. The choice works of Thomas Hood, in prose and verse. ay to cross ; The bounding pinnace playd a game Of dreary pitch and toss— A game that, on the good dry land, Is apt to bring a loss 1 V. Good Heaven befriend that little boatp And guide her on her way ! A boat, they say, has canvas wings, But cannot fly away, Though, like a merry singing bird. She sits upon the spray! VI. Still east by east the little boat With tawny sail kept beating : Now out of sight between two wavet. Now oer th horizon fleeting : Like greedy swine that feed on mast. The waves her mast seemd eating 1 VII. The sullen sk
. The choice works of Thomas Hood, in prose and verse. ay to cross ; The bounding pinnace playd a game Of dreary pitch and toss— A game that, on the good dry land, Is apt to bring a loss 1 V. Good Heaven befriend that little boatp And guide her on her way ! A boat, they say, has canvas wings, But cannot fly away, Though, like a merry singing bird. She sits upon the spray! VI. Still east by east the little boat With tawny sail kept beating : Now out of sight between two wavet. Now oer th horizon fleeting : Like greedy swine that feed on mast. The waves her mast seemd eating 1 VII. The sullen sky grew black above, The wave as black beneath ; Each roaring billow showd full soon A white and foamy wreath, Like angry dogs, that snarl at first, And then display their teeth. THE SEA-SPELL. z7i VIII. The boatman lookd against the wind. The mast began to creak, The wave, per saltum, came and dried, In salt, upon his cheek ! The pointed wave against him reard, As if it ownd a pique ! IX. Nor rushing wind, nor gushing wave,That boatman could alarm,. De Gustibus non est disputatndum. But Still he Stood ^way to sea,And trusted in his charm ;He thought by purchase he was safe,And armd against all harm ! Now thick and fast and far aslantThe stormy rain came pouring ;He heard upon the snndy bankThe distant breakers roaring—A groaning intermitting sound,Like Gog and Magog snoring ! I7a THE SEA-SPELL. XI. The seafowl shriekd around the mas^ Ahead the grampus tumbled, And far off, from a copper cloud, The hollow thunder rumbled ; It would have quaild another heart* But his was never humbled. XII. For why ? he had that infants caul;And wherefore should he dread ?—Alas ! alas ! he little the ebb-tide sped,That, like that infant, he should with a watery head ! XIII. The rushing brine flowd in apace j His boat had neer a deck ; Fate seemd to call him on, and he Attended to her beck ; And so he went, still trusting on, Though reckless—to his wreck 1 XIV. For a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidchoiceworkso, bookyear1881
