The Shipwreck (1904)
by William Falconer (9780217766838)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHARACTER OF THE COMMANDER. 15 Tliis spreads with slaughtered heaps the bloody plain, And pours adventurous thousands o'er the Main. II. The stately Ship with all her daring Band To skilful Albert owned the chief command: Though trained in boisterous elements, his mind Was yet by soft humanity refin'd; Each joy of wedded love at home he knew, Aboard, confest the Father of his Crew Brave, liberal, just the calm domestic scene Had o'er his temper breathed a gay serene. Him Science taught by mystic lore to trace The planets wheeling in eternal race; To mark the Ship in floating balance held, By Earth attracted, and by Seas repell'd; Or point her devious track through climes unknown That leads to every shore and every zone. He saw the Moon thro' Heaven's blue concave glide And into motion charm th' expanding Tide, While Earth impetuous round her axle rolls, Exalts her watery zone, and sinks the poles; Light and Attraction, from their genial source, He saw still wandering with diminished force; While on the margin of declining day Night's shadowy cone reluctant melts away. Inured to peril, with unconquered soul, The Chief beheld tempestuous Oceans roll: O'er the wild Surge when dismal shades preside His equal skill the lonely Bark could guide; His genius, ever for th' event prepared, Rose with the Storm, and all its dangers shared. Rodmond the next degree to Albert bore, A hardy son of England's farthest shore, Where bleak Northumbr i A pours her savage train In sable squadrons o'er the northern main; That, with her pitchy entrails stored, resort A sooty tribe to fair Augusta's port: Where'er in ambush lurk the fatal Sands They claim the danger, proud of skilful bands; For while with darkling course their Vessels sweep The winding shore, or plough the faithless deep, O'er ...

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