"BUILD me straight, O worthy Master! Staunch and strong, a goodly vessel, That shall laugh at all disaster, And with wave and whirlwind wrestle!" The merchant's word Delighted the Master heard; For his heart was in his work, and the heart Giveth grace unto every Art. A quiet smile played round his lips, That steadily at anchor ride. And with a voice that was full of glee, And first with nicest skill and art, That with a hand more swift and sure And signal lanterns and flags afloat, And eight round towers, like those that frown From some old castle, looking down Upon the drawbridge and the moat. And he said with a smile, "Our ship, I wis, Shall be of another form than this!" It was of another form, indeed; Built for freight, and yet for speed, A beautiful and gallant craft ; Broad in the beam, that the stress of the blast, Pressing down upon sail and mast, THE BUILDING OF THE SHIP. Might not the sharp bows overwhelm ; In the ship-yard stood the Master, That should laugh at all disaster, And with wave and whirlwind wrestle ! Covering many a rood of ground, Lay the timber piled around; Timber of chestnut, and elm, and oak, The knarred and crooked cedar knees; And the banks of the roaring Roanoke! To note how many wheels of toil One thought, one word, can set in motion! There's not a ship that sails the ocean, But every climate, every soil, Must bring its tribute, great or small, The sun was rising o'er the sea, Had hewn and laid them every one, |