{"id":374,"date":"2010-04-24T03:22:49","date_gmt":"2010-04-24T03:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.everywritersresource.com\/poemeveryday\/?p=374"},"modified":"2017-07-11T05:09:32","modified_gmt":"2017-07-11T05:09:32","slug":"columbus-by-joaquin-miller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everywritersresource.com\/poemeveryday\/columbus-by-joaquin-miller\/","title":{"rendered":"Columbus by Joaquin Miller"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Joaquin Miller (1841-1913)<\/p>\n

Columbus by Joaquin Miller<\/p>\n

Behind him lay the gray Azores,
\nBehind the Gates of Hercules;
\nBefore him not the ghost of shores,
\nBefore him only shoreless seas.
\nThe good mate said: “Now must we pray,
\nFor lo! the very stars are gone.
\nBrave Adm’r’l, speak; what shall I say?”
\n“Why, say: ‘Sail on! sail on! and on!'”<\/p>\n

“My men grow mutinous day by day;
\nMy men grow ghastly wan and weak.”
\nThe stout mate thought of home; a spray
\nOf salt wave washed his swarthy cheek,
\n“What shall I say, brave Adm’r’l, say,
\nIf we sight naught but seas at dawn?”
\n“Why, you shall say at break of day:
\n‘Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!'”<\/p>\n

They sailed and sailed, as winds might blow,
\nUntil at last the blanched mate said:
\n“Why, now not even God would know
\nShould I and all my men fall dead.
\nThese very winds forget their way,
\nFor God from these dread seas is gone.
\nNow speak, brave Adm’r’l, speak and say?”
\nHe said: “Sail on! Sail on! and on!”<\/p>\n

They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the mate:
\n“This mad sea shows his teeth tonight.
\nHe curls his lips, he lies in wait
\nWith lifted teeth, as if to bite!
\nBrave Adm’r’l, say but one good word:
\nWhat shall we do when hope is gone?
\nThe words leapt like a leaping sword;
\n“Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!”<\/p>\n

Then, pale and worn, he kept his deck,
\nAnd peered through darkness. Ah, that night
\nOf all dark nights! And then a speck?
\nA light! a light! a light! a light!
\nIt grew, a starlit flag unfurled!
\nIt grew to be Time’s burst of dawn.
\nHe gained a world; he gave that world
\nIts grandest lesson; “On! sail on!”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joaquin Miller (1841-1913)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,414],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1800s","category-classic-poems"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t