Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Asia: Vols. XXI–XXIII. 1876–79.
The Sailing of Francis Xavier
By Friedrich Spee (15911635)W
Thought this man of God to go,
All assailed him with persistent
Words of warning and of woe.
Wind and weather, seas and surges,
Painted they before his eyes;
Each some misadventure urges,
Each some peril prophesies.
Tempest, nor of winds and seas,
Never Hero yet, nor Ritter,
Cared for such child-play as these.
Let the wind blow and the weather;
Flame of love by blowing grows;
Let the billows rage together;
Straight to heaven the billow goes.
To affright my soul with dread,
Soldier’s heart, or Martyr’s, never
Either powder feared or lead.
Spear and shaft and naked glaive or
Cannon, pistol, powder, all
Only make the soldier braver,
To the prize of honor call.
Whet their horns in revel rout;
Let the billows growling, jangling,
Toss the shattered wrecks about!
On the briny field may riot
North and South and East and West,
He whose heart within is quiet
Never can be robbed of rest.
Cross its thousand waves content,
If with bow and arrows hunting
Many thousand souls he went?
Who at any wind would tremble
Or its dripping pinions fear,
If he could but souls assemble;
Souls, beyond all measure dear?
Ho, thou strong and lordly wind!
Never will I bow sedately;
To withstand you is my mind!
Souls, yes, souls I must have! Straightway
Saddle me my wooden steed;
We must from the harbor’s gateway
Gallop o’er the waves with speed.