‘Tumble and rumble, and grumble and snort,
Like a whale to starboard, a whale to port;
Tumble and rumble, and grumble and snort,
And the steamer steams thro’ the sea, love!’
‘I see the ship on the sea, love,
I stand alone
On this rock,
The sea does not shock
The stone;
The waters around it are swirled,
But under my feet
I feel it go down
To where the hemispheres meet
At the adamant heart of the world.
Oh, that the rock would move!
Oh, that the rock would roll
To meet thee over the sea, love!
Surely my mighty love
Should fill it like a soul,
And it should bear me to thee, love;
Like a ship on the sea, love,
Bear me, bear me, to thee, love!’
‘Guns are thundering, seas are sundering, crowds are wondering,
Low on our lee, love.
Over and over the cannon-clouds cover brother and lover, but over and over
The whirl-wheels trundle the sea, love,
And on thro’ the loud pealing pomp of her cloud
The great ship is going to thee, love;
Blind to her mark, like a world thro’ the dark,
Thundering, sundering, to the crowds wondering,
Thundering ever to thee, love.’
‘I have come down to thee coming to me, love,
I stand, I stand
On the solid sand,
I see thee coming to me, love;
The sea runs up to me on the sand,
I start-‘t is as if thou hadst stretched thine hand
And touched me thro’ the sea, love.
I feel as if I must die
For there’s something longs to fly,
Fly and fly, to thee, love.
As the blood of the flower ere she blows
Is beating up to the sun,
And her roots do hold her down,
And it blushes and breaks undone
In a rose,
So my blood is beating in me, love!
I see thee nigh and nigher,
And my soul leaps up like sudden fire,
My life’s in the air
To meet thee there,
To meet thee coming to me, love!
Over the sea,
Coming to me,
Coming, and coming to me, love!’
‘The boats are lowered: I leap in first,
Pull, boys, pull! or my heart will burst!
More! more!-lend me an oar!-
I’m thro’ the breakers! I’m on the shore!
I see thee waiting for me, love!’
‘A sudden storm
Of sighs and tears,
A clenching arm,
A look of years.
In my bosom a thousand cries,
A flash like light before my eyes,
And I am lost in thee, love!’
(Sydney Thompson Dobell)
More Poetry from Sydney Thompson Dobell:
Sydney Thompson Dobell Poems based on Topics: World, Soul, Cry, Love, Fire, Flowers- A Shower In War-Time (Sydney Thompson Dobell Poems)
- An Evening Dream (Sydney Thompson Dobell Poems)
- A Musing On A Victory (Sydney Thompson Dobell Poems)
- Bayonet Song (Sydney Thompson Dobell Poems)
- A Health To The Queen (Sydney Thompson Dobell Poems)
- Childless (Sydney Thompson Dobell Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Love Poems, World Poems, Soul Poems, Flowers Poems, Cry Poems, Fire PoemsBased on Keywords: hemispheres, clenching, start-