A Sailor's Lament - Part I

A Portside Farewell

Expedition of Robert Cavelier de La Salle (Jean Antoine Théodore Gudin, 1844)

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I. A Portside Farewell

Beneath the clamour and the din
Of bustling port and wharf, within
The rush to catch the looming tide,
He whispers softly to his bride.

A word of reassurance here,
A smile there, a silent tear,
And then a fleeting moment past,
The one they knew must come at last.

The mighty hull begins to strain
Its moorings, captive in the bay
It groans aloud, to sail free,
And storm the ramparts of the sea.

She pushes through the crowd to find
The harbour wall, in hope he’ll mind
To turn around and find again
The parting look of love and pain.

He strains with pulley, rope and bar
To raise the chain and anchor, far
And distant lands and mighty deeds
Awake the great seafaring steed.

Before its bow the ocean breaks,
The rudder from his slumber wakes.
It leaves a cloud of salt and spray,
And broken hearts upon the quay,

Where still she stands, and still she stands,
While far the distant vessel mans
The fortress of the wave and wind,
To valour win, and glory find.

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To Be Continued

Come, let us make our way,
With my beads and winter shawl,
Across the town and to the bay
Before the watchman’s call.

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Read Part II here.

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