Could I, with Joshua of old, Command the restless stars at will, Shout to the sun and bid it hold, We should be cruising still. On we should sail from reach to reach Nor care to skirt the wooded shore; Past island cliffs and sunny beach, Then out to sea once more. Through warmer oceans, faring south Where the green, shining islands stand, We'd sail up some strange river's mouth And anchor near the land. There birds of every sunset-hue Chatter and dart from tree to tree. Content, we'd watch the long day through Nature's gay pageantry. The call of trade, the factories drown All Nature's voices; here the din Of this drab, cheerless, selfish town Deadens the song within. Give to me, then, for one brief day, The power to hold the sun at will, On seas a thousand leagues away We shall be cruising still. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ON BEING ASKED TO WRITE A POEM AGAINST THE WAR IN VIETNAM by HAYDEN CARRUTH TIRED by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON AN EXPLANATION by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON WAITER IN A CALIFORNIA VIETNAMESE RESTURANT by CLARENCE MAJOR DEAR OLD DICK by EDGAR LEE MASTERS |