Irving, Washington / 2008-11-17 00:00:00
1819-20
THE SKETCH BOOK
THE VOYAGE
by Washington Irving
Ships, ships, I will descrie you
Amidst the main,
I will come and try you,
What you are protecting,
And projecting,
What's your end and aim.
One goes abroad for merchandise and trading,
Another stays to keep his country from invading,
A third is coming home with rich and wealthy lading.
Halloo! my fancie, whither wilt thou go?
OLD POEM.
TO AN American visiting Europe, the long voyage he has to make is an
excellent preparative. The temporary absence of worldly scenes and
employments produces a state of mind peculiarly fitted to receive
new and vivid impressions. The vast space of waters that separates the
hemispheres is like a blank page in existence.
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