Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882). Complete Poetical Works. 1893.
The Seaside and the FiresideBy the Seaside. The Secret of the Sea
A
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me.
Such as gleam in ancient lore;
And the singing of the sailors,
And the answer from the shore!
Haunts me oft, and tarries long,
Of the noble Count Arnaldos
And the sailor’s mystic song.
Where the sand as silver shines,
With a soft, monotonous cadence,
Flow its unrhymed lyric lines;—
With his hawk upon his hand,
Saw a fair and stately galley,
Steering onward to the land;—
Chant a song so wild and clear,
That the sailing sea-bird slowly
Poised upon the mast to hear,
And he cried, with impulse strong,—
“Helmsman! for the love of heaven,
Teach me, too, that wondrous song!”
“Learn the secret of the sea?
Only those who brave its dangers
Comprehend its mystery!”
In each landward-blowing breeze,
I behold that stately galley,
Hear those mournful melodies;
For the secret of the sea,
And the heart of the great ocean
Sends a thrilling pulse through me.