Classic Poem

Basil! that name demands a kingly deed,
And thou hast set a crown on it, to shine
As bright as the Equator's burning line;
For while the stars in heaven alone could plead,
The stars that bend o'er all — though the sharks' greed
Made terror of the deep, thou didst divine
A drowner asked for life, yea, even for thine,
And in the darkness, springing to his need,
Thou didst forget thy happy English home —
Thy mother's yearning and thy father's face,
Didst only see the fierce wave break to flame
About a dying man of unknown race,
And thou didst gather diamonds of the foam
To sparkle ever round a hero's name.