 | Areytos or songs and ballads of the South |  |
SONNET.—THE OPEN SEA BEFORE ME.
The open sea before me bathed in light,As if it knew no tempest; the near shore
Crown'd with its fortresses, all green and bright,
As if 'twere safe from carnage ever more;
And woman on the ramparts; while below
Girlhood, and thoughtless children bound and play
As if their hearts, in one long holiday,
Had sweet assurance 'gainst to-morrow's wo:
Afar, the queenly city, with her spires,
Articulate in the moonlight. Far above
The pale sad Hecate with still virgin fires,
Moans the lone state that never asks for love:
The hooded stars grow envious; while the seas
Roll up their tribute hymn of billow and breeze!
| Areytos or songs and ballads of the South | |