 | Songs of the Sea Nymphs |  |
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SONGS OF THE SEA NYMPHS.
SONG OF THE MERMAID.
Canst thou Leander cleave the deep,And leave a maid like me to weep?
Oh! let these bright tears call thee back,
Why wilt thou swim this dangerous track?
Thy Hero's frown thou need'st not fear,
As yet no signal's waving there,
The well known rock is wrapt in shroud,
And slumbers like some mighty cloud.
Turn gentle youth, thou art too soon,
Oh! halt thee, while the yellow moon
Shall trembling rise o'er Helle's stream,
And light thee by her silver beam.
Come love, and braid my golden hair;
For thee my snowy bosom's bare,
My thin rose lips are thine to kiss,
And thou shalt roll in seas of bliss:
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This lily bosom be thy rest;
On melting kisses thou shalt live,
Such as no mortal lips can give,
On sheets of foam we'll glide away,
And live in love from day to day.
Round thy bright locks no wave shall rage,
For thee the storm I will assuage,
And wrap thee in my azure vest,
And sweetly soothe thee into rest;
And lay thee gently in my halls,
Of shining crystal are the walls;
Oh! come and view the sparkling dome,
Form'd from the crusted white sea foam,
And windows of the congealed wave,
And pearly baths where sea nymphs lave,
And coral walks, and amber bowers,
Where bloom our richest ocean flowers,
That throw through waves a fragrance sweet,
Such as no howling mad winds meet,
Not Boreas with his sweeping gale,
Nor Æolus who shakes the dale,
And bids the flowery odour ride,
Like lilies on the swelling tide;
Nor Enna's painted fields of gold,
Which gloomy Dis smiled to behold;
Nor all the sweets of Asphodel,
That throw afar a graceful smell;
Nor Araby's perfumed air,
Can with our ocean sweets compare;
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All that is pleasing to the sense;
Our groves which sprung from heavenly trees,
By us were planted in the seas,
When Neptune for the Olympian height,
To some great feast would take his flight
Then would he steal from Jove's bright bowers,
His choicest trees, and richest flowers;
And those ambrosial feasts above,
He'd quit for us, to feast on love.
To us those heav'nly flowers he gave,
Which in our ocean gardens wave;
We in return upon our breast,
Permit his glowing head to rest;
Nor dare do more, lest Amphitrite,
Should dash through waves of rolling light,
And on the amorous God alight;
If so, she would his trident seize,
Unchain the waves, let loose the breeze,
And spread confusion o'er the seas.
Come then sweet youth, and dwell with me,
Beneath the broad, blue, boundless sea;
See—where the moon thro' yon cloud rushes,
She's come to view our bridal blushes,
And when in sighs we die away,
She'll call the wand'ring stars from play,
And tell them all the charms of love;
Next night, the flaming hosts above,
Will mount their cars of shining gold,
And move in splendour to behold
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Will shine upon our soft delight.
Dian may teach the tender heart,
And on some bashful pale star dart,
Then press it sighing to her heart.
Come then my love, and with delight,
We'll view the streaming hosts of light,
In melting, glowing love unite.
SONG OF THE NEREIDES.
Merrily, merrily, 'neath the waves,That roll above the oozy caves,
Where no hoarse wind wildly raves,
Ride our uncheck'd sea born band,
Along bright plains of golden sand,
That's never touch'd by mortal hand.
Through dark green billowy fields we glide,
Where sleeps the huge mysterious tide,
Which rolls on rivers far and wide.
The broad deep ocean is our rest,
Its pearly green waves form our vest,
Which sparkling veils our snowy breast.
The rushing sword-fish is our steed,
We mount the shark in time of need,
And thro' the watery valleys speed.
Thro' hidden depths we glide along,
While sweeping wild waves seize our song,
And rugged rocks the strains prolong;
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And through the long wide boundless space
Of broadest seas, the whale we trace;
We rouse him from his sea green lair,
Around the deep his mad eyes glare,
Then up he darts to catch the air.
Merrily, merrily, we away—
Above, below, we cleave the spray,
And through the ocean deserts stray.
We pass the dolphin rob'd in gold,
We pass the herrings' silvery fold,
And rouse the sea snake from his hold.
The shark, voracious quits the dead,
Where, on the sailor's corse he fed,
And at us lifts his wondering head.
Away—away—we ride—we fly—
To where the mighty whale doth lie,
Above our heads like some black sky.
Through the green rolling sea we steer,
Above the waves our heads we rear,
And pierce him with our silvery spear;
Then he uplifts his massive tail,
And cleaves the waves like some hoarse gale,
As tho' the clouds he would assail;
Ten thousand fathoms deep he falls,
And bounding on our coral halls,
Like thunder strikes the shining walls.
And when deep howling gales arise,
We mount the waves and view the skies,
Or listen while the sea-mew cries.
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From wave to wave, we leap, we glide,
Or on huge billows sit astride.
Our bright hair flutters in the breeze,
While on the foaming waves we seize,
And dash them at the clouds with ease.
When Jove's cloud rending thunder rolls,
And strikes the wide extended poles,
We catch his big round burning balls,
And fling them round from hand to hand,
Then dash them hissing on the sand,
Which covers Neptune's unknown land.
We seize the lightnings as they glance,
Where huge mad waves like mountains dance,
Rolling along the blue expanse.
We seize the forked gleaming blaze,
That flashes round its burning rays,
And on the white rocks wildly plays.
We hurl heaven's fire from wing to wing,
Form on the waves a spacious ring,
Then round and round the lightnings fling;
Flashing they stream, as cast around
From wave to wave, they fly, they bound,
Then hissing thro' the deep, resound.
We listen as the seaman calls
“All hands a-hoy,” then quickly hauls
From the tall mast his canvass walls;
Or, on the anchor we alight,
Beneath the waves from mortal sight;
They try to weigh—but vain's their might.
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Or bend her long projecting bow,
And echo back their “yeo heave ho;”
Then journeying on our sea green road,
We hasten to our bright abode,
That rises 'neath its watery load.
And when our ocean sports are up,
We with our sea god Neptune sup,
And quaff the nectar foaming cup.
We know no care, nor dream of graves,
But merrily live in coral caves,
Beneath the roar of rolling waves.
SONG OF THE SYRENS.
Oh come to our palace of sunshine and song,Where the blue bounding billows roll gladly along!
Oh haste to our feast where the pale stars of even,
Come in their bright cars from the broad fields of heaven!
For our glad halls, the lamps of night,
Have from the broad sky ta'en their flight,
And sought our sea green jubilee,
To celebrate a victory,
Which the splendid moon obtain'd,
Over the dark, that blackly reign'd
Predominant; it was her turn,
One night in heaven to sojourn,
When a dark intruding cloud,
Threw o'er her brightness his black shroud.
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Leaves her highest, brightest noon,
Thro' the dark green waves to glide,
She passes by her daughter tide,
And lights the hidden depths of sea,
Where she walks resplendently.
'Tis sweet to view the shining seven,
March from the splendid ranks of Heaven,
And leave the centinels of night,
To guard their queen of silver light,
Who travels thro' our ocean caves,
To illuminate the waves;
She treads the depths In shining might,
Like some glad citadel of light,
That comes on patrol from the skies,
To show the waves her glittering eyes.
Stay mortal, and I'll tell to thee,
How she obtained that victory,
Over the sullen clouds of night,
And bring it so before thy sight,
That thou shalt easily descry,
All their rage as with thine eye;
See her lustre first emerge,
How she lifts her silvery verge,
Now brightly slow, she rises higher,
While trees seem painted on pale fire;
See her rising o'er the hill,
While all beneath is dark and still,
Now she guides her shining car,
Headed by her herald star;
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In silver mail prepared for fight.
See her starry hosts unfold
Before their Queen their arms of gold.
Now coward darkness rolls away,
Before the bride of golden day;
See him shelter on the trees,
View him mount the midnight breeze,
Now he rests behind a tower,
Now he passes by a bower,
Now he settles in the vale,
Now he hurries o'er the dale,
Now tired, he hastens o'er the plain,
And calls for aid on storms and rain;
Now the battle sternly rages,
Where the frowning squadron wages
War with heaven's beaming ranks.
Now they move, a stern phalanx
Of howling winds and gathered clouds,
Marshal'd 'neath their waving shrouds,
Moving with determined frown,
Bearing every bright star down;
Led on by one black mighty cloud,
Wreath'd with gloom and darkly brow'd,
Tenfold darkness on his breast
Appears in pitchy folds to rest:
Black banners deck his blacker hand,
His shadow hides the shrouded land;
Now on the bright moon he advances,
Now up to heaven her last ray dances,
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That dimly glittered 'neath her beam;
See, she has fled before his blade,
Of blackest gloom and darkest shade;
She stoop'd beneath his raven shield,
But stoop'd to conquer, not to yield,
For as he rushed in all his might,
Upon his foe of lovely light,
Wielding his blade of massive dark,
He sprung too far and miss'd his mark.
There was a moment of black gloom,
As tho' the moon had found a tomb,
And all dark voices gladly cried
Victory! as though she'd died.
Victory! shouts the howling wind,
The owl cries Victory! from behind
An ivied tower where she stood;
Victory! shouts the gloomy wood,
Victory! the raven croaks,
The wolf cries Victory! then stalks,
Sternly to his blood dyed cave;
Victory! echoes from a grave,
Where a murderer was employed
Earthing a corse, quite overjoyed
To think his black crime was concealed,
Nor could to mortals be revealed;
When lo, a pale ray quickly play'd
In sudden gleam upon his spade;
He fell, as in a death-like swoon,
For lo, his voice new nerved the moon,
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Where for a moment she had laid,
To let that massy cloud roll by,
She on the murderer cast her eye.
She chose her time when that cloud pass'd,
Which frown'd as though 'twould frown its last;
Then on a sudden she appear'd,
And through the sable defiles steer'd,
In time before that host of clouds,
Marshal'd beneath their waving shrouds,
That came on lazily behind,
Creeping like the summer wind,
Beneath whose breath no blue wave heaves
Its sparkling head, when even leaves
Will scarcely move; so these clouds stirr'd
Like plumage of a beauteous bird,
Which slowly spreads her wings for flight;
Or like the last fond ray of light,
That lingers on the western hill,
As loath to leave a scene so still;
But when the moon unfurled her sail,
On heaven's blue fields the clouds turn'd pale,
And flew before her shining might,
And as they passed her, turned to light.
Soon from their hiding places came,
The starry ranks of shining flame,
And all were glad their Queen to see,
While heaven rung with Victory!
This anniversary we keep,
Once ev'ry year within the deep.
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And all the starry host you'll see,
Seated around their queen of light,
To celebrate this glorious fight.
Haste then fair youth; why this delay?
We hold our ocean sports to day.
Then come to our palace of sunshine and flowers,
And hear the wild music that floats through our bowen
Or seat thee where beauty from dancing reposes,
On sofas of amber, all veiled with roses;
Or sleep on our banks where the nectar rill gushes,
With tributes to sea-nymphs of kisses and blushes;
Or lean on the moon's azure bosom of light,
And press the rich lips of the goddess of night.
We'll show thee the bed where the gay rainbow sleeps,
And how, when she's absent, the summer sky weeps;
We'll tell how she steals from the violet and rose,
Those colours she gracefully in her arch throws.
Come then to our feast, or thou wilt be missing,
For we have young sea nymphs whose rose lips want kissing.
| Songs of the Sea Nymphs | |