Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE TURTLE, by ANONYMOUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE TURTLE, by                    
First Line: "caesar, afloat with his fortunes!"
Last Line: Of the old sea-hoss / and a regular terror-pin
Subject(s): American Civil War;sea Battles;u.s. - History;virginia (ship); Naval Warfare;merrimac (ship)


CAESAR, afloat with his fortunes!
And all the world agog
Straining its eyes
At a thing that lies
In the water, like a log!
It's a weasel! a whale!
I see its tail!
It's a porpoise! a pollywog!

Tarnation! it's a turtle!
And blast my bones and skin,
My hearties, sink her,
Or else you'll think her
A regular terror-pin!

The frigate poured a broadside!
The bombs they whistled well,
But -- hit old Nick
With a sugar stick!
It did n't phase her shell!

Piff, from the creature's larboard --
And dipping along the water
A bullet hissed
From a wreath of mist
Into a Doodle's quarter!

Raff, from the creature's starboard --
Rip, from his ugly snorter,
And the Congress and
The Cumberland
Sunk, and nothing -- shorter.

Now, here's to you, Virginia,
And you are bound to win!
By your rate of bobbing round
And your way of pitchin' in --
For you are a cross
Of the old sea-hoss
And a regular terror-pin.





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