 | The Poetical Works of Robert Browning |  |
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II.
I.
“When I last saw Waring . . .”(How all turned to him who spoke!
You saw Waring? Truth or joke?
In land-travel or sea-faring?)
II.
“We were sailing by Triest“Where a day or two we harboured:
“A sunset was in the West,
“When, looking over the vessel's side,
“One of our company espied
“A sudden speck to larboard.
“And as a sea-duck flies and swims
“At once, so came the light craft up,
“With its sole lateen sail that trims
“And turns (the water round its rims
“Dancing, as round a sinking cup)
“And by us like a fish it curled,
“And drew itself up close beside,
88
“And o'er its thwarts a shrill voice cried,
“(A neck as bronzed as a Lascar's)
“‘Buy wine of us, you English Brig?
“‘Or fruit, tobacco and cigars?
“‘A pilot for you to Triest?
“‘Without one, look you ne'er so big,
“‘They'll never let you up the bay!
“‘We natives should know best.’
“I turned, and ‘just those fellows' way,’
“Our captain said, ‘The 'long-shore thieves
“‘Are laughing at us in their sleeves.’
III.
“In truth, the boy leaned laughing back;“And one, half-hidden by his side
“Under the furled sail, soon I spied,
“With great grass hat and kerchief black,
“Who looked up with his kingly throat,
“Said somewhat, while the other shook
“His hair back from his eyes to look
“Their longest at us; then the boat,
“I know not how, turned sharply round,
“Laying her whole side on the sea
“As a leaping fish does; from the lee
“Into the weather, cut somehow
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“And so went off, as with a bound,
“Into the rosy and golden half
“O' the sky, to overtake the sun
“And reach the shore, like the sea-calf
“Its singing cave; yet I caught one
“Glance ere away the boat quite passed,
“And neither time nor toil could mar
“Those features: so I saw the last
“Of Waring!”—You? Oh, never star
Was lost here but it rose afar!
Look East, where whole new thousands are!
In Vishnu-land what Avatar?
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