.189. THE SECRET OF THE SEA. Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me As I gaze upon the sea! All the old romantic legends, All my dreams, come back to me. Sails of silk and ropes of sendal And the answer from the shore! Most of all, the Spanish ballad Like the long waves on a sea-beach, When the sand as silver shines, With a soft,monotonous cadence, Flow its unrhymed lyric lines ;— How he heard the ancient helmsman Chant a song so wild and clear, That the sailing sea-bird slowly Poised upon the mast to hear. Till his soul was full of longing, And he cried with impulse strong,"Helmsman! for the love of heaven, Teach me, too, that wondrous song!” "Wouldst thou,"-so the helmsman answered, "Learn the secret of the sea? Only those who brave its dangers Comprehend its mystery!" In each sail that skims the horizon, I behold that stately galley, Hear those mournful melodies: Till my soul is full of longing And the heart of the great ocean Sends a thrilling pulse through me. Henry W. Longfellow. LORD ULLIN'S DAUGHTER. A chieftain to the Highlands bound "Now who be ye, would cross Lochgyle; This dark and stormy water?" "O, I'm the chief of Ulva's isle, And this, lord Ullin's daughter. "And fast before her father's men Three days we've fled together, For should he find us in the glen, My blood would stain the heather. "His horsemen hard behind us ride; Should they our steps discover, Then who will cheer my bonny bride When they have slain her lover? Out spoke the hardy Highland wight, "And by my word, the bonny bird By this the storm grew loud apace, But still as wilder blew the wind, "O haste thee, haste!" the lady cries, The boat has left the stormy land, When, oh! too strong for human hand The tempest gathered o'er her. |