"Like an ocean breeze afloat,"

"Like an ocean breeze afloat,"

Like an ocean breeze afloat,
In a little pearly boat -
Pearl within, and round about,
And a silken streamer out.
Over the sea, over the sea.
Merrily, merrily saileth he!
Not for battle, not for pelf,
But to pleasure his own self,
Sails he on for many a year,
Nor knoweth hunger nor fatigue:
Past many a rock, past many a shore,
Nor shifts a sail, nor lifts an oar.
Oh! the joy of sailing thus,
Like a brave old Nautilus.
Much he knows the Northern whaler -
More the great Pacific sailor:
And Phenicians, old and gray,
In old times, knew more than they.
But, O daring voyager small,
More thou knowest than they all.
Thou didst know the sea, e'er man
His first voyage had began:
All the world hadst sail'd about
E're America was found out.
E're Ulysses and his men
Came to Ithaca again.
Thou wast sailing over the sea,
Brave old voyager, merrily.
While within the forest grew,
The tree that was the first canoe.
Daring circumnavigator,
Would thou wert thine own narrator. -

Agnes

1:34, p. 2

1837.08.26