Full many sing to me and thee Their riches gather'd by the sea; But I will sing, for I'm footsore, The burthen of the barren shore. The hue of love how lively shown In this sole found cerulean stone By twenty leagues of ocean roar. O, burthen of the barren shore! And these few crystal fragments bright, As clear as truth, as strong as right, I found in footing twenty more. O, burthen of the barren shore! And how far did I go for this Small, precious piece of ambergris? Of weary leagues I went threescore. O, burthen of the barren shore! The sand is poor, the sea is rich, And I, I am I know not which; And well it were to know no more The burthen of the barren shore! |