The Oxford Book of Canadian Verse
Where No Land LiesHelen M. Merrill (18661951)
W
Far out under the cloudy skies,
Alone, adrift,
A gleam of blue in a quiet rift,
The monotonous flow
Of waves which gather, and come, and go
On for ever.
Far off, a lonely sea-gull cries,
And clouds come down
On my hair all flowing, and cool, and brown,
And in my face
The slanting rain-drops drive apace,
Ever and ever.
And only the screaming sea-gull flies,
Alone, all day,
The dull sea waste is my chosen way;
In wind and rain
I dream mine olden dreams again,
Ever a part
Of the wilding sea’s lone, passionate heart;
In rain and wind
An idle ecstasy I find,
Where only the lonely sea-gull cries,
Where no land lies.