Stretched on the sand while tawny sailors ply Between the shore and ship with casks and bales Out-cargoed for New Spain, two laddies lie Devouring the skipper's lurid tales Of pirates, shipwreck, monsters of the deep, And painted savages with poisoned spears -- Their hearts aflame, the lordlings vow to keep A tryst with High Romance in coming years. Sir Humphrey Gilbert with his crew has sped To Death's cold caverns underneath the sea; And by the block where royal blood was shed Sir Walter Raleigh's ghost broods timelessly -- But eager Youth, defying all mischance, Still vows to keep a tryst with High Romance. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ON THE PROSPECT OF PLANTING ARTS AND LEARNING IN AMERICA by GEORGE BERKELEY TO A WATERFOWL by WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT THE BEAUTIFUL by WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES TO THE RIVER CHARLES by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW SIDNEY GODOLPHIN by CLINTON SCOLLARD BETH GELERT; OR, THE GRAVE OF THE GREYHOUND by WILLIAM ROBERT SPENCER AGAINST INDIFFERENCE by CHARLES WEBBE EPITAPH ON SUSANNAH BARBAULD MARISSAL by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD |