| |
| CHILDREN of the elemental mother, | |
| Born upon some lonely island shore | |
| Where the wrinkled ripples run and whisper, | |
| Where the crested billows plunge and roar; | |
| Long-winged, tireless roamers and adventurers, | 5 |
| Fearless breasters of the wind and sea, | |
| In the far-off solitary places | |
| I have seen you floating wild and free! | |
| |
| Here the high-built cities rise around you; | |
| Here the cliffs that tower east and west, | 10 |
| Honeycombed with human habitations, | |
| Have no hiding for the sea-bird’s nest: | |
| Here the river flows begrimed and troubled; | |
| Here the hurrying, panting vessels fume, | |
| Restless, up and down the watery highway, | 15 |
| While a thousand chimneys vomit gloom. | |
| |
| Toil and tumult, conflict and confusion, | |
| Clank and clamour of the vast machine | |
| Human hands have built for human bondage— | |
| Yet amid it all you float serene; | 20 |
| Circling, soaring, sailing, swooping lightly | |
| Down to glean your harvest from the wave; | |
| In your heritage of air and water, | |
| You have kept the freedom Nature gave. | |
| |
| Even so the wild-woods of Manhattan | 25 |
| Saw your wheeling flocks of white and grey; | |
| Even so you fluttered, followed, floated, | |
| Round the Half-Moon creeping up the bay; | |
| Even so your voices creaked and chattered, | |
| Laughing shrilly o’er the tidal rips, | 30 |
| While your black and beady eyes were glistening | |
| Round the sullen British prison-ships. | |
| |
| Children of the elemental mother, | |
| Fearless floaters ’mid the double blue, | |
| From the crowded boats that cross the ferries | 35 |
| Many a longing heart goes out to you. | |
| Though the cities climb and close around us, | |
| Something tells us that our souls are free, | |
| While the sea-gulls fly above the harbour, | |
| While the river flows to meet the sea! | 40 |
| |
