spring?
Is the snowy foam-wreath fairer
Than the apple's blossoming?

Shady grove and sunny slope,
Seek but these, and thou shalt meet
Birds not born with storm to cope,
Hermits of retirement sweet.

Where no winds too rudely swell,
But, in whispers as they pass,
Of the fragrant flow'ret tell,
Hidden in the tender grass.

There, the mock-bird sings of love;
There, the robin builds his nest;
There, the gentle-hearted dove,
Brooding, takes her blissful rest.

Sea-bird, stay thy rapid flight: --
Gone! -- where dark waves foam and dash,
Like a lone star on the night
From afar his white wings flash!

He obeyeth God's behest:
Each and all some mission fill;
Some, the tempest born to breast,
Some, to worship and be still.

If to struggle with the atorm
On life's ever-changing sea,
Where cold mists enwrap the form,
My harsh destiny must be;

Sea-bird! thus may I abide
Cheerful the allotment given;
And above the ruffled tide
Soar at last, like thee, to Heaven!





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