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Barnacles.

By Sidney Lanier

Topics: classic

My soul is sailing through the sea,     But the Past is heavy and hindereth me.     The Past hath crusted cumbrous shells     That hold the flesh of cold sea-mells     About my soul.     The huge waves wash, the high waves roll,     Each barnacle clingeth and worketh dole     And hindereth me from sailing!     Old Past let go, and drop i' the sea     Till fathomless waters cover thee!     For I am living but thou art dead;     Thou drawest back, I strive ahead     The Day to find.     Thy shells unbind! Night comes behind,     I needs must hurry with the wind     And trim me best for sailing.     Macon, Georgia, 1867.

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"My soul is sailing through the sea,..."

"Barnacles." is a quintessential example of Sidney Lanier's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Sidney Lanier

"My soul is sailing through the sea,..." by Sidney Lanier

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Sidney Lanier

About Sidney Lanier

Sidney Lanier (1842–1881) was an American poet and musician whose poems—including "The Marshes of Glynn" and "Song of the Chattahoochee"—are known for their musical quality and celebration of the Southern landscape.

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