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[Great king of the ocean, transcendent and grand]

Great king of the ocean, transcendent and grand
Dost thou rest 'mid the waters so blue;
So vast is thy form, I am sure, on dry land,
It would cover an acre or two.
Thou watery Colossus, how lovely the sight,
When thou sailest majestic and slow,

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And the sky and the ocean together unite
Their splendor around thee to throw.
Or near to the pole, 'mid the elements' strife,
Where the tempest the seaman appals,
Unmoved, like a Continent pregnant with life,
Or rather a living St. Paul's.
Thee soon as the Greenlander fisherman sees,
He plans thy destruction, odd rot him;
And often, before thou hast time to cry pease,
He has whipped his harpoon in thy bottom.