Classic Poem

“V OYAGER , hast thou ever been down
Where thy boat glides now,
To the roots of the jagged rocks that frown
O'er a death-white brow?

“To the wasted gems that slip away
From the mocking wave,
Where the shark and swordfish grimly play
Round the sailor's grave?”

“No, diver, no! but thy pearls I wear,
As my boat sways here.
Thou hast told of the rock in ambush, there
Never need I steer.

“And because I know that the traitor wave
Must restore the dead,
While I sail to port o'er the shipwrecked brave,
I can feel no dread.”

“Light voyager, 't is of humanity
That I tell my tale.”
“Pale diver, that is the same bright sea
Over which I sail.”