WHEN the gulls come in, and the shallow sings Fresh to the wind, and the bell-buoy rings, And a spirit calls the soul from sleep To follow over the flashing deep; When the gulls come in from the fields of space, Vagrants out of a pathless place, Waifs of the wind that dip and veer In the gleaming sun where the land lies near, -- Long they have wandered far and free, Bedouin birds of the desert sea; God only marked their devious flight, God only followed them day and night, -- Sailor o' mine, when the gulls come in, And the shallow sings to the bell-buoy's din, Look to thy ship and thy gods hard by, There's a gale in the heart of the golden sky. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...WRITTEN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DELIRIUM by WILLIAM COWPER WHAT THE BULLET SANG by FRANCIS BRET HARTE ON THE 'VITA NUOVA' OF DANTE by DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI ELEGIAC STANZAS SUGGESTED BY A PICTURE OF PEELE CASTLE, IN A STORM by WILLIAM WORDSWORTH INGRATITUDE by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH TO THE MISS WEBSTERS, WITH DR. AIKIN'S WISH by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD PORTRAIT SONNETS: 4 by HENRY BELLAMANN |