By the gaily circling glass/Sailor Boy

SAILOR BOY.

In slumber of midnight the sailor boy lay,
⁠His hammock swung loose at the sport of the wind,
But watch-worn and weary his cares flew away,
⁠And visions of happiness danc'd o’er his mind;
He dreamt of his home, of his dear native bow’rs,
⁠And pleasure that waited on life’s merry morn;
Whilst mem’ry stood sideways, haif-cover’d with tears,
⁠And restor’d every rose, but secreted a thorn.

The jessamine clambers in flow’rs o’er the thatch,
⁠And the swallow sings sweet from her nest in the wall,
All trembling with transport, he raises the latch:
⁠And the voice of belov’d ones reply to the call,
A father bends o’er him with looks of delight,
⁠His cheek is impearl’d with a mother’s warm tear,
And the lips of the boy in a love-kiss unite,
⁠With lips of the maid whom his bosom holds dear.

Oh! sailor boy, sailor boy, never again,
⁠Shall peace, love, or kindred, thy wishes repay,
Unblest, and unhonour’d, down deep in the main,
⁠Full many score fathom thy form shall decay:
Days, months, years, and ages shall circle away,
⁠And still the vast waters above thee shall roll,
Earth loosens thy body, for ever and aye,
⁠Oh! sailor boy, sailor boy, peace to thy soul.