ISLES OF SHOALS.
ISLES of mid ocean! how lovely ye stand,
Surrounded by waters that sparkle and glow;
List! may my brow by thy breezes be fanned—
I seek for a treasure; say, canst thou bestow?
Tell me if health for the weak and the weary
Is found in the waves that glisten and foam?
Long have I wandered, faint-hearted and dreary,
In search of this blessing,—how long shall I roam?
Surrounded by waters that sparkle and glow;
List! may my brow by thy breezes be fanned—
I seek for a treasure; say, canst thou bestow?
Tell me if health for the weak and the weary
Is found in the waves that glisten and foam?
Long have I wandered, faint-hearted and dreary,
In search of this blessing,—how long shall I roam?
I played in the streams that gush from the mountains,
In childhood, not far away from thy shores;
Thy history familiar—but where are the fountains
Of health and of joy my spirit implored?
How oft have I sat, unconscious of sorrow,
And listened to tales by the mariners told,
On a neighboring isle, where fancy would borrow
Sad pictures of wrecks that thy caverns enfold.
In childhood, not far away from thy shores;
Thy history familiar—but where are the fountains
Of health and of joy my spirit implored?
How oft have I sat, unconscious of sorrow,
And listened to tales by the mariners told,
On a neighboring isle, where fancy would borrow
Sad pictures of wrecks that thy caverns enfold.
Long have ye slumbered, fair isles of the ocean,
Forgotten, neglected your virtues and worth,
Save by the Father—to Him our devotion
Is due, ever due, for His riches on earth.
Forgotten, neglected your virtues and worth,
Save by the Father—to Him our devotion
Is due, ever due, for His riches on earth.
