Then deep in tangle-woods to fight the fierce sea unicorn, And send him foil'd and bellowing back, for all his ivory horn; To leave the subtle sworder-fish of bony blade forlorn; And for the ghastly-grinning shark to laugh his jaws to scorn; To leap down on the kraken's back, where 'mid Norwegian isles He lies, a lubber anchorage for sudden shallow'd miles; 'Till snorting, like an under-sea volcano, off he rolls; Meanwhile to swing, a-buffeting the far astonish'd shoals Of his back-browsing ocean-calves; or, haply in a cove, Shell-strown, and consecrate of old to some Undiné's love, To find the long-hair'd mermaidens; or, hard by icy lands, To wrestle with the Sea-serpent, upon cerulean sands. O broad-arm'd Fisher of the deep, whose sports can equal thine ? The Dolphin weighs a thousand tons, that tugs thy cable line; And night by night, 'tis thy delight, thy glory day by day, Through sable sea and breaker white, the giant game to play But shamer of our little sports! forgive the name I gave A fisher's joy is to destroy-thine office is to save. O lodger in the sea-kings' halls, couldst thou but understand Whose be the white bones by thy side, or who that dripping band, Slow swaying in the heaving wave, that round about thee bend, With sounds like breakers in a dream blessing their ancient friend Oh, couldst thou know what heroes glide with larger steps round thee, Thine iron side would swell with pride; thou'dst leap within the sea. Give honour to their memories who left the pleasant strand, To shed their blood so freely for the love of Fatherland, Who left their chance of quiet age and grassy churchyard grave, So freely, for a restless bed amid the tossing waveOh, though our anchor may not be all I have fondly sung, Honour him for their memory, whose bones he goes among! SAMUEL FERGUSON. F TO DAFFODILS. AIR daffodils, we weep to see You haste away so soon; As yet the early rising sun K Until the hastening day But to the even-song; And, having pray'd together, we We have short time to stay, as you; As quick a growth to meet decay As As you, or any thing: We die, Like to the summer's rain, Or as the pearls of morning dew, HERRICK. H AN ANGEL IN THE HOUSE. OW sweet it were, if without feeble fright, Or dying of the dreadful beauteous sight, At evening in our room, and bend on ours Alas! we think not what we daily see B THE HUMBLE-BEE. URLY dozing humble-bee! Where thou art is clime for me. Insect-lover of the sun, Sailor of the atmosphere, Swimmer through the waves of air, Voyager of light and noon, Epicurean of June, Wait, I prithee, till I come Within ear-shot of thy hum; When the south wind, in May days, With a net of shining haze Silvers the horizon wall, And, with softness touching all, Tints the human countenance With a colour of romance, |