A Sailor's Song

Oh for the breath of the briny deep,     And the tug of the bellying sail,     With the sea-gull's cry across the sky     And a passing boatman's hail.     For, be she fierce or be she gay,     The sea is a famous friend alway.     Ho! for the plains where the dolphins play,     And the bend of the mast and spars,     And a fight at night with the wild sea-sprite     When the foam has drowned the stars.     And, pray, what joy can the landsman feel     Like the rise and fall of a sliding keel?     Fair is the mead; the lawn is fair     And the birds sing sweet on the lea;     But the echo soft of a song aloft     Is the strain that pleases me;     And swish of rope and ring of chain     Are music to men who sail the main.     Then, if you love me, let me sail     While a vessel dares the deep;     For the ship 's my wife, and the breath of life     Are the raging gales that sweep;     And when I 'm done with calm and blast,     A slide o'er the side, and rest at last.