I stood upon our western shore
And heard the ocean's billows roar,
And saw them toss and tumble o'er
Each other in their glee;
And fret and foam and froth and dash,
Right on, and on, as if they'd smash
The rugged rocks, and play and splash--
These children of the sea!
They now advance, roll and recede,
They fall and rise and rush with speed;
Like humankind, each wants to lead
His fellows in the fray:
They sparkle in the morning light,
They shine like diamonds in the night,
THey gleam and glint like jewels bright,
And hurl their silvered spray.
Old Ocean's caverns depths and dells
Hold mysteries she never tells;
And o'er her dead, she heaves and swells,
Throughout unending years.
The ship that sailed came back no more,
It foundered on some distant shore
And human hearts now sad and sore
Still weep life's bitter tears!
"Just one more voyage," a husband said,
"Another voyage," a lover plead,
They sailed away; and for their dead
A wife and maiden weep.
The fleets of ships from every land,
The nations' navies, nobly manned,
Are strewn with crews on every strand.
O the graveyards of the dead!
