Like a flight of falcons from the native slaughter Weary of their misery's extreme, From Palos de Moguer mariners took the water Intoxicate with a bold and timeless dream. They were setting out to win the fabulous metal Cipango ripens in its far-off mines, And the trade winds drove them on apace, to settle In mysterious worlds where the setting sun shines. And nightly they dreamt of epochal dawns near by; The phosphorescent blue of the Tropic seas Charmed their sleep with mirage of golden ease; Or, peering from white caravels' tall spars, They plumbed the secrets of an unknown sky Where from the ocean's depth there rose new stars. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...KEEPING UP WITH THE SIGNS by MADELINE DEFREES INEVITABLY (1) by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON DEEP IN THE QUIET WOOD by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON BACCALAUREATE by ARCHIBALD MACLEISH DOMESDAY BOOK: ALMA BELL TO THE CORONER by EDGAR LEE MASTERS TO WHISTLER, AMERICAN; ON LOAN EXHIBIT OF PAINTINGS AT TATE GALLERY by EZRA POUND ADELAIDE CRAPSEY by CARL SANDBURG |